The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-04-30

ed. but the lamp was Ht-as COM
parison Of the oil consumed will show
long after 1t was broad daylight.
Why? Surely because there is some
connection between three things-the
burning, the stuffy atmosphere. and,
finally, the madness or death of those
unfortunate people. That is clear, is
It not?"
1T would appear So"
AT least we may accept it as q
working hypothesis. We will suppose,
then, that something was burned in
each case which produced an atmos.
phere causing strange toxic effects.
Very good. In the first instance-that
Of the Tregennis family-this sub
the window was shut, but the fire
would naturally carry fumes to some
extent up the chimney. Hence, one
would expect the effects of the poison
to be less than in the second case,
where there was less escape for the
vapor. The result seems to indicate
that it was so, since in the first case.
only the woman, who had presumably
the more sensitive organism, was
killed, the others exhibiting that TEN.
porary or permanent lunacy which is
evidently the first effect of the drug.
In the second case the result was COM
plete. Tie facts, therefore, seem to
bear out the theory of poison which
worked by combustion.
with this train of reasoning in my
head I naturally looked about in Nor
timer Tregennis' room to find some re-
mains of this substance. The obvious
place to look was the tale shield or
smoke guard of the lamp. There, sure
enough, perceived a number Of fiaky
ashes, and round the edges fringe
of brownish powder, which had not
yet been consumed. Half of this l
took, as you saw, and placed it in
an envelope"
"Why half, Holmes?'
1T is not for me, my dear Watson,
to stand in the way of the official
police force. leave them all the evil
dence which found. The poison still
remained upon the tale, had they the
wit to find it. Now, Watson, We will
light our lamp; we will, however, take
the precaution to Opaa our window to
avoid the premature ueCease OF TWO
deserving members of society, and
you will seat yourself near that open
window in an arm-chair-unless, like
a sensible man, you determine to have
nothing to do with the affair. Oh,
you will see it out, will you? thought
knew my Watson. This chair will
place opposite yours, so that we may
be the same distance from the poison,
and face to face. The door We will
leave ajar. Each is now in a posi-
ton to watch the other and to bring
the experiment to an end should the
symptoms seem alarming. Is that all
clear? Well, then, take our pow
der-Or what remains Of it-from the
envelope, and I lay it above the burn
ing lamp. So! Now, Watson, let US
sit down and await developments"
They were not long in coming. I
had hardly settled in my chair before
l was conscious of thick, musky
odor, subtle and nauseous. At the
very first Whit Of it my brain and my
Imagination were beyond all control
A thick black cloud swirled before my
eyes, and my mind told me that in
this cloud, unseen as yet, but about
to spring out upon my appalled, senses,
lurked all that was vaguely horrible,
all that was monstrous and inconceiv-
ably wicked in the universe. Vague
shapes swirled and swan amid the
dark cloud-bank, each a menace and
a warning Of something coming, the
advent of some unspeakable dweller
upon the threshold, whose very shad-
ow would blast my soul. A freezing
horror took possession of me. I felt
that my hair was rising, and that my
eyes were protruding, that my mouth
was opened, and my tongue like
leather. The turmoil within my brain
was such that something must surely
snap. I tried to scream, and was
vaguely aware of some hoarse croak
which was my own voice, but distant
and detached from myself. At the
same moment, in some effort of ed.
cape, I broke through that cloud of
despair, and had a glimpse of Holmes
face, white, rigid and drawn with hor-
ror-the very look which I had seen
upon the features Of the dead. 1t was
that vision which gave me an instant
Of sanity and of strength. I dashed
from my chair, threw my arms round
Holmes, and together we lurched
through the door, and an instant aft.
erwards had thrown ourselves down
upon the grass plot. and were lying
side by side, conscious only Of the
glorious sunshine which was bursting
Its way through the hellish cloud of
terror which had grit us in. Slowly
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