The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-09-06
xn-THE ADVENTURE OF THE
ABBEY GRANGE.-Continued.

Inc Keen interest hnu paSscu out oh
Holmes expressive face. and I knew
that with the mystery all the charm of
he case had departed. There still re-
NAMED an arrest to be effected. but
What were these commonplace rogues.
that he should soil his hands with
them? An abstruse and learned spe-
sialist who finds that he has been
called In for n case OF measles would
experience something Of the annoyance
which read In my friends eye. Yet
h scere In the dining room OF the
Abbey Grange was sufficiently strange
To arrest his attention nnd to recall
his waning interest.
IL was a very large and high cham
Der. with carved oak ceiling. AXE
panclling. and n fine array OF decr's
heads and ancient weapons around the
walls. AZ the further end from the
% o was the high. French window OF
which we had heard. Three smaller
windows on the right-hand side filled
he apartment with cold winter sun
shine. IN the left was n large. deep
fireplace. with n massive. o~verhnngtng
oak mantelpiece. Beside the fireplace
was n heavy oaken chair with arms
md crossbars ut the bottom. In and
out through the open woodwork was
woven n crimson cord. which was SEE
cured at each sid TO the crosspicce
below. In releasing the lady. the cord
had been slipped Oft her. but the knots
with which II had bee secured stili
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.
II was the body OF n tall. well made
mnn about 40 years OF x He lay
npon his back. his face upturned. with
his 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. nquillnc
features were convulsed int n spnsm
~ yindictive hatred. which had set his
dead face In n terribly iendish express
sion. He had evidently been I'm his
bed when the alarm had broken out.
FOR he wore n foppish. embroidered
night shirt. md his bare feet projected
from his trousers. His heaC was hcr-
ribly injured. and the whole room bore
witness - the ava ferocity OF the
blow which had struck him down. re-
To n curve by the ~concussion. Holmcs
examined both u and the Understandable
wreck which II had wrought.
He must he n powerful man. this
elder Randall" he remarked.
yes" said Hopkins. II have some
record Of the fellow. and he Is n rough
customer"
You should have no officially 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 mr.. here. I don't see how they
.an escape. We have the news ut ev-
aEts aAn faANf slHnnAN and "a NAgsnE1 NaHNfl
oe offered before evening. what beats
me IL Toy they could have dom 30
mad n thing. knowing that the lady
could describe them. and that we could
not fail TO recognize the description"
Exactly. One would have expected
hat they would have silcnccd Lady
Brackcrstall as we'll"
They may not have realized" I sug-
yested. that site had recovered fTem
her faint"
THAT IL likely enough. II she seemed
% be- scnscless. they would not take
her life. What about tins poor fellow.
Hopkins: seen Ia have heard some
queer stories about him"
HE vas "A good-hcarted man when
ne was sober. but a perfect ficnd when
Ne was drunk. or rather whcr he was
lalf drunk. for he seldom really went
he whole way. The devil seemed 10
W w ftlN aA Jun AlAlNfFs anu w NaN
capable of anything. From what I
hear. In spite OF all his wealth and HIS
title. he very nearly came our way
Dnce or twice. There vas n scandal
about his drcnchlng n dog with petro-
rum n setting IL on fire-her lady
ships dog. To make the matter worse
and that was only hushed up with
difficulty. Then he threw n dccanter
a. that maid. Theresa Wright. there
saS trouble about that. on the whole.
and between ourselves. II VIII be n
brighter house without him. What are
Sou looking at now"
Holmes was down on his knees. ex-
imining with great attention the knots
ipon the red cord with which the lady
aad been secured. Then he carefully
scrutlnizcd the broken and frayed end
where ~ had snapped or when the
burglar had dragged IL down.
when this was pulled down. the bell
N the kitchen must have rung loudly"
ae remarked.
NO one could hear II. The kitchen
stands right at the back OF the house"
How did the burglar know no n
.ould hear a.! How dared he pull at
1 bell oUe N that reckless fashion,"
Exactly. Mr.. Holmes. exactly. You
put the very question which | have
ssked myself again and again. There
.an be no CUB that this fellow must
nave known the house and its habits.
tie must have perfectly understood
that the servants would all be I'm bed
a. that comparatively early hour. and
that no one could possibly hear n bell
ring lu the kitchen. Therefore. he
must have been In close league with
bne 81 the servants. Surely hat Is evil
lent But there are eight crVants
aud all of good character"
Other things being equal" said
Holmes. ''cne would suspect the -
st whose head the master threw "A
lccantcr. Ard yet that would involve
.re1chery towards the mistress to
who:r this woman seems devoted. Well,
we'll. the point Is n minor one. and
when you IN Randall you Will prob
ably find 10 difficulty in securing his
accumplicc. The lady's story certain
rs seems To be- corrobornted. IL II need
I'd confederation. by every detail which
S- see before u.s." He walked To the
French window and threw II open.
There are no signs here. but the
ground ls iron hard. and one would
Tot expect them. I see that these can
lies In h mantelpiece have been
lighted"
yes. Il was by their light. and that
u the lady's bed room candle. that the
burglars raw their way about"
And what did they take?"
Well. they did not take much-only
half a dozen articles OF plate on the
adeboard. Lady Brackenstnll thinks
mat they were themselves no disturbed
D. the death OF Sir Eustace tina they
ia rot ransnck the house. as they
.ould otherwise have done"
NO doubt that IL true. and vet they
frank some wine. I understand"