The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-04-26

; once at Holdernesse hall. 1t Is only q
| few miles away, and we imagined that,
in some sudden attack of Inconsistencies,
he had gone back to his father but
nothing had been heard of him. The
duke is greatly agitated, and, as to me.
you have seen yourselves the state OF
nervous Drostration to which the sus-
pense and the responsibility have re-
duced me. Mr.. Holmes, if ever you put
forward your full covers, / implore you
to Go so now, for never in your lie
could you have Il case which is more
worthy of them"
Sherlock Holmes had listened with
the utmost intentneSs to the statement
of the unhappy schoolmaster. His
drawn broWs and the deep furroW be-
tween them showed that he needed no
cXhortation to concentrate all his at
tention upon Il 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 Jotted down
one or two memoranda.
You have been very remiss in not
coming to me sooner said he, severe
". You start me on my investigation
with a very serious handicap. 1t is in
conceivable, for example, that this ivy
and this lawn would have yielded moth
ing to an expert observer"
II 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. He has a deep horror
of anything Of the kind"
But there has been some official in
vestigation?"
Yes. sir, and 1t has proved most dis
appointing. An apparent clue was at
once obtained, since a boy and a young
ma n rf1, 1.arnyt n1 fn hnS-a hnn,o Snnr
leaving a ~neighboring station by an
early train. Only last night we had
news that the couple had been hunted
down in Liverpool, and they prove to
have no connection whatever witt the
matter in hand. Then it was that in
my despair and disappointment, after
a sleepless night, 1 came straight to
you by the early train"
Il suppose the local investigation was
relaxed while this false clue was being
followed up?"
1T was entirely dropped"
so that three days have been wasted.
The affair has been most deplorably
handled"
Il feel 1t, and admit it."
And yet the problem should be cap
able of ultimate solution. I shall be
very happy to look into it. Have you
been able to trace any connection be-
tween the missing boy and his Ger
A'li
None at all"
Was he in the masters class"
NO, he never exchanged Il word with
him, so far as l know"
That is certainly very singular. Had
the boy a BICYCLE"
No"
Was any other bicycle missing??"
rs that ce%rtain?"
Quite
well, now, you do not mean to seri-
ously suggest that this German rode off
upon a bicycle in the dead of the night,
bearing the boy in his arms?"
Certainly not"
Then what is the theory in your
mind?"
The bicycle may have been a blind.
1t nay ave been hidden somewhere,
and the pair gone off on foot"
Quite SO, but it seems rather an alb
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?"
.! suppose he would"
OF course he would. The blind theory
won't do. But the incident is an adj
mirable starting point for an investiea-
ton. After all, Il bicycle is not an EASY
thing to conceal or to destroy. One
other question. Did anyone cali to see
the boy on the day before he disap,
peared?'
NO
Did he set any letters?"
Yes. one letter."
From Whom?"
From his father
d You open the boys letterso"
No
How do you know it was from the
father?' 'He
The coat of arms was on the on
yelope, and it was addressed in the
dukes peculiar stiff hand. Besides. the
duke remembers having written"
When had he a letter before thato"
Not for several days"
Had he ever n from France?"
mo, ever"
Of course. Either the boy was carried
Off by force or he went of his own free
VIII. IN the latter case, you would ey-
pect that some prompting from outside
would be needed to make so young a
lad do such a thing. If he had no Wis
itors, that prompting must have come
III letters; hence l try to find out who
We're his correspondents"
Il fear cannot help you much. His
only correspondent, so far as [ know
was his own father"
WHO wrote to him on the very
day of his appearance. Were the rela-
lions between father and son very.
friendly?"
His grace is never very friendly
with anyone. He is completely i'm
mersed in large public questions, and is
rather inaccessible to all ordinary
emotions. But he was always kind to
the boy in his own way"
Continued Next Weekj
TIE Worlds Richest Men.
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