The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-04-12
cepyrish,. toos.
by Nscisrs. Phillips a Co.

I ton nall. .hsn. again, now uoout uN
connection between Carruthcrs and
woodlcy. since they appear Ia he men
OF such n different type How came
they both TO be- so keen upon looking
up Ralph Smiths relations one more
point. What sort OF menage Ia IL which
pays double the market price for n
govcrncsS. but does not keep horse.
although six miles from the station
/ Odd, Watson--very odd!
You will go down."
NO. my dear fellow. you will go
down. This may be some trifling In
! triEue. and I cannot break my other
important research for the sake OF "a.
ON Monday you will arrive early at
| Farnh3m. YOU will conceal yourself
I near charlington heath: YOU viii OBJ
/ serve these facts for yourself. and act
rs your own Judgment advises. Then.
having inquired as TO the occupants OF
4 the hall. you Will come back To me and
/ report. Now. Watson. not another
word of the matter until we have n
Few solid stepping stones on which We
may hope TO get across 10 our solu-
4 ton"
I We had ascertained from the lady
/ that she went down upon the Monday
J by the train which leaves Waterloo at
.: 30. 90 I started early and caught the
a:lS. At Farnham station 1 had no
.
/ ton heath. IL was impossible To mis-
take the scene or the young iady's ad-
venture. for the road runs between the
| open heath on one std. and an old yeN
! hedge upon the other. surrounding n
/ park which IL studded with magnificent
trees. There was n main gateway Of
/ liChcn studded stone, each std. pillar
surmounted by Wondering heraldtc
emblcms. but besides this central car
riage driv. I observed several points
/ where there were gaps In the hedge,
and paths leading through them. The
house was invisible from the road. but
! the surroundings all spoke OF gloom
| and decay.
The heath was covered with golden
patches OF towering gorse. cleaning
| mngnlhcently In the light OF the bright
spring sunshine. Behind one OF these
ciumps I took up my position. so az TO
! command both the gateway OF the hall
and a long stretch or the road upon
either aide. IL had been deserted when
I left IL. but now l saw a Cyclist rid
Ing down "a from the opposite direction
To that from which | had come. He
was clad Ia "A dark suit. aud I saw that
he had black beard. ON reaching the
end OF the Charlington grounds he
sprang from his machine and led IL
through a gap In the hedge. disappear
| ing from my view.
\ quarter OF an hour passed, and
then q second Cyclist appeared. This
time IL was the young lady coming
from the station. I saw her look about
her as she came Co the Chnrlington
hedge. An instant later the man
emerged from his hiding place. sprang
upon his cycle. and followed her In
all the broad landscape those were the
only moving figures. the graceful girl
sitting very straight upon her machine.
and the man behind her bending low
over his handle bar with n curiously
furtlve suggestion In every movement.
She look cd back at him and slowed her
pace. He slowed also. She stopped.
| lie at once stopped. too. keeping two
hundred yards behind her. Her next
movement vas as unexpected as IL was
spirited. She suddenly whisked her
wheel around and dashed straight At
| him. He was as quick IA she. however,
and darted of I'm desperate flight.
\ Presently she came back up the road
/ again. her head haughtily In the air.
not deIEuing To take any further no
/ ticc OF her silent attendant He had
turned also. and still kept his distance
until the curve OF the road hid them
\ from my sight.
/ remained In my hiding place. and
/ q Is welt that did 40. for presently the
man reappcarcd, cycling slowly back.
| lie turned In ut the hall gates and dis
mounted from his machine. For some
minutes could see him standing
among the trees. His hands were
| raised. and he seemed To be- settling
his necktie Then he mounted his Cy-
Gle and rode away from the down the
drive towards the hall ran across
| the heath and pecred through the trees.
Far away l could catch glimpses OF the
old grey building with its bristling
/ 81 A., NaRHu has HViN IN N
| through dense shrubbery, and l saw
no more or my man.
| However. Il seemed To me that I had
| done fairly good mornings work. and
walked back In high spirits To Farm
ham. The local house agent could tell
me nothing about CharlinEtou hall. and
referred me TAI "A we'll known firm In
Pail Mali. There I halted on my way
home, and met with courtesy from the
representative. No. I could not have
Chariinston hall for the summer.
was Just too late. II had been LET
about a month ago. Mr.. Williamson
was the name OF the tenant. He was
IA respectable. elderly gentleman. The
polite agent was afraid he could say
mo- more. Rs the affairs ot his clients
were not matters which he could dis
Cuss.
Mr.. Sherlock Holmes listened with
attention To- the long report which
WAS able To present To him that even.
ing but Il ala not elicit that word ot
curt praise which I had hoped for. and
should have valued. On the contrary
hts austere face VAS even more sever,
than usual as he commented upon IN,
things that I Lad done and the things
that had not.
Your hiding place. my dear Watson
was very faulty. You should have beer
behind the hedge. then you would have
had close view OF this interesting
person As IL ". you were some hun
dreds 81 yards away, and can tell m'
csen less than Miss Smith. She thinks
she does not know the man: | ann con
WINGED that she does. Why. otherwise
should he b. 40 desperately anxious
that she should not get So near him al
to see his features You describe hin
as bending over the handle bar. Con
cealment again. you see. You reall!
have done remarkably badly. He re
turns To- the house. and you want q
. Ind out who he Is. You come To
, London house agent"
what should have done?'I cried
with soule heat.
7 Gore TO the nearest public house
. That IL the center OF country GOSSIP
: They would have told you every nam,
Z from the master To the scullery maid
I Williamson? II conveys nothing To IN
5 mind. II he is an elderly man he II no