The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-03-17

to the door and out into the hall. The
dismal noise came from upstairs. He
dashed up, the inspector and I at his
heels. while his brother Myeroft fol-
lowed as quickly as his great bulk
would permit.
Three doors faced us upon the sec
ond floor, and it was from the central
Of these that the sinister sounds were
issuing, sinking sometimes into a dull
humble and rising again into a shril
whine. Tt was locked, but the key had
been left on the outside. Holmes flung
open the door and rushed in. but he
was out again in an instant. with his
hand to his throat.
ITS charcoal he cried. Give It
time. 1t will clear
/, Peering in, we could see that the only
light in the room came from a dull
blue flame which nickered from a small
brass tripod in the centre. Tt threw a
livid, unnatural circle upon the floor.
while in the shadows beyond we saw
the vague loom of two figures which
erouehed against the wall. From the
open door there reeked a horrible pois-
onous. e%xhalation which set US gasping
and coughing. Holmes rushed to the
top of the stairs TO draw in the fresh
air. and then, dashing into the ROOM,
lt InltW up INC MllluDW anu HdiitA
the brazen tripod out into the garden.
I'VE can enter in a minute" he
gasped, darling out again. Where is
a candle? l doubt il we could strike =
match in that atmosphere. Hold the
light at the door and we shall get them
out. Mycroft, now!'
With a rush we got to the poisoned
men and, dragged them out into the
well-lit hall. Both OF them were blue
Tipped and insensible. with swollen,
congested faces and ~protruding eyes.
Indeed, so distorted were their fea-
lures that, save for his black beard
and stout figure, we might lay Jailed
to recognize in one of them the Greek
interpreter who had parted from US
only a few hours before at the Diogenes
Club. His hands and feet were secure-
ly strapped together, and he bore over
one eye the marks of a violent blow.
The other, who was secured in a sim
liar fashion, was a tall man IN the last
stage of emaciation, with several strips
of sticking-plaster arranged in a gro-
tesque pattern over his face. He had
ceased to moan as we laid him down,
and a glance showed me that for him
at least our aid had come too late.
Mr.. Melas, however, still lived, and in
less than an hour, with the aid of am
monia and brandy, / had the satisfac-
ton of seeing him open his eyes. and OF
knowing that my hand had drawn hina
back from that lark valley in which all
paths meet.
1t was a simple story which he had
to tell, and one which did but confirm
our own deductions. His visitor, on
entering his rooms, had drawn a life
preserver from his sleeve, and had SO
impressed him with fear of instant and
inevitable death that he had kidnapped
him for the second time. Indeed, It
was almost mesmeric, the effect which
this giggling ruffian had produced upon
the unfortunate linguist, for he could
not speak of him save with trembling
hands and a blanched cheek. He bad
ben taken swiftly TO BeckenhaIn, and
had acted as interpreter in a second tbs
terview, even more dramatic than the
first, in which the two Englishmel1
had menaced their prisoner with instant
death if he did not comply with their
demands. Finally, finding him proof
against every threat. they had hurled
him back into his prison, and after re-
preaching Melas with his treaehcry.
which appeared from the newspaper
advertisement, they had stunned him
with a blow from a stick. and he re-
membered nothing more until he found
us bending over him.
And this was the singular case of the
Grecian interpreter, the explanation of
which is still involved in some mystery.
We were able to find out, by commu-
nicating with the gentleman who had
answered the advertisement. that the
unfortunate young lady came of a
wealthy Greeian family, and that she
had been on a visit to some friends in
England. While there she had met a
young man named Harold Latimer.
who had acquired an ~ascendeney over
her and had eventually persuaded her
to fly with him.. Her friends, shocked
at the event, had contented themselves
J with informing her brother at Athens.
and had then washed their hands Of
the matter. The brother, on his arr
rival IN England, had imprudently
placed himself in the power of Latiner
and of his associate, whose name was
Wilson Kemp-a man of the foulest
antecedents. These two. finding that
through his ignorance OF the languages
he was helpless in their hands, had
kept him a prisoner, n had endeav-
! ored by cruelty and starvation to make
him sign away his own N his sisters
2 property. They had kept him in the
AtbN1t 0AAAl1AA LAI8 6AAA AN HtA0
: the plaster over the face had been for
the purpose of making recognition diff
cult in case she should ever catch a
! glimpse of him. Her feminine percep~
tons. however, had instantly seen
through the disguise when, ON the oc-
casion Of the interpreters visit, she
had seen him for the first time. The
poor girl, however. was herself a prls-
oner. for there was no one about the
house except the man who acted as
} coachman and his wife. both Of whom
were tools of the conspirators. Finding
that their secret was out. and that
their prisoner was not TO be coercea,
the two villains with the girl had fed
away at a few hours notice from the
furnished house which they had hired.
having first. as they thought, X
vengeance both upon the man who had
dehed and the one who had betrayed
them.
Months afterwards a curious news
paper cutting reached as from Buda-
pesth. It told how two Englishmen
who had been travelling with a woman
had met with a tragic end. They had