The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-04-27

once Mt Holdernesse hall. 1t IA only a
few miles away. ard we imagined that,
in some sudden attack of homesiclltess.
he had gone back to his father, but
potiling had been heard of him. The
duke is greatly agitated. and, as to me,
you nave seen yourselves the state of
ervou prostration to which the sus-
pense AID the responsibility have re-
duced nc. MIR. Holmes, if ever YOU put
forward Your full powers. l inplore you
to do so now. for in your life
could YOU have a case Which is more
worthy of HEM"
Sherlock Holmes had listened with
the utmost intentness to the statement
of the unhappy schoolmaster. His
drawn hrowS and the deep fuIrow be-
tween them showed that h needed 40
eN!lortation to concentrate all his at
tcntion upon u problem which. apart
from the tremendous interests involved.
must appeal so directly to his love of
the complex and the unusual. he now
drew out his note book and lotted down
one or W memoranda.
You have been Very remiss in not
| coming to me sooner" said he. severe
ly. You start me on my investigation
with Il very serious handicap. 1t is in
conceivable, for example. that this ivy
and this lawn would have yielded moth
ing to. AN expert observer"
Il am not to blame, Mr.. Holmes. His
| grace was extremely DESTROYS to avoid
all public scandal. He was afraid of his
family ~unhappiness being dragged be-
fore the world. lie has a deep horror
of anything of the kind"
But there has been some official in
Nestigation?"
Yes, sir, and it has proved most dis
appointing. An apparent clue was at
once obtained. since n boy and a young
man We're reported to have been seen
leaving a ~neighboring station by an
early train. Only last night we had
news that the couple had beer hunted
down in Liverpool, II they prove to
have no connection whatever with the
matter in hand. Then it was that in
my despair aud disappointment, after
a sleepless night, l came straight to
you by the early train"
II suppose the local investigation was
relaxed While this false clue was being
followed up?"
lit was entirely dropped"
so that three days have been wasted.
The affair has been most d%eplorably
handled"
Il feel 1T, and admit it."
And yet the problem should be cap
able Of ultimate solution. / shal be
very happy to look into it. Have you
oSStt ~ W 4 III connection Da-
tween the missing boy and this Ger
man maSter?"
None at ALL"
Was he III the masters class"
Nc he never exchanged u word with
him., so far MS l know"
THAT is certainly very singular. Hae
the boy a b~icycle?"
NO"
Was any other bicycle missing?"
No"
rs that certain?"
"Quite."
We'll. now. you do not mean to seri-
ously suggest that his German rode off
upon a bicyle in the dead of the night,
bearing the boy in his arms?"
"Certainly not"
Then What is he theory in your
mind?"
The bicycle may have been a blind.
1t may have been hidden somewhere,
and the pair gone off on foot"
quite so, but it seems rather an abb
surd blind, does it not? Were there
other bicycles in this shed?"
Several"
would he not have hidden a cou-
pie, had he desired to give the idea that
they had gone off upon them?"
II ppo he would.'
"Of course he would. The blind theory
won't do. But the incident is an adj
mi-able starting point for an investiga-
ton. After all, a bicycle is not an easy
thing to. conceal or to destroy. One
the boy on the day before he disap,
p%eared?"
No"
D he get any letters?"
Yes. one letter.
From Whom?'
From his father"
d you open the boys lettersoo"
NO."
How do you know it was from the
%father?"
The coat of arms was on the on.
velope, and it was addressed in the
dukes peculiar stiff hand. Besides, the
duke remembers having written"
When had he a letter before that? ~
Not for several days"
Had ne ever one from Franco"
mo. never"
You see the point of my questions
OF course. Either the boy was carried
off by force or he went of his own free
will. In the latter case. you would ex.
pect that some prompting from outside
would be needed to make so young a
lad do such n thing. If he had 10 Wis
ltors, that prompting must nave come
in letters; hence / try to find out who
We're his correspondents"
Il fear [ cannot help you much. Eis
only correspondent, so far as l know
was his own father"
Who wrote to him on the very
day OF his appearance. We're the rela.
lions between father and son yer,
f~riendly?"
His grace is never very riendl,
With anyone. lie is completely i'm.
lnersed in large public questions. and is
rather inaccessible to all ordinary
emotions. But he WAS always kind to
the boy in his wa way"
(coneinued Next Weck5
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