Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-02-16
1.-THE ADVENTURE OF THE
EMPTY HOUSE-CONTINUED

US.
Three years had certainly not
smoothed the asperities OF his temper
or his Impotence with a less active in
tclligence than his own.
"Of course it has moved" said he.
Am ! such a farCiCal bungler, Wat
son, that | should erect an obvious
dummy, and expect that some of the
sharpest men in Europe would be de-
ceived by IT? We have been in this
room two hours, and Mrs. Hudson has
made some change in That figure eight
times, on one In every quarter OF an
hour. She works ii from the front, so
hat her shadow may be seen.
"Ahi" He drew in his breath with a
shrill, excited intake. In the dim light
/ saw his head thrown forward, his
whole attitude rigid with attention.
Outside the street was absolutely de-
serted. Those two men might still be
]crouching in the doorway, but | could
no longer see them. All was still and
dark, save only that brilliant yellow
screen in front OF us with the black
figure outlined upon its center. Again
I'm the utter silence / heard that thin,
sibilant note which spoke of intense
suppressed excitement. An instant
later he pulled me back into the black
est corner of the room, and ] felt his
warning hand upon my lips. The fin
gers which clutched me were ~quiVering.
Never had I known my friend more
moved, and vet the dark street still
stretched loneI. ana motionless before
us.
But suddenly l was aware OF that
which his keener senses had already
distinguished. A low, stealthy sound
came To my ears, not from the direction
of Baker street, but from the back door
OF the house In which we lay con-
cealed. A door opened and shut, An
instant later steps crept down the pas
sage-steps which were meant TO be
silent, but which reyerberated harshly
through the empty house. Holmes
coruched back against the wall and !
did the same, my hand closing upon
the handle Of my revolver. Peering
through the gloom, l saw the vague
outline OF a man, a shade blacker than
the blackness of the open door. He
stood for an instant, and then he crept
forward. crouching, menacing, into the
room. He was within three yards of
us, this sinister figure, and / had
braced myself to meet his spring be-
fore ! realized that he had no idea of
our presence. He passed close be-
side us, stole over to the window, and
very softly and noiselessly raised ii
half q foot. AS he sank to the level
Of this opening, the light of the street,
no longer dimmed by the dusty glass,
fell upon his face. The seemed to be
beside himself with excitement. His
two eyes shone like stars, and his feat
ures were working conyulsiyely. He
was an elderly man, with a thin, pro-
jecting nose, a high, bald forehead, and
q huge, grizzled mustache. An opera
hat was pushed to the back of his head,
and an evening dress shirt-front
CLEANED out through his open overcoat.
His face was gaunt and swarthy,
scored with deep. savage lines. In his
hand he carried what appeared TO be
a stick, but as he laid it down upon
the floor Ii gave a metallic clang. Then
from the pocket of his overcoat he drew
a bulky object, and he busted himself
in some task which ended with a loud,
sharp click, as il a spring or bolt had
fallen into it's place. Still kneeiing
upon the floor he ben forward and
threw all his weight and strength upon
some lever. with the result that there
came a long, whirllng, grinding noise,
ending once more In q powerful click.
He Strengthened himself then, and /
saw that what he held in his hand
was a sort of a gun, with a curiously
misshapen butt. He opened Ii at the
breech. put something In. and snapped
the breech flock. Then. crouching
down, he rested the end of the barrel
upon the ledge OF the open window,
III Il a. Ills lOltk lld0Ao1AlG AApOR
over the stock and his eye CLEAN as it
peered along the sights. / heard a lit
tie sigh of satisfaction as he cuddled
the butt to his shoulder, and saw that
amazing target, the black man on the
yellow ground, standing clear at the
end of his foresight. For an instant
he was rigid and ~motionless. Then his
finger frightened on the trigger. There
was a strange, loud whiZ and a lond,
aiIVaru tfOlrla Of hrpIxpn giagg AZ thl
instant Holmes sprang like a tiger on
to the marksman's back, and hurled
him fiat upon his face. He was up
again in a moment, and with convulsive
strength he seized Holmes by the
throat, but ! struck him on the head
with the butt OF my revolver, and he
dropped again upon the floor. / fell
upon him. and as / held him my com
rade blew a shrill call upon a whistle.
There was the clatter of running feet
upon the pavement, and two policemen
In uniform, with one plain-clothes de-
tective, rushed through the front en-
trance and into the room.
That you. Lestrade ?" said Holmes.
Eyes, Mr.. Holmes. l took the job
myself. It's good to see you back In
London, SIR
IL think you want n little unofficial
help. Three u~ndetected murders In
one year won't 60, Lestrade. But you
handled the Molesey mystery with less
than your usual--thats to say, you
handled 1t fairly we'll"
We had all risen to our feet, u pris-
oner breathing hard, with u stalwart
constable on each SIC OF him. AL
ready II few loiterers had begun To
collect in the street. Holmes stepped
up to the window. closed IL, and
dropped the blinds. Lestrade had pro-
duced two candles, and the policemen
had uncovered their lanterns. / was
able atNlast to have a good look at our
prisoner.
Ii was a tremendously virile and yet
sinister face which was turned toward
us. With the brow OF a philosophe,
above and the Jaw of a sensualist be
low. the man must have started with
great capacities for good and evil. But
one could not look upon his cruel blue
eyes. With their dropping. cynical lids
or upon the fierce, aggressive nose and
the reatening. deep-lined brow, with
out reading natures plainest danger
signals. He took no heed OF any OF us
but his eyes were fixed upon Holmes
face with an expression in which
hatred anu amazement were equally
blended. You fiendi" he kept on nut
| tering. you clever, clever fiend!"
.Ah, colonel" said Holmes. arrang
| Ing his rumpled collar. " Journeys enc
Ga lovers meetings. as the old pla,
says. l don't think l have had tn,
| pleasure OF seeing you since you IA
| vcred me with those attractions as
! lay on the ledge above the R~eichenbacl
/ Fall"
The colonel stil stared at my friens