Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-07-19

trate some of those qualities for which
my friend was remarkable. / will en-
ueaNor, in my statement. to avoid Suci
terms as would serve to limit tn,
events to any particular place. or give
Il clue as to the people concerned.
We We're residing at the time in fur
nished lodgings close to IA library wher,
Sherlock Holmes was pursuing som
I9borious researches in early English
charterS-reSearches which led to re-
suits so striking hat they may be the
subject of one of my future narratives
Here it was that one evening we re-
ceived Il visit from an acquaintance
Mr.. Hilton SoameS tutor and lecture
at The college of st. Luke's. MIR. Soames
was Il tail. spare man. of nervous and
eXcitable temperament. | had always
known him to be restless in his manner
but on this particular occasion he was
in such Il state of uncomfortable agi-
tation that ii was clear something very
unusual had occurred.
Il trust, MIR. Holmes. that you can
spare me Il few hours of your valuable
time. We have had a very painful in
cident at st. Luke's, and really. but for
the happy chance of your being in
town, l should have been at n loss
what to do"
Il nm very busy just now, and 1 de-
sire no distractions" my friend an
swercd. II should much prefer that
YOU called in the aid of the police"
NO. no, my dear sir; such II course
is utterly impossible. When once the
law is evoked, it cannot be stayed
again. and this is just one of those
cases where, for the credit of the col
lege. 1t is most essential to avoid a
scandal. Your discretion is as well
known as your powers n you are the
one ma in the world who can help
me. 1 beg you. Mr.. Holmes, to do
IA you an
My friends temper had no improved
since he had been deprived of the on
genial surroundings of Baker street.
Without his scrap books, his chemicals
and his homely untidiness. he was an
uncomfortable man. He shrugged his
shoulders in ungracious acquiescence,
while our visitor in hurried words and
with much eXcitable gesticulation
poured forth his story.
Il must explain to you. Mr.. Holmes,
thai tomorrow is the first day of the
examination for the Fortescue scholar
ship. l am of the examiners. MY
subject is Greek, INC the first of the
Yapers consits OF a large passage of
lireek translation which the candidate
has not seen. This passage is printed
on the examination paper, and it would
naturally be an immense advantage IL
N'> &'H' 'AS NOoiN tSPo ~ III ot~
vance For this reason great care is
taken to keep the paper secret.
To-day. about three o'clock. the
proofs of this paper arrived from the
printers. The exercise consists of half
Il chapter OF Thucyides. 1 had to read
1t over carefully. as the text must be
absolutely correct. About four-thirty
my task was not yet completed. had.
however to take tea in a friends rooms.
so l left the proof upon my desk. 1
was absent rather more than an hour.
You are aware Mr.. Holmes, tina our
college doors are double-a green baize
one within and a heavy oak one with
out. AS l approached my outer door,
i was amazed to see n key in it. For
an instant l imagined l had left my
" there, but on feeling in my pocket
I found that 1t was all right. The
only duplicate which existed, so far as
l knew. was that which belonged to
my servant, Bannister-a man Who has
looked after my room for ten years,
and whose honesty is absolutely above
suspicion. l found that the key was
indeed his. that he had entered my
room to know II l wanted tea. and that
he had very carelessly left the key in
the door when he came out. His visit to
my room must have been within a
very few minutes of my leaving it.
His forgetfulness about the key would
ave mattered little upon any other oc-
casiOn. but on this n day 1t has pro-
duced the most deplorable conse-
quences.
The momen l looked at my table.
/. was aware that had rum
mayed among my papers. The proof
was in three long slips. 1 had left
them all together. Now. I found that
one of them was lying on the floor
m was on the side table near the
window. and the third was where I had
left it."
Holmes stirred for the first time.
The first page on the floor, the Sec
Ond in the window. the third where you
left it," said he.
Exactly. Mr.. Holmes. You amaze
me. How could you possibly know
that?"
Pray continue your very interesting
statement"
For an instant I imagined that Ban
mister had taken the objectionable lib
erty of examining my papers. He de-
MED 1t, however. with the utmost earn
estness. and l am convinced that he
was speaking the truth. The slter,,s-
tive was that someone passing nad o.
serve the key in the door. had known
that / was out. and had entered to
look at he papers. A large sum OF
money is at stake. for the scholarship
is a very valuable one. an I'M
scrupulous man might yer. ell run a
risk in order to gain an advantage over
his fellows.
"Bannister was very much upset by
the incident. He had nearly tainted
when he found hat the papers had