The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-02-08

4 You Eever were I'm IT."
NO. Watson. l never was In II. My
note to you was absolutely genuine.
I had little doubt that ! had come
to the end of my career when I per-
ceived the somewhat sinister figure OF
upon the narrow pathway which led
TO safety. I read an memorable pur-
pose In his grey eyes. I exchanged
some remarks with him. therefore. and
obtained his courteous permission to
write the short note which you after
arctic box and my stick. and walked
along the pathway. Moriarity still at
my heels. When I reached the end i
stood at bay. He drew no weapon. but
he rushed at me and threw his long
arms around me. He knew that his
own game was up. and was only anxi-
Gus 20 revenge himself upon me. We
'tottered together upon the brink OF the
fall. have some knowledge. however.
OF baritsu. or the japanese system OF
wrestling. which has more than once
been very useful 60 me. slipped
through his grip. and he with n horrible
scream kicked madiy for a few Sec
onds. and clawed the air with both
his hands. hut for all his efforts he
could not get his balance. and over he
went. With my face over the brink.
sew him fall for long way. Then
he struck rock. bounded or. and
splaahed into the water"
1 listened with nmnzemcnt To this ex-
PLANTATION. which Holmes delived be-
tween the puffS OF his cigarette.
But the tracks," cried. II saw.
with my own eyes. that two went down
the path and none returned.
1t came about in this way. The i'm
slant that the professor had disap-
peared. IL struck me what really ex-
traordinarily lucky chance fate had
placed In my way. ] knew that Mori-
arity was not the only man who had
sworn my death. There were at least
three others whose desire for venge-
ance upon me would only be increased
By the death OF their leader. They
were all most dangerous men. One or
other would certainly get rue. On the
other hand. IL all the world was con-
vlnCed that I was dead they would take
liberties. these men. they would soon
lay themselves open. and sooner or
later could destroy them. Then Il
would be time for me To announce that
I was stIli In the land OF the living.
So rapidly does the brain act that be-
lieve I had thought this all out before
Professor Moriarity had reached the
bottom OF the Reichenbach fall.
II stood up and examined the rocky
wall behind me. In your picturesque
account Of the matter. which I read
with great interest some months later,
you assert that the wall was sheer.
That was not literally true. A few
small footholds presented themselves.
aud there was some indication OF a
ledge. The clifr IN sO high that to climb
IL at all was ar obvious impOssibiiity.
and IL was equally impossible To make
my way along the Wet path without
leaving some tracks. I might. IL IL
haN gag al ma I Nfg
done on similar occasions. but the sight
OF thre sets Of tracks In one direction
would certainly have suggested n de-
Crption. ON the whole. then. IL was
best that I should risk the climb. II
was not n pleasant business. Watson.
The fall roared beneath me. l am not
fanciful person, but 1 give you my
word that I seemed To hear Moriarity's
voice screaming at me out OF the abyss.
A mistake would have been fatal. More
than once. as tufts OF grass came out
In my hand or my foot slipped In the
wet notcheS OF the rock. I thought I
was gone. But I struggled upward.
and Mt last l reached a ledge several
| feet deep and covered with soft green
| moss. where I could lie unseen In the
most perfect comfort. There I was
| stretched. when you. my dear Watson.
| and all your following were Inyesti-
! eating IA the most sympathetic and
( inefficient manner the circumstances OF
nv death.
AT last. when you all had formed
/ your inevitable and totally erroneous
| conclusions, you depa rted for the hotel.
and I was left alone. I had Imagined
! that I had reached the end OF my ad-
\ ventures. hut very unexpected oc-
curence showed me that there were
surprises still In store for me. A huge
4 rock. falling from above. doomed past
! me. struck the path, aud bounded over
into the ChaSrn. For an instant
thought that IL was an accident but
a moment later. looking up. I saw n
\ mans head against the da cnlng sky
and another stone struck the very
/ ledge upon which | was stretched
the meaning OF this was obvious. MORT
| arity had not been alone. \ Confedsr-
! ate--and even that one glance had
told me how dangerous a man that
! confederate was-hRd kept guard while
the professor had attacked me. From
"A distance. unseen BY me. he had been
witness OF his friends death aud OF
my escape. He had waited. and then
/ making his way ruund tn the top OF the
! clin. he had endeavored To succeed
whore his comrade had failed.
1T did not take long tn think about
u. Watson. Again l saw that grim face
look over the Clin. and I knew that IL
was the precursor OF another stone.
scrambled down the path. don't
think could have done 10 In cold blood
IL was a hundred times more dIficult
than getting up. Hut 4 mad no time 20
think Of the danger. for another stone
sang past me ~ I hung by my hands
from the edge OF the ledge. Half way
down ! slipped. but. by the blessing OF
God, 1 landed. torn and bleeding. upon
tho path. took TO my heels, did ten
miles over the mountains In the dark
ness. and a week later. I found myself
In Florence. with the certainty that no
one In the world knew what had be-
come OF me.
Il had only one confidant-my broth
er Mycroft. I owe you many apologies
my dear Watson. but 10 was all-import-
ant that IL should be thought ! was
dead. and Il IN quite certain that you
would not have written 50 convincing