Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-07-06
vlll-THE ADVENTURE OF THE SIX
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

ffOlf1eS DdQ taken SeVcFai nOleS uuT-
ing Mr.. Harding's evidence, and j
could see that he was thoroughly salts
fed by the turn which affairs We're a X
Ing. He made no remark, however,
ave that, unless we hurried, we should
be late for our appointment with Les
trade. Sure enough, when we reached
Baker street the detective was already
there, and we found him pacing up and
down In a fever OF impotence. His
look OF Importance showed that his
days work had not been In vain.
"Well?" he asked. What luck, Mr..
Holmes"
we have had a very busy day, and
not entirely a wasted one" my friend
explained. 1--WE have seen both the re-
tailers and also the wholesale manu-
facturers. ] can trace each of the
busts now from the beginning
1.-THE bustsi" cried Lestrade. We'll,
well, you have our own methods, Mr..
Sherlock Holmes. and II Is not for me
to say q word against them, but I think
! have don a better days work than
you. | have identified the lead man."
"You don't say so?"
And found a cause for the crime"
'Splendidl"
1--WE have an inspector who makes a
specially of Saffron Hill and the Italian
quarter. Well. this dead man had some
Catholic emblem round his neck, and that,
A dlOlH WAtu MS cOlOE, mdOe me IIlIlh ft
was from the south. Inspector Hill knew
him the moment he caught sight of him.
His name Is Pietro Venucci, from Naples,
and he Is one OF the greatest cut-throats
IN London. He Is connected with the
maha, which, as you know. Is a secret
political society. enforcing It's DEGREES by
murder. Now, you see how the affair be-
gins TO clear up. The other fellow is
probably an Italian also. and a member
L - H. AAAIA L. Ia. IL NhA. n
in some fashion. Pietro Is set upon hi
track. Probably the photograph we
found In his pocket Is the man himself,
so that he may not knife the wrong per-
son. lie docs the fellow, he sees him en-
ter a house, he waits outside for him. and
n the scufne he receives his own death
wound. How Is that, Mr.. Sherlock
Holmes?"
Holmes clapped his hands approvingly.
Excellent, Lestrade. excellent!' he
cried. "But | didn't quite follow your ex-
PLANTATION OF the destruction of the busts."
THE busts! You never can get those
busts out OF your head. After all, that Is
nothing. petty larceny, six months at the
most. Ii Is the murder that we are really
investigating. and | tell you that | am
gathering all the threads into my hands"
And the next stage?'
sis a very simple one. ! shall go down
L Will I'LL Nv lI1 hAAtaA " ~ AAA% hANN
man whose photograph we have got, and
arrest hin on the charge of murder. win
you come with us2"
IT think not. / fancy we can attain our
end In a simpler way. i can't say for
certain, because II all d~epends-well. 1t
ali depends upon a factor which is COM
pletely outside our control. But / have
great hopes-in fact, the betting is ex-
actly two to one-that IL you will come
4 tytth ,Aa Fontyhf shall ha ahlp IN helm
you to lay him by the heels.
I'm the Italian quarterg'
mo. / fancy Chiswick Is an address
which is more likely 10 find him. IL you
will come with me to Chiswick tonight.
Lestrade, I'll promise TO go to the italian
quarter with you tomorrow, and no harm
will be lone by the delay. And now /
think that a few hours sleep would do
us all good, for / do not propose to leave
before Ii o'clock, and II is unlikely that we
shall be back before morning. You'll dine
| with us, Lestrade, and then you are well
come to the sofa until IL is time for us to
start. In the meantime, Watson. / should
oe glad IL you would ring for an express
messenger for ! have a letter TO send, and
It Is important that 1t should go at once.
Holmes spent the evening In r~umnaging
among the files of the old daily papers
with which one OF our lumber rooms was
packed. When at last he descended, It
was with triumph In his eyes, but he said
nothing to either OF US as to the result of
his researches. For my own part, / had
followed step by step the methods by
which he had traced the various windings
OF this complex case, and, though / could
not yet perceive the goal which we would
reach. l understood clearly that Holmes
expected this grotesque criminal to make
an attempt upon the two remaining busts,
one of which, / remembered, was at Chis-
| wick. No doubt the object of our journey
was to catch him In the very act, and /
could not but admire the cunning. with
which my friend had inserted a wrong
clue In the evening paper, so as to give
the fellow the idea thai he could con-
tinue his scheme with impunity. I was
not surprised when Holmes suggested that
I should take my revolver with me. He
had himself picked up the loaded hunting
crop, which was his favorite weapon.
A four-wheeier was at tho door at IL.
and In IL we drove TO a spot at the other
SIDE of Hammersmith bridge. Here the
lcabman was directed to wait. A short
walk brought us to a secluded road fringed
with pleasant houses. each standing In its
own grounds. In the light OF a street
lamp we read 'sLaburnum villa" upon the
gate-post OF one OF them. The occupants
had evidently retired to rest. for all was
| dark. save for a fanlight over the hall
door, which shed a single blurred circle
on TO the garden path. The wooden fence
which separated the grounds from the
road threw a dense black shadow upon the
inner side. and here Ii was that we
crouched. m- rs.S~
II fear that you'l have a long wait .
Holmes whispered, I'VE may thank our
stars that II Is not raining. / don't think
we can even venture to smoke to pass the
time. However, it's a two to one chance
hat we get something to pay US for oul
trouble"
! IL proved. however, that our vigil was
not TO be so long as Holmes had led us e
fear, and II ended In a very sudden ant
singular fashion. In an instant. without
the least sound TO warn us of his coming
the garden gate swung open, and a 1.-THE
dark figure. as swift and active as al
ape. rushed upon the garden path. W.
saw II whisk past the light thrown from
over the door and disappear against TIL
black shadow OF the house. There was
long pause. during which we held GU
breath. and then q very gentle creakinI
sound came TO our ears. The n wa
being opened. The noise ceased. and agail
there was q long silence. The fellow wa
making his way into the house, We say
the sudde Hash OF a dark lantern insid
the room. What he sought was cvidentl'
not there. for again we saw the hnsl
through another blind, and then througI
another.
s'Let us get to the open window. We WI
nab him as ne climbs out" Lcstrade whis
percd.
But before we could move. the man ha'
emerged again. AS he came out into tn
g~lin,uering patch Of light. we saw tina