Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-05-25

oid in The mouse colored dressing gown |
which he took from his ,efigy.
1.-THE old shikari's nerves have not
lost their steadiness nor his eyes their
keenness," said he. With a laugh, as he
inspected the shattered forehead Of his
bust.
"Plumb In the middle OF the back Of
the head and smack through the brain.
He was the best shot In India, and I
expect that there are few better in
London. Have you heard the name?"
mo, I have not"
"Well. we'll, such Ia fame! But, then,
II I remember right. you had not heard
the name OF Professor James Moriarty.
who had one Of the great brains Of the
century. Just give ne down my index
Of biographies from the shelf"
He turned over the pages lasily, lean
ing hack in his chair and blowing great
clouds from bis cigar.
MY collection Of Ms IL a fine one"
said he. "Moriarty himself Is enough
to make sny letter illustrious, and here
Is Morgan, the poisoner, ana Merridcw
Of abominable memory. and Mathews.
who knocked out my left canine in the
waiting room at Charing Cross. and
finally here Is our friend Of tonight"
He handed over the book. and read:
moran, Sebastian, colonel. Cnem-
ployed. Formerly First Bengalorc Pio-
neers. Born London, 1S40 Son of
Sir Augustus Moran, c. b., once Brit.
ish minister to Persia. Educated Elton
and Oxford. Served in Jowaki cam
paign, Afghan campaign, Charasiab
(dlspatches). Sherpur and Cabul. Au.
thor Of Heavy Game Of the Western
Himalayas' CSSD; 'Three Months In
the Jungle uSs4. Address: Conduit
street. Clubs: Tho Anglo-Indian the
Tankerville. the Bagatelle Card club"
On the margin was written in Holmes
precise hand. The second most dan
xerous man in London"
This ia astonishing" said as I
handed back the volume. 1.-THE mans
career Is that Of an honorable SOL
der"
at Is true" Holmes answered up
to certain point he did we'll. He was
always a man of iron nerve, and the
story is still told in India how he
crawled down drain after a wound
ed man eating tiger. There are some
trees, Watson, which grow to GER
tain height and then suddenly develop
some unsightly eccentricity. You will
see it often In humans. ! have q the
DRY that the individual represents in
his development the whole procession
Of his ancestors, and that such sud
den turn to good or evil stands for
some strong influence which came into
the line of his pedigree. The person
becomes, as it were. the epitome Of the
history Of his own family"
ut is surely rather fanciful."
"Well, I don't insist upon it. What
ever the cause, Colonel Moran began
to go wrong. Without any open scan
dial he still made India too hot to hold
him. He retired, came to London and
again acquired an evil name. 1t was
at this time that he was sought out by
Professor Moriarty, to whom for a
time he was chief of the staff. Mortar
ty supplied him literally with money
and used him only in one or two very
high class jobs which no ordinary GRIM
inal could have undertaken. You may
have some recollection Of the death Of
Mrs. Stewart Of Lauder In 1887. Not?
Well, am sure Moran was at the bot
tom Of 1t, but nothing could be proved.
So cleverly was the colonel concealed
that even when the Moriarty gang was
broken up we could not incriminate
, him. You remember ut that date. when
called upon you In your rooms. how
put up the shutters for fear Of air
guns? No doubt you thought me fanci-
full. knew exactly what l was do
ing for knew Of the existence Of this
remarkable gun, and knew also that
one Of the best shots In the world
would be behind 1t. When we were in
Switzerland he followed us with Mort.
? arty, and It was undoubtedly he who
, gave me that evil nve minutes on the
, Reichenbach ledge.
, "You may think that read the pa.
pers with some attention during my So
journ in France. OH the lookout for any
chance Of laying him by the heels. So
) long as he was free In London my life
: would really not have been worth liv-
ing. Night and day the shadow would
, have been over me and sooner or later
his chance must have come. What
. could I do? ! could not shoot him al
. sight or I should myself be In the dock
!. There was NO use appealing to q magis
, trate. They cannot interfere on the
1 strength Of what would appear to them
: to be . wild suspicion. So could dc
nothing But watched the criminal
news. knowing that sooner or later
should get him. Then came the death
8 Of this Ronald Adair. My chance had
come at last. Knowing what I did
!, was 1t not certain that Colonel Moran
r had done It? He had played cards with
r the lad; he had followed him home
. from the club no had shot him through
( the open window. There was not q
( doubt Of 1t. The bullets alone are
: enough to put his head in moose.
u II came over at once. was seen by
e the sentinel, who would. knew, direct
r the colonel's attention to my presence
{ He could not fail to connect my sudden
. return with his crime and to be terribly
J. alarmed. wss sure he would make
. an attempt to get me out OF the way
e at once and would bring round his muir