The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-10-04
%ili.-THE ADVENTURE OF TIL
SECOND STAIN.-Continucd.

Looh mere, Lcslfade. Sald ne, ma
mat constable in the passage been j
charge of the place all the time?"
Yes, he has"
Well, take my advice. Examine hir
carefully. Don't do 1T before us. We
walt here. You take him into the bac'
room. You'll be more likely to sc
a confession out of him alone. AS tir
now he dared to admit people and leav
them alone in this room. Don't asl
him il he has done it. Take it 70
granted. Tell him you know someon
has been here. Press him. Tell hin
that a full confession is his only chanc,
of forgiveness. Do exactly what / tel
you'll"
by George, IL he knows I'll have i
out of hint" cried Lestrade. He dart
ed into the hall, and a few moments
later his bullying voice sounded from
the back room.
Now. Watson, nowt" cried Holme.
with frenzied eagerness. All the de.
monlacal force of the man masked be.
mind that listless manner burst out il
q paroxysm of Energy. He tore The
drugget from the floor, and in an in
slant was down on his hands clawing
at each of the squares of wood beneath
1t. One turned sideways as he dug his
nails into the edge of it. 1t hinged
back like the lid of a box. A small.
black cavity opened beneath it. Holmes
plunged his eager hand into 1t, and
drew it out with a bitter snarl of an
ger and disappointment. 1t wa empty.
quick, Watson, quick Get it back
again!" The wooden lid was replaced,
n the drugget had only lust been
drawn straight when Lestrade's voice
was heard in the passage. He found
Holmes leaning languidly against the
mant'epiAce, resigned and patient, en-
deavorilig to conceal his irrepressible
yaWns
Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr..
Holmes. I can see that you are bored
to death with the whole affair. Well,
he has confessed, all right. Come in
here, Macpherson. Let these gentle
men near Of your most ineXcusable
conduct.
The big constable, very hot and peni-
tent. sidied into the room.
Il meant no harm, sir, I'm sure. The
young woman came to the door last
evening-mistook the house, she did.
And then we got to talking. It's lone
some, when you're ON duty here all
day"
Well, whit happened then?
she wanted to see where the crime
was done-hSd read about it in the
papers, she said. She was a very re-
spectacle, well-spoken young m
SIT, and l say no harm in letting her
have a peep. When she saw that mark
on the carpet, down she dropped on the
floor, and lay as If she were dead. |
ran to the hack and got some water,
but l could not bring her to. Then 1
went around the corner to the Ivy
Plant for soroe brandy. and by the time
I had brought it back the youn
m had recovered and was off
ashamed of herself, J. daresay, and dar-
ed not face me-
How about moving that drugeet2"
Wen, sir, it was a bit rumpled, Ger.
tainly. when | came back. You see, she
fell on 1t and it lies on a polished floor
with nothing tc keep it in place. I
Strengthened it out afterward."
It's a lesson to you that YOU can't
deceive me, Constable MACPHERSON"
said Lestrade, with dignity. mo doubt
you thought that our breach of duty
could never be discovered, and vet q
mere glance at that drugget was
enough to convince me that someone
had been admitted to the room. It's
lucky for you. my man, that nothing is
missing. or you would find yourself in
Queer street. I'm sorry to have called
you down over such a petty business.
Mr.. Holmes, but / thought the point
of the second stain not corresponding
with the first would interest you"
Certainly, it was most interesting.
Has this woman only been here once,
c~onstable?"
Eyes, sir, only once"
Who vas she?"
Don't know the name, sir. Was an
swering an advertisement about ty1ie-
and came TO the wrong mum
ber-very pleasant, genteel young
woman, sir"
Tall? Handsome?"
Yes, sir, she was a w~elI-erown
young woman. I suppose you might
say she was handsome. Perhaps some
would say she was very handsome.
oh, officer, do let me have a peeni'
says she. She had pretty. coaxing
ways, as o might say. and thought
there was no harm in letting her inst
put her head through the door"
How was she ~dressed?"
Quiet, SRA long mantle down to
feet.
What time was it ?''
1t was just growing dusk at HE
time. They We're lighting the LAMPS as
/ came back with the bra,dy.o
very good" said holmes. "Conoe
Watson, | think that WE have more inn
portant work elsewhere" ~
AS we left the house Lestrade remained
the front room. while the repentant con
opened the door to let us OUT.
Holmes turned on the step and held IN
something in his hand. TIL constable
intently.
Good Lord, sir..' he cried, with amaze
ment on his face. Holmes put his finger
his lips, replaced his hand in his breast
pocket, and burst out laughing as we
turned Town the street. "Excellentt" said
he. Come. friend Watson, the curtain.
rings up for the last act. You viii he
relieved to hear that there Will be no war.
tEs Right Honorable Trelawney Hope
Will suffer no setback in his brilliant ga
reef, that the indiscreet sovereign will re-
ceiye no punishment for his indiscret1on.
the prime minister Will have no Eu-
ropean complication to deal with, and that
with q little tact and management upon
our part nobody will be a penny the worse
for what might v been a very ugly In
cident..
Ny mind filled with admiration for this
extraordinary man.
You have solved itt, I cried.
Hardly that, Watson. There are some
points which are as dark as ever. But We
have so much that 1t win be our own fault
II we cannot get the rest. we viii 20
straight to Whitehall Terrace and bring
the mattersto mead.
When we arrived at the residence OF
the European secretary 1t was for Lady
Hilda Tretawney Hope tina Sherlock
Holmes inquired. We were shown into the
morning room.
MI, Holiness said the lady. and her
face was pink In her Indignation. this
Is surely most unfair and ungenerous upon
Your part. I desired, as l nave explained.
70 keep my visit TO you a secret, lest my
husband should think that I was IN
ANIL ~ - Led ~ - ~ A-Ax