The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1906-02-02
THE ADVENTURE OF THE
EMPTY HOUSE.-CONTiN

1.-THE ADVENTURE OF THE
EMPTY HoUSE.-cONTiNUED
Il am glad to stretch myself, Wat
SON. he said. "It is no joke when q
tall man has to take a foot off his stat
ure for several hours on end. Now, my
dear fellow, in the matter Of these ex-
plantations we have, II l may ask fol-
your cooperation. hard and danger
GUS nights work in front Of us. Per
haps 1t would be better IL ! gave you
an account OF the whole situation wher
that work Ia finished"
Il am full Of curiosity, should much
prefer to hear now"
You'll come with me. tonight?"
when you like and where you like
This is, indeed. like'the old days. We
shall have time for a mouthful Of din
ner before we need go. We'll, then
about that chasn. i had no serious
difficulty in getting out OF 1t. for the
in It."
You never were in it?"
mo. Watson. 1 never was in 1t. Ny
note to YOU was absolutely genuine
had little doubt that I had come
to the end OF my career when / per-
4ceived the somewhat sinister figure of
the late Professor. Moriarity standing
to safety. I read an inexorable pur-
pose in his grey eyes. exchanged
some remarks with him. therefore, and
obtained his courteous permission to
write the short note which you after
wards received. left 1t with my Gig
arctic box and my stick. and walked
along the pathway. Moriarity still at
stood at bay. He drew no weapon. but
he rushed at me and threw his long
arms around me. He knew that his
own game was up. and was only anxi-
bus to revenge himself upon me. We
stottered together upon the brink of the
fall. have some knowledge. however,
OF baritsu. or the Japanese system of
wrestling, which has more than once
been very useful to me- 1 slipped
through his grip. and he with a horrible
scream kicked madly for Il few Sec
onds. and clawed the air with both
his hands. But for all his efforts he
could not get his balance, and over he
went. With my face over the brink.
saw him fall for q long way. Then
he struck a rock, bounded off, and
splnshed into the water"
listened with amazement to this ex-
PLANTATION, which Holmes delived be-
tween the puffs Of his cigarette.
But the tracks!" I cried. II saw,
with my own eyes. that two went down
the path and none returned"
1T came about In this way. The in
slant that the professor had disap-
peared, 1t struck me. whatfa really ex-
Extraordinarily lucky chance fate had
placed in my way. knew that MORT
arity was not the only man who had
sworn my death. There were at least
three others whose desire for venge-
ance upon me would only be increased
by the death of their leader. They
We're all most dangerous men. One or
other would certainly get me. On the
other hand, II all the world was con-
WINGED that was dead they would take
these men, they would soon
lay themselves, open, and sooner or
later could destroy them. Then 1t
would be time for me to announce that
/ was still in the land OF the living.
SoerApidly does the brain act that be-
level had thought this all out before
Professor Moriarity had reached the
bottom of the Reichenbach fall.
II stood up and examined the rocky
wall behind me. In your picturesque
account of the matter, which read
with great interest some months later,
you assert that the wall was sheer.
That was not literally true. A few
small footholds presented themselves
and there was some Indication of a
1t at all was an obvious impossibility,
and 1t was equally impossible to make
my way along the wet path without
leaving some tracks. L might. 1t Is
true. have reversed my boots, as have
done on similar occasions, but the sight
Of threa sets OF tracks in one direction
would certainly have suggested a de-
On the whole. then; i was
best that I should risk, the climb. 1t
was not pleasant business, Watson.
The fall roared beneath me. I am not
4 fanciful person, but give you. my
word that seemed to hear Moriarity's
voice screaming at me out of the abyss.
A mistake would have been fatal. More
than once, as tufts of grass came out
In my hand or my foot slipped In the
wet notches of the rock. thought I
and ut last | reached ledge several
feet deep and covered with soft green
moss, where I could lie unseen. in the
most perfect comfort. There I was
stretched. when you, my dear Watson.
and all your following were investi-
eating in the most sympathetic and
inefficient manner the circumstances OF
my death. !. IS
cat last, when you all had formed
your Inevitable and totally erroneous
you depa rted for the hotel,
and was left alone. HAD imagined
that had reached the end o1 .mX;ad =
but q very unexpected Oc-
curence showed me that There were
surprises still In store for ME. a huge
rock, falling from above. doomed past
me. struck the path, and bounded over
Into the chasm. For an instant ]
thought that ~ was an accident. but
i moment later, looking up. 7 saw q
mans head against the darkening sky,
and another stone struck r the very