The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-09-07

Let US look at it. Halloa, halloa'
What is this?"
The three glasses We're grouped to.
gether. all of them tinged with wine
and IL of them containing some dress
of beeswing. The bottle stood neal
them. two-thirds full, and beside lay
a long, deeply stained cork. It's ap
pearanca and h dust upon the bottle
showed that was no common vintage
which the murderers had enjoyed.
A change mad colne over Holmes
manner He had lost his ~listless ex-
preston, and again 1 saw an alert
light of interest in his keen. deep-set
eyes. He raised the cork and examined
it minutely.
"How did they draw it?" he asked.
Hopkins pointed to n ~half-opened
drawer. In it lay some table linen and
a. large carkscrew.
did Lady Brackenstall say that
screw was used?"
mo. you remember that she was
senseless at the moment when the bot
tie was opened"
quite so. AS Il matter of fact, that
screw was not used. This bottle was
opened by a pocket screw. probably
contained in a knife. and not more
than an inch and a half long. If you
will examine the top of the cork. you
VIII observe that the screw was driven
III three times before the cork was ex-
tracted. 1t has never been transixed.
This long screw would have transfxed
IT mi drawn it up with a single pull.
When you catch this fellow. you will
lind that he has one of these multiplex
knives in his possession"
Excellent" said hopkins.
But these glasses do puzzle me, I
confess. Lady Brackenstall actually
saw the three men drinking. did She
not?"
Yes; she vas clear about that"
Then there is an end of it. What
more Is to be said? And yet. you must
admit, that the three glasses are very
remarkable, Hopkins. What? You see
nothing remarkable? Well. we'll. let it
pass. Perhaps. when a man has spe-
c1al knowledge and special powers like
my own, 1t rather encourages him to
seek a complex explanation when a
simpler one is at hand. OF course. it
q be a mere chance about the
glasses. Well, good morning. Hopkins.
! don't see that I can be of any use to
you, and you appear to have your case
very clear. You will let me know when
Randall is arrested. and any further de-
Velopments which may occur. I trust
that l shall soon have to congratulate
you upon a successful conclusion. Come.
Watson, / fancy that we may employ
ourselves more proftably at home"
During our return journey, I could
see by Holmes face that he was much
puzzled by something which he had OBJ
served. Every now and then. by an
effort. he Won throw off the impress
sion, n talk us if the matter were
clear. but then his doubts would settle
down upon him ag; III, and his knitted
brows and distracted eyes would show
that his thoughts had gone back once
more to he great dining room of the
Abbey Grange. in hitch his midnight
tragedy had been enacted. At last, bv
a sudden impulse. just as our train
was crawling out of a suburban sta
ton. he sprang onto the platform and
rulled me out after him.
Excuse me. my dear fellow" said he.
as we watched the rear carriages of our
train disappearing round a curve, IT
am sorry to make you the victim of
what may seem a mere whim, but on
my life. Watson, / simply can't leave
that case in this condition. Every in
$ that ! possess cries out against
it. It's ~wrong-it's all Wrongful swear
that it's wrong. And yet the lady's
story was complete, the maids corro-
was sufficient. the detail was |
fairly exact What have I to pu up
against that? Three wineglasses, that
is all. But il 1 had not taken things |
for granted. If I had examined every
thing with care which I should have
shown a we approached the ease de
and had no cut-and-dried story to
warp my mind, should I not then have
ound something more definite to go
upon? OF course I should. Sit down
on this bench, Watson. until a train
Tor Chiselhurst arrives. and allow me
70 lay the evidence ! fore you, implor-
ing o in the first instance to dismiss
from your mind the idea thai anything
Which the maid or her mistress may |
have said must necessarily be true.
The lady's charming personality must
not be permitted to warp our judg-
Surely there are details in her story
which, II we looked at it in cold blood.
would excite our suspicion. These
burglars made a considerable haul at
Sydenham, q fortnight ago.. Some ac-
count of them and of their appearance
was In the papers. and would naturally
occur to anyone VIII wished to invent
a story i'll which imaginary robbers
should play a part. AS a matter Of fact,
burglar who have one a good stroke
OF business are, as a rule, only too glad
to enjoy the proceeds In peace and
quiet without embarking on another
perilous undertaking. Again, it is UNI
usual for burglars to operate at SO
early an hour, it is unusual for burglars
to strike a lady to prevent her scream
ing, since n would imagine that was
the sure wa to make her scream, it is
unusual for them to commit murder
when their numbers are sufficient to
overpower n man, it is unusual for
them to be content with a limited
plumber when there was much more
within their reach, INC finally, 1 should
say, that it was very unusual for such
men to leave a bottle half empty. How
do all these unusuals strike you, Wat
son?"
Their cumulative effect is certainly
considerable, n yet each of them is
quite possible in itself. The most un-
usual thing of all. as it seems to me,
is that the lady should be tied to the
chair.'
We'll. I am not so clear about that.
Watson. for it is evident that they
must either kill her or else secure her
in such a that she could not give
immediate notice Of their escape. But
at n rate / have shown. have I not,
that there is a certain element of i'm
probability about the lady's story? And
now. on the top of this. comes the in
cident o. the wineglasses."
What about the w-ineglasses?"
Can you see them IN your minds
eyer"
II see them clearly"
I'VE are told that three man Sro,l,