Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1906-09-06
BY A. CONAN DOYLE.
xll-rAE ADVENTURE OF THE
ABBEY misunderstanding

xm-TAE ADVENTURE OF THE
ABBEY GRAkGE.-Continuc
The keen interest had passed out OF
Holmes expressly face, and knew
that with the mystery all the charm of
he case had DEPARTED There still re-
manned an arrest to be effected, but
what were thes" commonplace rogues,
hat he should soil his hands with
them? An abstrlise and learned spe-
ria!ist who finds hat he has been
allied i'm for Il case of measles would
experience somethtng of the annoyance
which read in ny friends eye. Yet
h" scene in the dining room of the
Abbey Grange was sufficiently strange
20 arrest his atlention and to recall
MS waning interesi.
1t was a very Large ard high cham
Der. with carved oak ceiling, oaSen
oanelling. and II mo array of decrs
neadS and ancient weapons around the
walls. AT the further end from the
ionr vas the high French window of
@hich we had he.lrd Three smaller
windows on the right hand sid filled
lie apartment With cold winter sun
shine. ON the lett WAS a large. deep
ilei ,lice With n massive. overhanging
oak iilamtclpiece Reside the fireplace
M,s 4 heavy oal5en chair with arms
anl crosSbars nj the bottom. In and
,ut through thu open woodwork was
woven q crimson cord, which was Sc
sured nj each side To the crosspicce
a"low. In releasing tine lady the cord
lad been slipped nf her but the knots
lith which II bad been secured still
.enip;nca. rhesr details only struck
Dur attention afterwards. for our
thoughts We're entirely absorbed l.y the
.errible object witch IaN upon the tiger
s,tth ,,v1. ft5 f,,.., Oft 1,.,f
1t WAS the bodg of tail, Well made
nam. about 40 vars OF age He lay
lpon his back his face upturned. with
lis white teeth arinming through his
llor, blark beard. His two clenched
lands were RAISED above his head. and
heavy hlackthorn stick lay across
hem lis dark. handsome aquiline
eatures We're convulscd into Il spasm
IF Ni,rlintivc hatred which had set his
head face i'm terribly fiendisll express
'ion III" had evidently been i'm his
oeh when the alarm had broken out.
or he Wore n foppish. embroidered
night shirt. and his bare feet projected
rom his trousers. His head was hor-
'bly injured. and the whole room bore
Witness IN the savage ferority of the
slow which had struck him down Be-
tide him lay the heavy poker. bent in
q n curve by the conclusion. Holmes
xamiaed both it and the indcscribable
wreck which it had wrought.
"IIe must be powerful man. this
.lder Randall" he remarked.
Yes" said Hopkins. II have some
'ecord Of the FELLOW and he is Il rough
,uStonicr
You should have no difficulty in get
ing him.
Not the slightest. We have been on
he lookout for HIM and there was
| "A. ~, I,n1 10.
Amercl. Now that we know that the
gang are here. ! don't see how they
Kan escape. We have the news at ev-
,Ty seaport already, and u reward will
- Offered before evening. What beats
ne is how they could have done so
mad n thing, Knowing that the lady
ould describe them. and that we could
10, fail to recognize the descriptions"
"E..ncty. One would have expected
| hat they would have silenced Lady
;rackenstall as We'll"
They may not have realized" | sllg-
.csted. that she had recovered from
Ter faint
'.That is likely enough. If she seemed
q he scnseless. they would not take
ger life Whal about tins poor fellow,
Iopkinso seen TO have heard some
lueer stories srbout him
He WAS good hearted man when
ne NILS sober. but a perfect fiend when
ie WAS drunk. or rather when he was
half drunk. for he seldom really went
he whole way The devil seemed to
,e In him at such times. and he was
apable of ANYTHING. From what |
rear. in spite of all his wealth and his
lille. he very nearly came our way
NICE or twice There was n scandal
bout his dremching Il dog with petro-
cum and setting it ON tireher lady
hips dog. To make the matter worse
ma that was only hushed up with
| difficulty. Then he threw a dccanter
1t that maid. Theresa Wright. there
vas trouble about that. On the whole,
md bet ween ourselves. II will be a
brighter house without him. What are
| 'ou looking nj now"
| Holmes WAS down on his knees, ex
tmilins with great attention the knots
lpon the rcd ord With which the lady
,ad been secured. Then he carefully
I.rrutinized TIA" broken and tr;iSed end
| where II had snapped off when the
}urgEr had dragged it down
| "Whcn this VAS pulled down the bell
n thu kitchen must have lung loudly"
| Ia remarked.
No one could hear it, Tho kitchen
itlnhs risnt ~ the back of the house."
lo@ did hc burglar Know no one
Gould hear II How dared he pun at
| / bnil rope n that reckless fashion,"
lSSft'ilA MI. i1ollltS. t'Hdi'ilN. ON
pt, the very question which have
lsked myself again and again There
am be no doubt that this fellow must
| ave known the house and its habits.
| lie must have perfectly understood
| hat the servants would all be in bed
ii that comparatively early hour, and
| hat no one could possibly hear a bell
ing in the Kitchen; Therefore. he
must have been In close league with
,ne CT the servants. Surely that is evil
lent. But there are eight servants
| md all of good character"
"other things being equal" said
| Holmes. "one would suspect the one
| ut whose head the master threw a
Iecanter. And yet that would involve
| WHOM this woman seems devoted. Well
| WE'LL the point is n minor one, and
when you have Randall YOU will prob
ibly find no difficulty in securing his
tccomplice. The lady's story certain
y seems tn be corroborated, if it need
ID confederation, by every detail which
Sc see before u.s." He walked to the
There are no signs here. but the
ground is iron hard, and one would
lot expect them. l see that these cam
Hes in the mantelpiece have been
lighted
Yes. it was by their light. and that
If the ladys bed room candle. that the
burglars saw their way about"
| And what did they take?"
well, they did not take much-only
,alf 4 dozen articles of plate off the
iideboard Lady Brackenstall thinks
hat they We're themselves so disturbed
W the death of Sir Eustace that they
lid not ransack the house, as they
would otherwise have done
NO doubt that is true, and yet they
| frank some wine l understand"