Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1906-05-31
nv a. CONAN DOYLE
THE ADVENTURE OF sLAGn
PETER-Continue

AlighttnS at a small wayside station.
we drove for some miles through the
remains of widespread woods, which
We're once part of that great forest
which for so long held the Saxon in
vaders at bay-the impenetrable
"weald." for sixty years the bulwark of
Britain. Vast sections of it had been
cleared. for this is the seat of the nrst
iron works of the country. and the
trees have been felled to smeM the ore.
Now the richer fields of the north have
absorbed the trade, and nothing save
| these ravaged groves and great scars
| in the earth show the work of the past
slope of hill. stood a long. low. stone
house. approached by curving drive
/ running through the fields Nearer the
road, and surrounded on three sides Iy
bushes. was a small clubhouse. one win
dow and the door facing i'm our di-
rection. 1t was the scene of the muir
| der.
Stanley Hopkins led us first to the
| house. where he introduced us to a
haggard. grey haired woman, the widow
of the murdered man, whose gaunt and
deep lined face. with the furtive look
| of terror in the depths of her red
trimmed eyes. told of the years of hard
ship and i'll usage which she had en-
dured. With her was her daugter a
pale, fair haired girl. whose eyes blazed
defiantly at us as she told us that She
was glad that her father was dead, and
that she blessed the hand which had
struck him down. 1t was terrible
household that Black Peter Carey had
made for himself. and it was with a
sense of relief that we found ourselves
In the sunlight again. and making our
| way along path which had been worn
across the fields by the feet of the
dead man.
The Clubhouse was the simplest of
dwellings, wooden walled. shingle
rooted, one window beside the door and
one on the farther side. Stanley Hop
llins drew the key from his pocket and
had stopped to the lock, when he
paused with look of attention and
surprise on his face.
someone has been tampering with
| is" he said
-, There could be - doubt of the fact.
The woodwork waVptit, and the scratch
es showed white through the paint. as
IL they had been that instant done.
dow.
Someone has tried to force this
also Whoever it was has failed TO
make his way in. He must have been
a very poor burglar
This is most extraordinary thing"
that these marks We're not here yester-
! day evening"
Some curious person from the VIII
lage. perhaps" L suggested.
Very unlikely. Few of them would
dare to set foot In the grounds. far
less to try to force their way into the
cabin. What do you think of it, Mr..
Holiness"
Il think that fortune is very kind to
u.s."
You mean that the person will come
again."
1T is very probable. He
open. He tried to get in with the ,ade OF
Il very small penknife. He could not man
age It, What would he do?.'
/ Come again next night with a more
| useful tool"
so i should say 1t will be i. eault
II we are not there to receive him Nj,
while. let me see the inside of the cabin.
The traces of the tragedy had been re-
i moved but the furniture within the little
room still stood at is had been on the
night of the crime. For two hours with
/ most intense concentration. Holmes cx-
amined every object in turn, but his face
| showed that his quest was not SUCCESS
full one. Once only he paused in his pa
tient Investigation.
Have you taken anything OFF this shelf,
IIopkins?"
mo. isave moved nothing
Something has beer taken. There is
elsewhere. 1T may have been a book lying
on its side. 1t may have been box Well,
/ Well, can do nothing more. Let us walk
/ in these beautiful woods, Watson, and
give few hours to the birds and the
flowers. We shall meet you here later,
Hopkins, and see il we can come to closer
\ quarters with the gentleman who has paid
| this visit in the night"
1 1t was past IL O'Clock when we formed
4 fol
leaving the door of the hut open. but
Holmes was OF the opinion that this would
rouse the suspicious OF the stranger The
lock was perfectly simple one. only Il
| strong blade was NEEDED to push it back
Holmes also suggested that We should
\ wait, not inside the hut, but outside il
among the bushes which grew round the
Farther window In this way we should be
aolt to watch our man If he struck light,
and see what his object was in this
stealthy nocturnal visit.
1T was a long and melancholy vigil and
yet brought with 1t something of the THRILL
which the hunter feels when he lies be-
side the waterproof and waits for the com
| ing OF the thirsty beast of prey. What
savage creatlre was 1t which might steal
upon us OUT Of the darkness? Was II a
fierce tiger of crime, which could only he
taken lighting hard with flashing fang and
claw. or would it prove to be some skuIk-
ing jackal dangerous only to the weak
and unguardedo
| in absolute silence crouched amongst
the bushes waiting for whatever might
come AT first the steps Of Z; few belatcIl
villagers. .or the sound of voices from the
village Eghtene1 our vigil but one by one
these Interruptions died away. and an abb
solute stiffness fell upon us, save for the
chimes of the distant church. which told
MS OF the progress of the night and for
the rustic of fine rain falling amid the
foliage which rooted us in.
/ IIalf-past two had chimcd and il was
the darkest hour which prccedes the
dawn. when we all started as low sharp
click came from the direction of the gate.
/ Some one mad entered the drive. Again
there was long silence. and / had begun
to fear that 1t Il false ALARM when
a stealthy step was heard upon the other
side of the hut, and Il moment later me-
tallic scrap:ng and clinking The man was
trying to force the lock This time his
skill was greater or his tool was better
for there was sudden snap and the creak
of the hinges Then match was struck.
and next instant the steady light from a
candle filled the interior of the hut.
Through the 'gauZe curtain our eyes were
all riveted upon the scene within.
The nocturnal visitor was young man.
frail and thin, with black mustache,
| which intensified the deadly pallor of his
face. He could not have been much above
twenty years of age. | have never seen
any human being who appeared to be
in such pitiable fright, for his teeth
were visibly chattcring, and he was
shaking in every limb. He was dressed
like Il gentleman. in Norfolk jacket ana
lsnickerbockers, with cloth cap upor
his head. We watched him staring rouno
with frightened eyes. Then he laid tn.