Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-09-14
xii-THE ADVENTURE OF THE
ABBEY GRANGE.-Continued.

that with the mystery all the charm of
the case had departed. There still re-
matned an arrest to be effected. but
what were these commonplace rogues,
that he should soil his hands with
them? An abstruse and learned spe-
cialist who finds that he has been
called in for a case of measles would
experience something of the annoyance
which / read in my friends eye. Yet
he scene in the dining room of the
Abbey Grange was sufficiently strange
to arrest his attention and to recall
mis- waning interest.
1t was q very large and high cham
Der. with carve oak ceiling, oaken
panelling, n a fine array of deer's
heads n ancient weapons around the
walls. At the further end from the
o o was the high, French window of
which we had heard. Three smaller
windows on the right-hand side filled
the apartment with cold winter sun
shine. On the left was a large, deep
fireplace, with a massive, overhanging
oak mantelpiece. Beside the fireplace
was a heavy oaken chain with arms
and crossbars at the bottom. In and
out through the open woodwork was
woven a crimson cord, which was Sc
cured at each side to the crosspiece
below. In releasing the lady, the cord
had been slipped off her, but the knots
Will "iltCI IL ildu pttil oCSuICd GUN
remained. These details only struck
our attention afterwards, for our
thoughts were entirely absorbed by the
terrible object which lay upon the tiger
skin hearth rug in front of h fire.
1t was the body of a tall, well made
man. about 40 years of age. He lay
upon his back, his face upturned. with
MS white teeth grinning through his
short. black beard. His two clenched
hands were raised above his head. and
a heavy. blackthorn stick lay across
them. His dark, handsome. aquiline
features were convulSed into a spasm
Of vindictive hatred. which had set his
dead face in a terribly f1endish express
sion. He had evidently been in his
bed when the alarm had broken out.
for he wore a foppish. embroidered
night shirt. and his bare feet projected
from his trousers. His head was hor-
ribly injured, and the whole room bore
witness to the savage ferocity of the
blow which had struck him down. Be
side him lay the heavy poker. bent in
to a curve by the conclusion. Holmes
examined both it and the indescribable
wreck which 1t had wrought.
"He must be a powerful man, this
elder Randall" he remarked.
Eyes" said Hopkins. II have some
record of the fellow, and he is a rough
customer"
"You should have no difficulty in get
ting him."
Not the slightest. We have been on
the lookout for him, and there was
some idea that he had got away to
America. Now that we know that the
gang are here, / don't see how they
can escape. We have the news at ey-
cry seaport already, and a reward will
be offered before evening. What beats
me is how they could have done so
mad a thing, knowing that the lady
could describe them, and that we could
not fail to recognize the description"
Exactly. One would have expected
that they would nave silenced Lady
B~rackenstall as we'll"
They may not have realized" I sug-
gested. that SHE had recovered from
her faint"
THAT is likely enough. If she seemed
to be senseless, they would not take
her life. What about this poor fellow,
Hopkins? l seen to have heard some
queer stories about him."
He was a good-hearted man when
he was sober. but a perfect fiend when
he was drunk, or rather when he was
half drunk, for he seldom really went
the whole way. The devil seemed to
be in him at such times, and he was
capable of anything. From what I
near, in spite of all his wealth and his
title. he very nearly came our way
once or twice. There was a scandal
about his drenching a dog with petro-
ieum and setting it on fre-her lady
ships dog, to make the matter worse
and that was only hushed up with
difficulty. Then he threw a decanter
at that maid, Theresa Wright, there
was trouble about that. On the whole,
and between ourselves, It Will be a
brighter house without him. What are
you looking at now"
Holmes was down on his knees, ex-
aiming with great attention the knots
upon the red cord with which the lady
had been secured. Then he carefully
scrutinized the broken and frayed end
where 1t had snapped off when the
burglar had dragged it down.
when this was pulled down, the bell
in the kitchen must have rung loudly"
he remarked.
mo one could near 1t. The kitchen
stands right at the back of the house"
How did the burglar know no one
could hear it? How dared he pull at
a bell rope n that reckless fashion? 2"
Exactly, Mr.. Holmes, exactly. You
put the very question which / have
asked myself again and again. There
can be no doubt that this fellow must
have known the house and its habits.
He must nave perfectly understood
that the servants would all be- in bed
ht that comparatively early hour, and
that no one could possibly hear a bell
ring in the kitchen. Therefore, he
must have been in close league with
one Of the servants. Surely that is evil
dent. But there are eight servants,
and all of good character"
"Other things being equal" said
Holmes, "on would suspect the one
at whose head the master threw q
decanter. n yet hat would involve
treachery towards the mistress TO
whon this woman seems devoted. Well,
well, the point is a minor one, and
when you have Randall you will prob
ably find no difficulty in securing his
accomplice. The lady's story certain
ly seems to be corroborated. If ii need
ed corroboration, by every detail which
we see before u.s. He walked TO the
French window and threw 1T open.
There are no signs here, but the
ground is iron hard, and one would
not expect them. l see that these can
dies in the mantelpiece have been
lighted"
"Yes. 1t was by their light. and that
of the lady's bed room candle. hat the
burglars raw their way about"
and what did they take@"
well, they did not take much-only
half a dozen articles of plate off the
sideboard. Lady Brackenstall thinks
that they were themselves SO disturbed
by the death Of Sir Eustace that they
, did not ransack the house, as they
, would otherwise have done"
mo doubt that Is true. and yet they
drank some wine l understand"