Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-08-10

| among the trees. His hands WerH
! raised, and he seemed to be settling
his necktie. Then he mounted his cycle
and rode away from me down the div"
toward the hall. ran across til" heath
and peered through the trees. Far
away l could catch glimpses OF h Old
gray building, with its DristlinG Tudor
chimneys, but the drive ran through a
dense s%hrubbery, and / saw no more OF
my a
However, 1t seemed to me that l had
done q fairly good mornings work, and
I walked back in high spirits to Farm
ham. The local house agent could tell
me nothing about Charlington Hall and
referred me to a we'll known firm in
Pail Mall. There l l halted on my way
home and met with courtesy from the
representative. No, l could not have
Charlington Hall for the summer. |
was just too late. 1t had been let
about a month ago. Mr.. Williamson
was the name Of the tenant. He was a
respectable, elderly gentleman. The
polite agent was afraid he could say no
more, as the affairs of his clients were
not matters which he could discuss.
Mr.. Sherlock Holmes listened with
attention to the long report which l
was able to present to hin that even
ing, but it did not elicit that word of
curt praise which l had hoped for and
should have valued. On the contrary,
his austere face was severe.
your hiding place. my dear Watson,
was very faulty. You should have been
behind the hedge. Then you would
have had a close view of this interest
ing person. AS it is, you were some
hundreds of yards away and can tell
me even less than Miss Smith. She
thinks she does not know the man. l
am convinced she does. Why, other
wise, should he be so desperately anX-
ious that she should not get so near
him as to see his features? You de-
scribe him as bending over the handle
bar. Concealment again. you see. You
really have done remarkably badly. He
returns to the house, and you want to
lind out who he is. You come to a
London house AGENT"
"Nhat should l have done?" I cried,
with some heat.
"Gone to the nearest public house.
That is the center of country gossip.
They would have told you every name
from the master to the scullery maid,
Williamson? 1t conveys nothing to my
mind. If he Is an elderly man he Is
not this active cyclist who sprints
away from that young lady's athletic
pursuit. What have we gained by YOUR
expedition? The knowledge that the
girls story is true. l never doubted it.
Ihat there IS a connection between the
cyclist and the hall. | never doubted
that either. That the hall is tenanted
by Williamson. Who's the better for
that? Well, well. my dear sir, don't
look so depressed. We can do little
more until next Saturday, and in the
meantime l may make one or two in
quiries myself"
Next morning he had a note from
Miss Smith recounting shortly and oc-
curately the very incidents which
mad seen. but the pith of the letter Law
IN the postscript:
Il am sure that YOU will respect nv
confidence, Mr.. Holmes, when toll
you thai my place here has become diff
llcult owing to the fact that nv en-
ployer has proposed marriage 1o mo
am convinced that his feelings ,rn
most ueep and most honorable At thn
same llIhc my promise is of course
given. He took my refusal very sori-
ously, but also very gently. You can
understand, however, that the sitlation
is a little strained"
NOur young friend seems tn no ,rot
ting into deep waters" said IIo,n,n.
thonghtfuil.y rs be finished thn ,at4a.
ll'e c"Se certainly presents more fco-
lures vi interest ana more possjhilitv
vi development than | had oririn,uv
lhotSh1. should be mono t|,. y,,,.,o
ior ii quiet peaceful day in the COM
ll!' ana am inclined to run dawn mi,
AFTERNOON and test one or two ,boor,on
when nave formed"
ii''i'eS quiet day in the country had
d singular termination. for hc arrival
a' baker street late in the cycniu, win
w. up ana a 1iscolued lump upon
ms forehead, besides II general mir Of
o'>>'i'''Ai Which would lEayr mo3o bio
own person til" fitting object of , Scot
""' iafl investigation. He was i'm.
n'',iselH t'ckl"d by his own adycrtn,n.
ana laughed heartily as he rcc,,ntn1
them ' ~ accounted