The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-09-06
xii-THE ADVENTURE OF THE
ABBEY GRANGE.-Continued.

me keen interest had passed out oil
Holmes expressive face, n | knew
lthat with the mystery all the charm OF
The case a departed. There still re-
NAMED an arrest to be effected, but
what were these commonplace rogues
that he should soil his hands witt
them? An abstruse and learned spe-
cialist who finds that he has beer
called in for a case of measles would
experience something of the annoyance
which | read in my friends eye. Yet
the scene in the dining room of the
Abbey Grange was sufficiently strange
TO arrest his attention and to recall
his waning interest.
1t was q very large and high cham
Der, with carved oak ceiling, oaken
panelling, and a fine array of deer's
heads and ancient weapons around the
walls. AT the further end from the
door 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, o~verhanging
oak mantelpiece. Beside the fireplace
was a heavy oaken chair with arms
and crossbars at the bottom. In and
out through the open woodwork was
woven a crimson cord, which wa Sc
cured at "a side to the crosspiece
below. In releasing the lady, the cord
had been slipped off her, but the knots
with which it had been secured still
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 the fire.
1t was the body of a tall, we'll made
man, about 40 years of age. He lay
upon his back, his face u%pturned. with
his white teeth grinning through his
short. black beard. His two clenched
hands we're raised above his head, and
a heavy, blackthorn stick lay across
them. His dark, handsome. aquiline
Of vindictive hatred. which had set his
dead face in a terribly fiendish express
sion. He had evidently beer in his
bed when h 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
blow which had struck him down. Be
side him lay the heavy poker, bent in
to a curve by the conclusion. Holmes
examined both 1t and the indeseribable
wreck which 1t had wrought.
He must be a powerful man, this
elder Randall" he remarked.
yes" 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, I don't see how they
can escape. We have the news at ev-
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 have silenced Lady
B~rackenstall as we'll"
"They may not have realized 1 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? I 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
rapable of anything. From what 1
hear, 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-
leum and setting it on fire-her lady
ships dog, to make the matter worse
and that was only hushed up with
difficulty. Then he threw a decanter
at hat 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 hear it. 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
p bell rope IN that reckless fashion,
Exactly, Mr.. Holmes, exactly. You
put the very question which I have
can be no doubt that this fellow must
have known the house ant It's habits.
He must have perfectly understood
that the servants would all be in bed
ht that comparatively early hour, and
that no n could possibly hear a bell
ring in the kitchen. Therefore, he
must have been in close league with
one CT the servants. Surely that is evil
Dent. But there are eight servants
and ell of good character"
"Other things being equal" sale
Holmes, 'cne would suspect the one
at whose head the master threw q
uecanter. And yet that would involve
treachery towards the mistress tc
whoI 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
" seems to be corroborated, IL it need
ed confederation, by every detail which
we see before us" He walked to the
French window and threw it open
There are no signs here, but the
ground is iron hard, and one would
not expect them. I see that these can.
dies in the m~antelpiece have beer
lighted"
Eyes. it was by their light, and tha,
of the lady's bed room candle, that The
burglars Jaw their way about"
And what did they take {"
We'll, they did o take much-only
half a dozen articles of plate off tn.
sideboard. Lady Brackenstall think.
, that they We're themselves SO disturbed
by the death OF Sir Eustace that the,
did not ransack the house, as the,
would ofbar1ySca h.,,a aar,ps So &