The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-02-15
ADVENTURE OF THE
EMPTY HOUSE-CONTINUED

1t was indeed no longer the profile
out the back, which was turned TOWARD
Us.
Three years had certainly no
smoothed the asperities of his Temper
or ms impatienCe with a less active In.
teiligence than his own.
or course It has moved" said he
Am l such a ~farcical bungler, Wat.
son, that l should erect an obvious
dummy, and expect that some Of the
sharpest men in Europe would be de-
celFed by It? We have been in this
room two hours. and Mrs. Hudson has
maze some change In hat figure eigh
Tunes, or once in every quarter of an
nour. She works it from the front. SO
that her shadow may never be seen,
An He drew in his breath with q
shrtll. excited intake. In the dim light
l saw his head thrown forward his
whole attitude rigid with attention.
outside the street was absolutely de-
serted. Those two men might still be
crouching in the doorway. but could
no ionge see them. All was still and
dark, save only that brilliant yellow
screen In front of is with the black
inquire outlined upon Its center. Again
In the utter silence I heard that thin.
sibilant note which spoke of intense
suppressed excitement. An instant
later he pulled me back into the black
est corner of the room, and Ilfelt his
warning hand upon my lips. The fin
gers which clutched me were quivering.
Never had l known my friend more
moved, and vet the dark street still
stretched lonel, ano motionless before
US.
But suddenly 1 was aware OF that
when his keener senses had already
distinguished. A low. stealthy sound
came to my ears, not from the direction
or Baker street, but from the back door
or the house in which we lay con-
csealed. A door opened and shut. An
instant later steps crept down the pas
sase-steps which were meant to be
silent, but which reverberated harshly
through the empty house. Holmes
coruched back against the wall and I
dld the same, my hand closing upon
the handle Of my revolver. Peering
through the gloom. 1 saw the vague
Outline or a man, a shade blacker than
the blackness of the open door. He
stood for an instant, and then he crept
forWard crouching, menacing. into the
room. He was within three yards of
US, this sinister figure, and had
praced myself to meet his spring be-
fore realized that he had no idea of
our presence. He passed close be-
sid us, stole over to the window. and
very softly and noiselessly raised it
half a foot. AS he sank to the level
or this opening, the light of the street.
no longer dimmed by the dusty glass,
fell upon his face. The seemed to be
beside himself with excitement His
two eyes shone like stars. and his feat
ures were working couvulsively. He
was an elderly man. with a thin. nro-
Jecting nose. a high. bald forehead. and
a huge, g~rizzled mustache. An opera
hat was pushed to the back of his head,
and an evening dress shirt-rront
CLEANED out through his open overcoat.
His face was gaunt and swarthy,
scored with deep, savage lines. In his
hand he carried what appeared to be
a stick. but as he laid it down upon
the floor 1T gave a metallic clang. Then
from the pocket Of his overcoat he drew
a bulky object. and he busted himself
In some task which ended with a loud.
sharp click, as if a spring or bolt had
fallen into its place. Still kneeIing
upon the loor he bent forward and
threw all his weight and strength upon
some lever. with the result that there
came a long, whirling. grinding noise,
endlns once more in a powerful click.
he Strengthened himself then, and
saw that what he held in his hand
was a sort Of a gun, with a curiously
1~nisshapen butt. He opened it aft the
Dreech, put something in. and snapped
the b~reech-lock. Then, crouching
down, he rested the end of the barrel
upon the ledge of the open window,
and l saw his long mustache drooD
over the stock and his eye CLEAN as #
peered along the sights. I heard a lit
tie sigh of satisfaction as he cuddled
the putt to his shoulder, and saw that
target, the black man on the
yellow ground, standing clear at the
END or his foresight. For an instant
frightened on the trigger. There
a strange, lou whiz and a lond,
silvery tinkle of broken glass. At that
instant Holmes sprang like a tiger on {
70 the marksman's back, and hurled {
aim fiat upon his face. He was up y
igaln IN a moment, with ~convulsive $
strength he seized Holmes by the I
throat, but I struck him on the head {
with the butt of my revolver, and he {
again upon the floor. fell |
lpon him., n as / held him my COM l
.ade blew a shrill call upon a whistle.
There was the clatter of running feet I
p the pavement, and two policemen
2 uniform, with one plain-clothes de- 6
rushed through the front en-
rance and into the room. (
That you. Lestrade? 2" said Holmes. t
Yes, Mr.. Holmes. I took the lob
myself. It's good to see you back in
London, sir" {
Il think you wan a little unofficial {
help. Three undetected murders in
me year won't GO, Lestrade. But you
handled the Moiesey mystery with less
han your usual-that's to say, YOU s
it fairly WE'LL /,
We had all risen to our feet, our prts-
'ner breathing hard. with a stalwart 8
on each side of him. AL
a, few loiterers had begun to /.
:ollect in the street. Holmes stepped
Up to the window, closed it, and
dropped the blinds. Lestrade had pro-
two candles, and the policemen
lad uncovered their lanterns. I was
lbfe at last to have a good look at our
prisoner.
It was a tremendously virile and yet
face which was turned toward
IS. With the brow Of a philosopher
and the jaw of a %sensualist be-
the mar must have started with
great capacities for good and evil. But
could not look upon his cruel blue
with their dropping, cynical lids,
u upon the fierce. aggressive nose and
he reatening, deep-llned brow, with
tut reading natures plainest danger
He took no heed of any of us.
out his eye We're fixed upon Holiness
face with an expression In which
anu aInazement were equally
blended. .You fiend!" he kept on NUT
tering, you clever. clever handtv