The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-09-12

reached me this morning. and / came
straight back again to help in the IN
quiry.
Holmes raised his eyebrows.
Did you lose your boat through
it?"
Il will take the next"
Dear me. that is friendship in
deed"
L tell you they were relatives"
'Quite so-cousins of your mother
Was your baggage aboard the Ill :?
Some OF it. but the main part at
the hotel"
not have found its way into the Ply
mouth morning papers"
mo, sir. I had a telegram.
Might | ask from whom
A shadow passed over the gaunt
face of the explorer.
You are very inquisitive' Mr..
Holmes"
With an effort DR.. Sterndale recov-
cred his ruffled composure.
II have no objection to telling you.
! he said. 1T was Mr.. ROundhay. the
vicar, who sent me the telegram
which recalled me-
Thank you" said Holmes. :!
may say in answer 10 your original
question:. that I have not cleared my
L 1 : L Oi IN
case, but that / have every hope to
reach some conclusion. 1t would be
premature to say more.
"Perhaps YOU would tell me if
your suspicious point in any partlcu-
lar direction"
NO. / can hardly answer that
Then [ have wasted my time, and
need not prolong my visit The IA
nous doctor strobe out of our cottage
in considerable ill-hunOur. and with
in five minutes Holmes had followed
him. I saw him no more until even
ing. when he returned with a slow
step and hagsard face which assured
me that he had made no great pro-
gross with his investigation. He
glanced at a telegram which awaited
him. and threw it, into the CRATE.
From the Plymouth hotel. Wat
he said. II learned the name of. it
from the vicar and wired. to make
certain that DR.. Leon ~Sterndale's &C
count was true. It appears that he did
indeed spend last night there. and
that he has actually allowed some Of
his baggage to go on to Africa. while
he returned to be present at this in
vestigation. What do 0 make OF
that. Watson?'
He is deeply Interested" Is
deeply interested-yes. There is a
thread here which we have not yet
grasped, and which might lead us
through the tangle. Cheer up, Wat
son, for / am very sure that our ma
terial has not yet all come to hand.
When it does. we may soon leave our
difficulties behind US"
Little did I think how soon III
words of Holmes would be realized,
or how strange and sinister would be
that new development which opened
up an entirely fresh line Of investiga-
ton. I was shaving at my window in
the morning when I heard the rattle
Of hoofs, and looking up, saw a dog.
cart coming at a gallop down the
a 1t pulled up at our door. and
our friend the vicar sprang from it
and rushed up our garden path.
Holmes was already dressed, and we
fastened down to meet him.
Our visitor was SO excited that he
could hardly articulate, but at last in
gasps and bursts his tragic story
came out Of him.
we are devil-riden, Mr.. Holmes!
My poor parish is devil-ridden!" he
cried. Satan himself is loose in it!
We are given over into his hands!'
He danced about N his agitation, a
ludicrous object if it were not for his
ashy face and startled eyes. Finally
he shot out his terrible news.
"Mr. Mortimer T%regennis has
died during the night, and with ex-
actly the same symptoms as the rest
of his family"
Holmes sprang to his feet, all IN
r in an instant.
Can you fit US both into your dog
cart?"
Yes. I can"
Then Watson. we will postpone
our breakfast. Mr.. Roundhay, we
are entirely at your disposal. Hurry
hurry, before things get disar-
ranged"
PART III.
The ledger occupied two rooms at
the vicarage, which were in an angle