Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-08-03
BY A. CONAN Y
Copyright. 1905.
BY Mcclure. Phillips a Co.

In order to make him let go his hold.
The blow is a fatal n He falls and
she escapes, either with or without
the object for which she has come. Is
Susan, the maid, there? Could anyone
have got away through that door after
the time that you heard the cry, Su-
SAM"
mo, sir, 1t is impossible. Before /
got down the stair, I'd nave seen any
one in the passage. Besides, the door
never o~ened, or I would have heard
it."
THAT settles that exit. Then no doubt
the lady went out the way she came.
l understand that this other passage
leads only to h professors room.
There is no exit that -ay?"
No. sir"
1--WE shall go down it and make the
acquaintance of the professor. Halloa,
! Hopkins! this is very important. very
ridor is also lined with mat
ting"
well, sir, what of that?"
Don't you see any bearing upon the
case? Well, well, l don't insist upon 1t.
No doubt l I'M wrong. And yet it
seems to me to be suggestive. Come
with me and introduce me-"
We passed down the passage, which
was of the same length as that which
ASA W Wv S"ANNib "A SAiS yin q IL
short flight of steps ending in a door.
Our guide knocked, and then ushered
us into the professors bedroom.
1t was a very large chamber, lined
with innumerable volumes, which had
overflowed from the shelves and lay in
piles in the corners or were stacked
all round at the base of the cases. The
bed was in the center of the room, and
in it, propped up with pillows, was the
Wner of the hOllSp- have pldOm
seen a more remarkable looking per-
son. 1t was a gaunt, aquiline face
which was turned towards U.S., with
piercing dark eyes, which lurked in
deep hollows under o%verhung and
tufted brows. His hair and beard were
white, save that the latter was curious
ly stained with yellow around his
mouth. A cigarette glowed amid
the tangle of white hair, and
The air of the room was fetid
with stale tobacco-smoke. AS he held out
his hand to Holmes, / perceived that it
was also stained with yellow nicotine.
"A smoker, Mr.. Holiness" said he,
speaking in well-chosen English, with a
curious little mincing accent. pray take
a cigareI. And you, sir? ] can recon-
mend them, for 1 nave them especially
prepared by Ionides, Of Alexandria. He
sends me a thousand at a time, and /
grieve to say that L have TO arrange for a
fresh supply every fortnight. Bad, sir,
very bad. but an old man has few pleas
ures. Tobacco ana my w~ork-that is all
hat is left to me-"
Holmes had lit a cigaret, and was shoot
ing little darling glances all over the
room.
Tobacco and my work, but now only
tobacco" the old man exclaimed. alas!
what a fatal interruption! Who could have
f~oreseen such a terrible catastrophe? So
est.mable a young man! l assure you
that, after a few months training he was
an admirable assistant. What do you
think of the matter, Mr.. Holiness"
81 lave not yet made up my mind"
II shall indeed be indebted to you if you
can throw a light where all is so dark
to us. To a poor and invalid
like myself such a blow is paralyzing. /
seem to have lost the faculty of thought.
But you are a man of action-you are a
mai Of affairs. 1t is part of the everyday
routine Of your life. You can preserve
your balance in every emergency. We are
fortunate, indeed, in having you at our
side"
Holmes was pacing up and down one
side of the room whilst the old professor
was talking. / observed that he was
smoking with extraordinary rapidity. 1t
was evident that he shared our hosts lik-
ing for the fresh Alexandrian cigarets.
Yes, SIR, it is a crushing blow" said the
old man. That is my magnum opus-the
pile of papers on the side table yonder,
1t is my analysis of the documents found
in the Coptic monasteries of Syria and
Egypt, a work which will cut deep at the
very foundation of revealed religion. With
my enfeebled health / do not know wheth-
er / shall ever be able TO complete IL, now
that my assistant has been taken from
me. Dear me! Mr.. Holmes, why, you are
even a quicker smoker than / am myself"
Holmes smiled.
81 am q conno,sseur,'' said he, taking
another cigaret from the box-his fourth
and lighting it from the stub of that which
he had finished. II will not trouble you
with any lengthy cross-examination, Pro-
fessor Coram, since / gather hat you
We're in bed at the time of the crime, and
could know nothing about it. l would only
ask this. What do you imagine that this
poor fellow meant by his last words: The
Professor-it was she'?'
The professor shook his head.
Susan is a country GIRL said he, land
you know The incredible stupidity of tina
class. fancy that the poor fellow muir
INJURED some incoherent. delirious words,
and that she twisted them into this mean
ingless message"
Il see. You have no explanation your
self of the tragedy"
Possibly an accident, possibly-I only
breathe 1t among ourselves-a suicide.
Young men have their hidden troubles
some affair of the heart, perhaps, which
we have never known 1t is a more prob
able supposition than murder"
But the eye-glasses|"
"Ah. / am only a student-a man Of
dreams. / cannot explain the practical
things of life. But still, we are aware,
my friend, that love-gages may AXE
strange shapes. BY all means AXE an
other c.garet. 1t is a pleasure to see any
one appreciate them so. A fam, a glove,
glasses-who knows what article may be
carried as a token or treasured when a
man puts an end to his life? This gentle
man speaks of footsteps in the grass, but
after all, 1t Is easy to be mistaken on such
a point. AS TO The knife. II might well be
thrown far from the unfortunate man as
he fell. 1t is possible hat / speak as q
child, but to me It seems that Willoughby
Smith mas met his fate by his own hand
Holmes seemed struck by the theory
thus put forward, and he continued to
walk up n down for some. time, lost in
thought and consuming cigaret after
cigaret.
Tell me, Professor Coram." he said. az
last, what is in that cupboard in the bu-
reau?'
Nothing that would help q thief. Fam
lily papers, letters from m poor wife, di-
plomas OF universities which nave done
me honor Here Is the key. You can look
for yourself"
Holmes picked UP the key. n looked
at 1t for an instant, then he handed ii
back.