Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-04

! carrying the wounded woodley into the
house and gave my arm 10 the frishteheu
! girl The injured man was laid on MS beu,
| and at Holmes request I, examined him.
carried my report to where he sat IN the
| old tapestry hung dining room with ms
| two prisoners before him
HE will live" said l.
"what-' cried Carruthers. spring.ng our
i of his chair. .'rI go upstairs ana nhtsii
him first. DO you tell me That that giI,,
that angel. is to be tied to Roaring 'acA
"Yoa need not concern yourself ABOUT
that" said Holmes. There are TWO very
good reasons why she should. under no CIR
cumstances. be his WIFE In the first plaeS
we are very safe in questioning Mr. VIII
iamson's right to solemnize a marriage.
Il have been ordained, cried the old ras-
cal.
"And also unfrocked
''Once clergyman, always a clergyman
II think not. How about the lcenseg
I'VE had license for the marriage. L
have ii here in my pocket
Then you got it by trick But. in any
case. a forced marriage is no marriage. but
it is a very serious felony. you will Is
cover before you have finished. You'll have
time to think the point out during the next
ten years or SO. unless | am mistaken. AS
TO you. Carruthers, you would have done
better to keep your pistol in your pocket
Il begin 20 think so. Mr. Holmes. but
when | thought of all the precaution had
takes to shield this girl-for l loved her.
Mr. Holmes. and ii is the only time thar
ever | knew what love was--it fairly drove
me mad TO think that she was in the power
of the greatest brute and bully in South
Africa man whose name is holy terror
from Kimberley to Johannesburg. Why.
Mr. Holmes. youll hardly believe 1t, but
ever since that girl has been in my en-
pl0yment | never once let her go past this
house. where ! knew the raScals were Turk
ing, without following her on my bicycle,
just to see that she came to no harm. l
kept my stance from her. and L wore
beard, so that she should not recognize me.
for she is good and high-spirited girl, and
she wouldn't have stayed in my employ
ment long if she had thought that |
following her about the country roads
why didn't you tell her of her Danger
Because, then. again, she would have
left me, and 1 couldn't bear to face that
Even if she couldn't love me. it was
great deal to me just To her dainty
form about the house, and to hear the
sound of voice.
Well said l, you call that love Mr..
Carruth hers. but | should call it selfshness"
Maybe the two things go together. Any
how. l couldn't let her go. Besides. with
this crowd about. 1t was we'll that she
should have some one near to look after
her. Then. when the cable came. / knew
they were bound to make a move
What cable?"
CarrutherS took a telegram from his
pocket.
'Thats it," said he
1t was short and concise:
The old man Is dead"
things worked. and | can understand how
this message would. as you say bring them
to a head. But while you walt, you might
tell me what you can
The old reprobate with the surllice burst
into a volley of bad language.
BY heaven!' sad he, IF you squeal On
us, Bob Carruthers, III serve you as you
served Jack Woodley. You can bleat about
the girl to your hearts content, for that's
your own affair. but if you round on your
pals to this plain-clothes copper il will be
the worst days work that ever you did"
Your reverence need not be excited
said Holmes, lighting a cigarette. The
case is clear enough against you, and all
ask is a few details for my private curios-
fty. However, if there's any difficulty In
your telling me I'll do the talking, and
chance of holding back your Sc
crets. In the first place, three of you
came from South Africa this game-you
Williamson. you Carruthers, and Woodley."
Lie number one said the old man: Il
never saw either of them until two months
ago, and have never been In Africa in my
life, so you can put that in your pipe
and smoke it, Mr.. Busy body Holmesv'
What he says is true said Carruthers.
We'll. well, two of you come over. His
reverence Is our own homemade article.
You had known Ralph Smith In South
Africa. You had reason to believe he
would not live long. You found out that
his niece would inherit his fortune How's
that-eh?'
She was next of kin. no doubt. and you
were aware that the old fellow would make
WILL.
Couldn't read or write" said Car
ruthers.
so you came over the two of you and
hunted up the girl The idea was that one
of you was to marry her. and the other
was to share the plumber. For some reason
Woodley was chosen as the husband. Why
was that?
1--WE played cards for her on the voyage.
He Won"
Il see. You got the young lady into your
service and there Woodley was to do the
counting. She recognized the drunken
brute that he was, and would have nothing
to do with him. Meanwhile, your arrange
ment rather upset by the fact that you
had yourself fallen in love with the lady
You could longer bear the idea of this
ruffiap owning herr
No by George, l couldn't
There was a quarrel between you. He
left you in a rage. and began to make his
own plans Independently of you.
1T strikes me. Williamson. there isn't
very much that can tell this gentle
man. cried Carruthers. with bitter laugh.
Yes, We quarreled and he knocked me
down. l am level with him on that, any
how. Then l lost sight of him. That was
when he picked up with this cast padre
here. / found that they had set up house
keeping together at this place on the 1.-The
that she had to pass for the station. | kept
my eye on her after that, for knew there
was some devilry in the wind. 1 saw them
from time to time. for l was anxious to
know what they were after Two days
ago Woodley came up to my house with
this cable which showed that Ralph Smith
was dead. He asked me If | would stand
by the bargain. | said | would not. He
asked me if / would marry the girl myself.
and give him Il share. l said L would will
ingly do so, but. that she would not have
me He said. Let US get her married first,
and after a week or two she may see things
a bit different l said | would have moth
thing to do with violence. So he went off
cursing. like the foul-mouthed blackguard
that he was. and swearing that he would
have her yet She was leaving this
weekend, and / had got trap to take her
to the station. but / was so uneasy in my
mind that l followed her on my bicycle
She had got a start, however. and before
/ could catch her, the mischief was done.
The first thing L knew about it was when
l saw you two gentlemen driving back in
her dog cart.
Holmes rose and tossed the end of his
cigarette into the CRATE. Il have been very
obtuse, Watson said he. When in your
report you said that you had seen the
cyclist as you thought arrange his necktie
in the shrubbery, that alone should have
told me all However. we may congratu-