Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-07-13

trate some of those qualities Tor winch
my friend was remarkable. l Will en-
deavor, in my statement. TO avol such
terms as would serve to limit the
events to any particular place, or give
a clue as to the people concerned.
We were residing at the time in fur
nished lodgings close to a library where
Sherlock Holmes was purnuing some
laborious researches in early English
charters-researches which led to re-
suits so striking that they may be the
subject Of II OF my future narratives.
Here II was that one evening we re-
ceived a visit from an acquaintance,
Mr.. Hilton Soames, tutor and lecturer
at the college of st. Luke's. Mr.. Soames
was a tall, spare man, OF ervou and
excitable temperament. 1 had always
known him to be restless In his manner,
but on this particular occasion he was
In such a state OF uncomfortable agi-
tation that it was clear something very
Unusual had occurred.
II trust, Mr.. Holmes, that you car
spare me a few hours of your valuable
time. We ave had a very painful in
cident at st. Luke's, and really, but for
the happy chance OF your being in
town, l should have been at a loss
what to do"
Il am very busy just now, and I de-
sire no distractions" my friend an
swered. II should much prefer that
you called in the aid of the police"
mo, no, my dear sir; such a course
is utterly impossible. When once the
law is evoked, it cannot be stayed
again, and this is just one of those
cases where. for the credit of the col
lege, it is most essential to avoid a
scandal. Your discretion is as well
known as your powers, and you are the
one man in the world who can help
me. l beg you, Mr.. Holmes, to do
what you can"
My friends temper had not improved
since he had been deprived of the con-
genial surroundings of Baker street.
Without his scrap books, his chemicals
and his homely u~ntidlness, he was an
uncomfortable man. He shrugged his
shoulders in ungracious acquiescence,
while our visitor in hurried words n
with much excitable gesticulation
poured forth his story.
II must explain to o Mr.. Holmes,
thai tomorrow is the first day OF the
examination for the Fortescue scholar
ship. / am one of the examiners. My
subject is Greek, and the first of the
papers consists OF a large passage of
Greek translation which the candidate
has not seen. This passage is printed
on the examination paper, and 1t would
naturally be an immense advantage II
the candidate could prepare 1t In ad-
vance. For this reason great car is
taken to keep the paper secret.
To-day, about three O'Clock, the
proofs OF this paper arrived from the
printers. The exercise consists OF half
a chapter of Thucyides. l had TO read
1t over carefully, as the text must. be
absolutely correct. About four-thirty
my ask was not yet completed. / had,
hnutAxr0r RI 40 Ia tna In a frianHsa ranrnc
so / left the proof upon my desk. I
was absent rather more than an hour.
You are aware Mr.. Holmes, hat our
college doors are double-a green baize
one within and a heavy oak one with
out. AS / approached my outer door,
l was amazed to see a key In ii. For
an instant / imagined / had left my
own there. but on feeling In my pocket
I found that 1t was all wight, The
/ knew, was that which belonged to
my servant, Bannister-a man who has
looked after my oom for ten years,
and whose honesty Is absolutely above
suspicion. / found that the key was
indeed his, that he had entered my
room Il know II l wanted tea, and that
he had very carelessly left the key In
the door when he came out. His visit to
my room must have been within a
very lew kllltiulCo vi III leaving H.
His forgetfulness about the key would
have mattered little upon any other oc-
casion. but on this one day II has pro-
duced the most deplorable conse-
quences.
THE moment I looked at my table,
I was aware that someone had rum
mayed among my papers. The proof
was i'm three long slips. / had left
them all together. Now, I found that
one OF them was lying on the floor.
one was on the side table near the
window. and the third was where / had
left IT,"
Holmes stirred for the first time.
The first page on the floor, the Sec
ond in the window, the third where you
left st." said he.
Exactly, Mr.. Holmes. You amaze
me. How could you possibly know
thatrf
Pray continue you very interesting
statement"
For an instant l imagined that BAN
mister had taken the objectionable lib
erty of examining my papers. He de-
MED II. however, with the utmost earn
~estness. and i am convinced that he
was speaking the truth. The a.ltern8~
tive was that someone passing mad or
served the key IN the door. had known
that / was out. and had entered to
look at the papers. A large sum OF
money Is at stake, for the scholarship
Is a very valuable one, an Un-
scrupulous man might ver9 veil run a
risk In order to gain an advantage over
his fellows.
'Bannister was very much upset by
the incident. He had nearly tainted
when he found that the papers had
undoubtedly been tampered with. I