The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-08-03

the object for which she has come. lis
Susan. the maid. there? Could anyone
have got away through that door after
the time that you heard the cry. SUI
SAM"
mo, sir. it is impossible. Before
got down the stair, I'd have seen my
one in the passage. Besides, the door
never o-ened, or l would have heard
it,"
THAT settles that exit. Then no doubt
the lady went out the way she came.
| understand that THIS other passage
leads only to the professors room.
There is no exit that aye"
NO. sir"
I'VE shall go down it and make the
acquaintance of the professor. Halloa,
HOPKINS! this is very important, very
important indeed. The professors cor
ridor is also lined with cocoanut mat
ting"
We'll, sir, what of that?"
Don't you see any bearing upon the
case? Well, we'll, l don't insist upon it.
No doubt l am wrong. And yet it
seems to me to be suggestive. Come
with me and introduce me-"
We passed down the passage, which
was of the same length as that which
led to the garden. Al the end was a
short flight of steps ending in a door.
Our guide knocked. and then ushered
US into the professors bedroom.
~ WAS d very large %cnalnDer, lined
with innumerable volumes, which had
overflowed from the shelves and lay in
piles in the corners, or We're stacked
all round at the base of the cases. The
bed was in the center of the ROOM, and
i'm it. propped up With pillows, was the
owner of the house. 1 have seldom
seen a more remarkable looking per-
son. 1t was a gaunt, aquiline face
which was turned towards us. with
piercing dark eyes, which lurked in
deep hollows under overhung and
tufted brows. His hair and beard were
white, save that the latter was curious
ly stained with yellow around his
the tangle of white hair. and
the air of the room was fetid
with stale tobacco-smoke. AS he held out
his hand to Holmes. l perceived that it
was also stained with yellow nicotine.
"A smoker, Mr.. Holmes?" said he,
speaking in well-chosen English, with Il
curious little mincing accent. pray take
a cisaret. And you, sir? I can recon-
mend them, for / have them especially
prepared by Ionides, of Alexandria. He
sends me a thousand at a time, and /
grieve to say that l nave TO arrange for a
fresh supply every fortnight. Bad, sir,
very bad. but an old man has few pleas
ures. Tobacco ana my work-that is all
that is left to me-"
Holmes had lit a cisaret, and was shoot
ing little darting g~lances all over the
room.
Tobacco and my work, but now only
tobacco" the old man exclaimed. ALIAS.
what a fatal interruption! Who could have
foreseen such a terrible catastrophe? So
e~st.fnable a young man! / assure you
that, after a few months training he was
an admirable assistant. What do you
think of the matter, Mr.. Holiness"
II have not Vet made up my mind"
sJ shall inGnal 1a iplahtol IN 1-o,, If ,-o,,
can throw a light where all is so dark
to us. To a poor bookworm and invalid
like myself such a blow is paralyzing. l
seem to have lost the faculty of thought.
But You are a man of action-you are a
man of affairs. 1t is part of the everyday
your balance in every emergency. We are
Fortunate, indeed, in having you at our
side"
Holmes was pacing up and down one
side of the room whilst the old professor
was talking. L observed that he was
smoking with extraordinary rapidity. 1t
was evident tina he shared our hosts lik-
ing for the fresh AleNandrian cigarcts.
Yes, Sir, it is a crushing blow" SAID the
old man. "Tha is my magnum opus-the
pile of papers on the side table yonder,
1t is my analysis of the documents found
IN the Coptic monaSteries of Syria and
Egypt, a work which will cut deep at the
WY vi wv leIlSlOll. v III
my enfeebled health 1 do not know wheth-
er l shall ever be able to complete it, now
that my assistant has been taken from
me. Dear me! MIR. Holmes, why, YOU are
even u quicker smoker than L am myself
Holmes smiled.
81 am a conno:sseur," said he, taking
another cigaret from the boX-his fourth
and lighting it from the stub of that which
he had finished. II will not trouble you
with any lengthy cross-eNamination, Pro-
fessor Coram, since l gather hat you
were in bed at the time of the crime, and
could know nothing about ii. 1 would only
ask this. What do you imagine that this
poor fellow meant by his last words: The
Professor-it was she'?'
Tho professor shook his head.
Susan is a country girl" said he, land
you know the incredible stupidity of that
class. l fancy hat the poor fellow MUIR
INJURED some incoherent, delirious words,
and that she twisted them into this mean
ingless message"
II see. You nave no explanation your
self of the tragedy?"
Possibly al accident, possibly only
breathe it among ourselves-a suicide.
Young men nave their hidden troubles
some affair of the heart. perhaps, which
we have never known. 1t is a more prob
able supposition than murder"
But the eyeglasses"
"Ah! I am only a student-a man OF
dreams. I cannot explain the practical
things of life. But still, we are aware.
my friend, that l~ove-gages may take
strange shapes. BY all means take an
other c.garet. 1t is a pleasure to see any
one appreciate them SO. A fan, a glove,
glasses-who knows what article may be
carried as a token or treasured when a
man puts an end to his life? This gentle
man speaks Of footsteps in the grass, but
after all, 1T is easy to be mistaken on such
a point. AS to the knife. it might well be
thrown far from the unfortunate man as
he fell. 1t is possible that I speak as a
child, but to me it seems that Wilaoughby
Smith has met his fate by his own hand
Hclmes seemed struck by the theory
thus put forward, and he continued to
walk up and down for some time, lost in
thought and consuming cigaret after
cigaret.
Tel me, Professor Coram," he said, al
last, what is in that cupboard in the bu-
reau?"
Nothing that would help a thief. Fam
lily papers, letters from my poor wife, di.
plomas Of universities which have done
me honor. Here Is the key. You can look
for YOURSELF"
Holmes picked up the key. and looked
at 1t for an instant. then he handed i,
back.