The Record-courier. [volume] (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1904-current, 1905-11-10


ing and l.nrSual case" said he You
gave ne few particulars in your lei
ter. Mr. Hilton Guhitt but | should
he Hsy much Obliged if you would
kim : - ovn" t M again for the ben
eGt IF ll4y friend. Or. Watson"
I'm MT much of story teller" said
our vi p" neryously elaspng and mn
Ella Peg rs great. strong hands. You
WI $, X me anything that | don't
mil eic.-. III begin mt the time of
my mari 90 last year. but | WANT to
sly fet o. MI that. though I'm not II
rich L..sl.. my people have been 1T Rid
ing Thorpe f)r II matter of five centu-
rios and the" IS 10 better known fam
lily in the county of Norfolk. List year
came up to London for the jubilee,
and | stopped At a boarding honse in
Russell square. because Parker the
vicar of our parish. WAS staying in it.
There was an American Young lady
there-Patricll was the name-ElSie
Patrick. In some way we hecame
friends. until before my month WIS up
! | WIS as much in love as man could
be- We were quietly married nj reg
stry office. and we returned to Nor
folk II welded couple. You'll think it
very mad, Mr.. Holmes. that alan of
/ n good old family should marry Il wife
/ in this fashion. knowing nothing of her
past or of her people but if YOU saw
her and knew her il would help you TO
understand.
she was very straight about it, WAS
Elsie | can't say that she did not give
me every chance of getting out of it II
| wished to do So 1 have had some
very agreeable associations in my
/ life said She L wish to forget all
/ about them | would rather never al
| lude 10 the past for it IS very painful
/ to me If you take me, Hilton. you will
take a woman who has nothing that
she need he personally ashamed of. but
You will have to be content with my
word for it and to allow me So be silent
as TO all that passed up 10 the time
when | became yours. If these condi-
tons are too hard, then go back to Nor
folk and leave me TO the lonely life In
which YOU found me- 1t was only the
day before our wedding that she said
! those very words To me | told her that
/ | WIS content to take her on her own
terms. and have been as good rs my
word
We'll, we have been married now for
year. and very happy we have been.
But about Il month ago. at the end Of
June. saw for the first time signs of
trouble. One day my wife received
letter from America. | saw the Amer
lean stamp. She turned deadly white.
read the letter and threw it into the
| fire. She made no allusion to It after
! ward and | made none, for 4 promise
is Il promise, but she has never known
an easy hour from that moment. There
is always look OF fear upon her face
I "A look as if she were waiting and ex-
/ pecting She would do better to trust
me. She would find that | was her best
| friend But until she speaks | can say
nothing. Mind you, she is n truthful
/ woman, Mr.. Holmes. and whatever
trouble there may have been in her
/ past life 1t has been no fault of hers.
| am only a simple Norfolk squire. but
| there is not man in England who
| ranks his family honor more highly
/ than | do. She knows ii we'll and she
| knew it well before she married me.
| She would never bring any stain upon
/ it; of that | am sure.
We'll. now come to the queer part
I of my story. About week ago-it
was the Tuesday of last week. found
+ on one of the window stills Il number of
absurd little dancing figures like these
upon the paper. They were serawled
with chalk. | thought that II was the
/ stabR boy who had drawn them, but
the lad swore he knew nothing about
No, Mr. Holmes, sine has not. And
yet there have been times when the
poor girl has wanted to speak and yet
could aot quite bring herself to take
. the plunge. | have tried to help her but
Z dare say did 1t clumsily and scared
her from it, She has spoken about my
old family and our reputation in the
county and our pride in our unsullied
I honor. and | always felt it was lead
ing to the point, but somehow it turned
off before we got there
but you have found out something
for yourselfT
~ good deal, Mr.. Holmes. | have
several fresh dancing men pictures for
you TO examine, and. what is more i'm
portant | have seen the fellow
"What-the man who draws them
Yes; | saw him at work But | will
tell you everything i'm order, When |
got back after my visit to you the very
first thing / saw next morning was n
fresh crop Of dancing men. They had
been drawn in chalk upon the black
wooden door of the tool house, which
stands beside the lawn in full view of
the front windows. | took an exact
copy, and here it is He unfGlded II
paper and laid it upon the table Here
is copy of the hierogIyphics:
4 YYY{YYYY