The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1912-11-15
THE TERROR
IN THE SNOW

Hendry, my servant, saw to 1t that
y should not forget Inspector Adding
ton Peace. Shortly after the adven
tws which have already narrated,
Mt London for round of country
visits. And II a paragraph concern
ing that eminent detective CHANGED
10 appear In newspaper, the sub
stance OF 1t was brought to me with
mny shaving-water in the morning.
= see e as bin up to is games
again, SIR" was Hendry's usual over
ltare. my word, but 'e's a sly one
b. all accounts" was the customary
conclusion.
believe that Hendry often gained
transferable notoriety In the serv
suts' hall by boasted friendship
With Peace. To this attribute the
not of his being consulted by Mr.
Heavitree's butler on the occasion Of
lthe burglary that took place while
was staying at Crandon. Hendry'f
ludicrous fiasco, which nearly result
ed in q lawsuit for false imprison
ment, need not be narrated here
though It was considered a remark
ably good joke against me at the
time.
Towards the end of December I re
turned to London for a few days
and on the third night after my ar
rival I decided to visit the inspector
'Hendry had discovered that he was a
bachelor, and lived in two little
rooms on the third floor. The floors
that separated us were let out as
Offices, SO that Peace at the top and
I at the bottom had the old house to
ourselves after seven o'clock.
The little man was at home, and
seemed pleased to see me. With his
sparrow-like agility he hoped about
producing glasses and bottle OF
whisky. Finally, with our pipes In
full blast. we sat facing each other
across the fire, and soon dropped
into q conversation which to me, al
least, was of unusual interest. A
very curious knowledge Of London
and its peoples had Inspector Adding
<oa Peace.
An hour quickly slipped by, and
when rose to go asked him II he
would dine with me on my return
nom Cloudsham in Norfolk, where
vas spending Christmas. He would
b pleased, he told me; and then. as
Ne stopped to light spill in the
oeals--
! You stay with Baron Steen. sup
poser" he asked.
YES"
/ -And whyr"
whyf" I echoed in some sur.
iyeise.
you have relatives or other
,friends?"
my nearest relative is sour old
uncle in Bradford, who calls me hard
names for using the gifts Providence
gave me instead of adding up figures
In a smoky Office. AS for friends
well, / am a fairly rich man, Inspec-
tor. and, as such, have many friends.
What Is there against Baron Steen?"
"Oh, nothing" he said. putting at
his pipe, SO that he spoke as from a
cloud. mistily.
Il know that he has played a bold
game on the stock exchange" I con.
tinued, land there may be few out
'witted flnanciers growing at his
heels. But it would be hard to find a
more thoughtful host. Yes, am 60
ing to Cloudsham tomorrow"
/ We shook hands warmly on part
Ing, and as / descended the stairs
he leant over the rail. smiling down
upon me.
Remember your dinner engage.
|ment," I called up to him. II shall
see you after the New Year."
Yes, II not before" he said; and
seemed to catch the faint echo Of a
laugh as / turned the corner.
1t was on the afternoon of Decem.
"a that I stepped from the train at
the little station Of Cloudsham. Fresh
snow had fallen, and the wind came
bitterly over the frozen levels of the
fen country. A distant clock was
striking four as the carriage passed
into the crested entrance-gates and
'tugged up a rising slope of park land
dotted with ragged oaks and storm
bowed spinnies, which showed as
black stains upon it's snow-clad un-
ydulations. At the summit the road
bent sharply, and I saw below me
the old manor of Cloudsham. beyond
'which--a somber plain, losing itself
In the evening mists that swathed
the horizon-stretched the restless
waters of the North sea.
The house lay In broad depres-
sion, In shape as the hollow OF a
hand, save only on the seaward side,
where the line of cliff bit into It like
the grip of a giants teeth. The gray
front looked up, across a slope OF
grass land, to a semi-circle of forest
that swept away in dark shadings Of
fir and oak. From the long oblong
|Of the main buildings were thrust
back two wings. flanked on the nearer
ride By q chapel.
From the back OF the house to the
edge of the sea cliffs. a distance of
some quarter of q mile, ran an ir-
regular avenue Of FRS with clipped
ySw walks and laureledged flower
sardens on either hand.