Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-08-10
ny A. CONAN Y

us had taken. NY husband found and kept
both diary and letters. lie hid them. and
he tried hard TO swear away the young
mans life. In this he failed, but Alexis
was sent a convict TO Siberia, where now,
a. this moment, he works In a salt mine.
Think Of that, you villain. you vtllain!-
now. now, at this very moment, Alexis, a
man whose name you are not worthy TO
speak, works and lives like a slave, and
yet 1 have your life in my hands, and !
let YOU go"
you were always a noble woman,
Anna said the old man, putting at his
cigaret.
She had risen, hut she fell back again
with a little cry Of pain.
Il must finish" she said. when my
term was over / set myself TO get the
diary and letters which, II sent 10 the
Russian government, would procure my
friends release. ] knew that my husband
had come to England. After months Of
searching l discovered where he was. /
knew that be still had the diary, for when
/ was i'm Siberia | had a letter from him
once, reproaching me and quoting some
passages from its pages. Yet l was sure
that, with HIS ~revengeful nature, he would
never give 1t 10 me OF his own free viii.
l must get IL for myself. With this object
/ engaged an agent from a private de-
/ toctive firm, who entered my husbands
house as a secretary-it was your second
secretary. Sergius, the one who left you
so hurriedly. He found that papers were
kept in the cupboard, and he got an In
preston Of the key. He would not go
farther. He furnished me with a plan
OF the house, and he told me that in the
forenoon the study was always empty as
the secretary was employed up here. So
at last l took my courage i'm both hands,
and ! came down to get the papers myself.
l succeeded; but at what a cost!
II had just taken tine papers and was
locking the cupboard, when the young
man seized me. i had seen him already
that morning. He had met me on the
road, and | had asked him to tell me
where Professor Coram lived, not anow-
ing that he was In his employ
Exactly! exactly" said Holmes. THE
secretary came back, and told his en-
ployer OF the woman he had met. Then
in his last breath, he tried to send a mes
sage that 1t was she-the she whom he
had just discussed with him"
You must let me speak" said the wom-
an, In an Imperative voice. and her face
contracted as If In pain. "When he had
fallen / rushed from the room, chose the
wrong door, and found myself In my hus-
bands room, He spoke of giving me up.
| showed him that il he did so, his life
was in my hands. If he gave me to the
law, ] could give him to the brotherhood.
IL was not that / wished 10 live for my
own sake, but II was that I desired TO ac-
complish my purpose. He knew that l
would do what said-that his W fate
was involved In mine. For that reason,
and for no other, he shielded me. He
thrust me into that dark hld~ing-place-a
relic of old days, known only TO himself.
He took his meals In his own room. and
so was able to give me part OF his food.
Ii was agreed that when the police left
the house l should slip away by night and
come, back no more. But i'm some way
you have read our plans She tore from
the bosom of her dress a small packet.
"These are my last words" said She;
here is the packet which will save Alexis.
/ contide ii to your honor and to your
love of justice, Take il! You will deliver
1t at the Russian embassy. Now, / nave
done my duty, and"
stop herr" cried Holmes. He had
bounded across the room, and had
wrenched a small phIal from her hand.
TOO late!" she said. sinking back on the
bed. TOO late! / took the poison before
l left my hiding-place. My head swimsl
| am going! ] charge you sir, to re-
member the packet"
"A simple case, and yet, in some ways,
an instructive one" Holmes remarked, as
we Travelled bac- to town. 1T hinged
from the outset upon the ~pince-nez. But
for the fortunate chance of the dying man
having seized these. / am not sure that
we could ever have reached our solution.
1t was clear to me. from the length OF the
glasses, that the wearer must have been
very blind and helpless when deprived of
them. When you asked me to believe that
she walked along a narrow strip of grass
without once making a false step, / re-
marked, as you may remember. that Ii
was a noteworthy performance. In
my mind / set II down as an
impossible performance, save in the
unlikely case that she had a second
pair of glasses. | was forced, therefore,
TO seriously consider the hypothesis that
she remained within the house. On per-
ceiving the similarity of the two CORR
doris. 1t became clear that she might very
easily have made such a mistake, and in
that case, 1t was evident tina she must
have entered the professors room. I was
keenly on the alert therefore, for what
ever would bear out this superstition, and
/ examined the room narrowly for any
thing In the shape of a hiding-place. The
carpet seemed continuous and firmly
nailed, so I dismissed the idea OF a trap
door. There might well be a recess be-
hind the books. AS you are aware, such
devices are common in old libraries. /
observed that books were piled on the floor
at all othef Joints. but that one bookcase
was lett clear. This. then, might be the
the door. / could see no marks TO guide
me, but the carpet was of a dun color,
which lends itself very well TO examina-
ton. i therefore smoked a great number
OF those excellent cigarets, and dropped
the ash all over the space In front OF
the suspected bookcase. Ii was a simple
trick. but exceedingly effective. / then
went down stairs, and i ascsrtained, IN
your presence, Watson, without your per-
ceiving the drift OF my remarks, that Pro-
fessor Coram's consumption OF food had
increased-as one would expect when he
Is supplying a second perscs. We then as
ccnded to the room again, when. by up
setting the cigaret box, Iobtained a very
excellent view OF the floor. and was able
10 see quite ~cleariy. from the traces upon
the cigaret ash. that the prisoner had I'm
our absence come out from her retreat.
Well. Hopkins. here we arc at Charing
Cross. and / congratulate you on having
brought your case to q successful con-
clusion. You are going to headquarters.
no doubt. | think. Watson. YOU end / will
drive together TO the Russian embassy,
xi.-THE ADVENTURE OF THE
MISSING THREE QUARTER.