The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1906-02-23
BY A. CONAN DOYLE.
CspyriShs. 1906.
by Mcclure. Phillips q Co.

trust that when see you in the even
ing l will be able TO report that l
have peen able to do something for
this unfortunate youngster, who has
thrown himself upon my protection"
1t was late when my friend returned,
and l could see. by glance at his
hagGard and anxious face that the
high hopes with which he had started
had not been fulfilled. For an hour he
droned away upon his violin, endeav-
oring to soothe his own ruffled spirits.
AT last he flung down the instrument.
and plunged into detailed account Of
! his misadventures.
| It's all going wrong. Watson--all as
| wrong as II can so. l kept Il bold face
before Lestrade. but, upon my soul, l
believe that for once the fellow is on
the right track and we are on the
| wrong. All my instincts are one way,
and all the facts are the other, and l
much fear that British juries have not
yet attained that pitch OF intelligence
! when they will give the preference to
my theories over Lestrades facts"
| Did you go to Blea.theath?"
| Yes, Watson. l went there, and l
found very quickly that the late
siderable blackguard The father was
away in search of his son. The mother
was at home-a little. fluffy, blue-eye
person, in a tremor of fear and indigna-
| ton. OF course, She would not admit
even the possibility of his guilt. But
she would not express either surprise
or regret over the fate of Oldacre. On
the contrary. she spoke of him with
such bitterness that she was uncon-
sciously considerably Strengthening the
case of the police. for. of course, if her
son had heard her speak Of the man
in this fashion, it would predispose him
| towards hatred and violence He was
more like malignant and cunning ape
! than a human being said she, and he
| always was, ever since he was a young
| man.
"'You knew him at that time?"
said I.
Yes. l knew him well, in fact, he
was an old sutton of nine. Thank
heaven that l had the sense to turn
away from him, and to marry a better,
II poorer man. | was engaged to him,
Mr.. Holmes, when l heard a shocking
story Of how he had turned a cat loose
in an aviary, and 1 was Mortified at
| his brutal cruelty that would have
nothing more to do with him. She
rummaged In a bureau and presently
she produced photograph OF q wom-
an, shamefully defaced and mutilated
with knife. That is my own photo
graph, she said. He sent 1t to me in
that state, with his curse, upon my
wedding morning.
well said l. at least lie, tlas for
given you now, since he has left all his
property to your son.
Neither my son nor 1 want any
thing from Jonas Oldacre. dead or
alive!' she cried. with a proper spirit
There Is a God in heaven, Mr.. Holmes
and that same God who has punished
that wicked man will show. in His own
good time, that my sons hands are
guiltless Of his blood
We'll, tried one or two leads, but
could get at nothing which would help
our hypothesis. and several points
which would make against it. gave
1t up at last, and off went to Nor
| wood
This place. Deep Dene house, is a
Die modern villa Of staring brick,
standing back in it's own grounds. with
laurel clumped lawn in front Of it.
To the right and some distance back
from the road was the timber yard
which had been the scene of the fire.
Here's a rough plan on a leaf of my
note book. This window on the left
is the one which opens into Oldacre's
room. You can look into it from the
road, you see. That is about the only
BIT of consolation I have had today.
Lestrade was not there, but his head
constable did the honors They had
just found q great treasure troye. They
had spent the morning raking among
the ashes of the burned wood pile,
and besides the charred organic re-
mains they had secured several dis
colOred metal discs. examined them
with care, and there was no doubt
that they were trouser buttons. even
distinguished that one of them was
marked with the name of .Hyams.' who
worked the lawn very carefully for signs
and traces. but this drought has made
everything as hard as iron. Nothing
waste be seen save that some body
or bundle had been dragged through
a low prfvet hedge. which Ia in line
with the wood pile. All that, of course,
fits in with the official theory. 1
crawled about the lawn with an Aug
ust sun on my back, but got up at the
end Of anshour no wiser than before.
Well, after this f1asco went into
the bed room and examined that also
The blood stains were very slight, mere
smears and discolorations. but I'M
Sdoubtedly fresh. The stick had been
removed, but there also the marks We're
slight There Is no doubt about the
Estick belonging to our client He ad-
limits It. Footmarks of both men could
of any third person. which again Is a
trick for the other side. THEY Were
i piling up their score all the time. and
we were at standstill.
only one little CLEAN OF hope did
4 ! getand yet 1t amounted to nothing.
4 j examined the contents OF the safe,
most OF which had been taken out and
.lleft on the table. The papers had been
made UP into sealed envelopes. one or
-