Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-08-10
x.-THE ADVENTURE or THE
GOLDEN PiNcE- NEZ-continued

N.-T HE ADREH OhE Or HE
COLLEEN PiNcE-NEZ-continued.
"a lady enrcrtd your study. She came
with the intention OF possessing herself
OF certain documents which were IN your
bureau. She had 9 key 81 her ONT. / have
had an opportunity Of examining yours,
and ] do not find that slight d.scol-
Grafton which tho scratch made upon
the yarnish would have produced. You
were not an accessory, therefore, and
she came, 50 far as / can read the evil
dence. without your knowledge 10 rob
you"
Tho professor blew a cloud from his
lips. "This is most Interesting and in
structiye." said he. "Havc you no more
TO add2 Surely, having traced this lady
80 far, you can also say what has become
of her.
II viii endcayor TO do so. IN the first
place she was seized By your secretary,
and stabbed him IN order to escape, This
catastrophe / am inclined to regard as
an unhappy accident, for ! am convinced
that the lady had no intention OF intliCt-
ing SO grievous an injury, An assassin
does not come unarmed. Horriied by
what she had done. she rushed wildly
away from the scene Of the tragedy, I'M
fortunately Tor her, she had lost her
glasses i'm the scufile, and az she was ex-
tremely short-sighted she was really help
Atbh NAAllOuA AAt'liAs hsilt lIll hvNh " W. -
dor. which she imagined to be that by
which she had come-both were lined with
cocoanut m~atting-and IL was Cnly when
G. was too late that she understood that
she hsd taken the wrong passage, and that
h0r retreat was cut off behind her. What
was she to do? She could not go back.
She could not remain where she was. She
must go en-. She went on. She counted
a stair, pushed open a door, and found
herself In your ROOM
The old man sat with his mouth open,
staring wildly at Holmes. Amusement and
fear were stamped upon his expressive
features. Now, with an effort he shrugged
his shoulders and burst into insincere
laughter.
AN very fine, MIR. Holmes" said he.
"But there is one little flaw In your SPLEEN
did theory. / was myself In my room,
and / never left 1t during the day"
81 am aware OF that. Professor Coram.'
And you mean to say that | could lie
upon that bed and not be aware that a
woman had entered my ROOM"
II never said SO. You were aware of IT.
You spoke with her, You recognized her.
You aided her TO escape"
Again the professor burst into high
keyed laughter. He had risen to his feet,
and his eyes glowed like embers.
You are madi" he cried, you are talk
Ing insanely. l helped her to escape?
Where Is she now?'
she is there" said Holmes. and he
pointed TO a high bookcase In the corner
OF the room.
4 saw the old man throw up his arms, a
terrible CONFUSION passed over his grim
face, and he fell back In his chair. At the
same instant the bookcase at which
Holmes pointed swung round upon a
hinge, and Il woman rushed out into the
Eoorn. You are rtght!'' she cried, in a
strange, foreign voice. You are right! L
am here
She was brown with the dust. and
trapped with the cobwebs. which had come
from the sails Of her hiding place. Her
face, too, was streaked with CRIME, and at
the best she could never have been hand
some. for she had the exact physical char
ncteristics which Holmes had OWNED, with
in addition. a long and obstinate chin.
What with her natural blindness, and
what with the change from dark TO light.
she stood as one daZed, blinking about her
co see where and who we were. And yet,
In spite of all these disadvantages, there
was a certain nobility In the woman's
bearings gallantry in the defiant chin
and in the appraised head. which compelled
something of respect and admiration.
Stanley Hopkins had laid his hand upon
sher arm and claimed her as his prisoner.
sbut she waved him aside gently, and yet
with an overmastering dignity which COM
Il ~ OBNAANA1&Ns AG Oih iA0h i0S bu1h
In his chair with a twitchlng face, and
stared at her with brooding eyes.
Yes, sir, / am your prisoner" she said.
From where i stood l could hear every
thing. and l know that YOU have learned
the truth. / confess II all. 1t was / who
killed the young man. But you are right
You who say II was an accident, l did
mot even know that 1t was a knife / held
dn my hand, for in my despair ! snatched
anything from the table and struck at
him 10 make him let me go. 1t Is the
truth hat / tell"
Madam" said Holmes. II am sure
that It Is the truth. ] fear that you are
far from WE'LL
She had turned a dreadful color, the
more CHASTITY under the dark dust-streaks
upon her face. She seated herself on the
side OF the bed: then she resumed:
II have only a little time here, she said,
-put / would have you TO know the whole
truth. ! am this mans wife. He Is not
an E~ngllshman. He is a Russian. His
name ! viii not tell"
Fer the first time the old man stirred.
-'God bless you, Anna!' he cried. God
bless your
She east a look or the deepest dlsdain in
his direction. why should you cling so
hard to that wretched life of yours, Ser
giusg' said she. 1T has done harm TO
many, and good TO none-not even to your
AHGAAs ilVWNNtAA ~ 10 A0t AAE w
the frail thread to be snapped before Gods
time. I have enough already upon my
soul since I crossed the threshold OF this
cursed house. But ! must speak or I shall
be too late.
II nave said, gentlemen. that I am this
mans wife. He was fifty and ! a fool
fsh girl OF twenty when we married. 1t
was In a city OF Russia. a university
will not name the place
God bless you. Anna." muttered the old
man again.
I'VE were Observation-Disclosures
Nihilists, you understand. He and j and
many more. Then there came a time OF
trouble, a police officer was killed. many
were arrested. evidence was wanted and
In order TO save his own life and 10 earn
a great reward. my husband betrayed his
own wife and his companions. Yes, We
were all arrested upon his confession.
Some of Us found our way to the gallows,
and some 10 Siberia. / was among these
East. but my term was not sor life. My
husband came to England with his H.
gotten gains. and has lived In quiet ever
since, knowing we'll that IL the brother
hood knew where ne was not a week would
pass before Justice would be done"
The old man reached out a trembling
hand. and helped himself TO a cigaret
~ am in your hands, Anna" said he
,*You were always good to me-