Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-04-18

~ ' DNosT'
mark. 1t is difficult to imagine, then.
how an outsider could have made so
terrible an impression upon the COM
pany, nor have We found any motive
for so strange and elaborate an at.
tempt. You perceive our difficulties,
Watson?"
''They are only too clear" I an
swered, with conviction.
"And yet, with little more mate.
rial. we may prove that they are not
fnsurmountable," said Holmes. II
fancy that among your extensive ar
chives. Watson, you may find some
which were nearly as obscure. Mean
while, we shall put the case aside I'm.
til more accurate data are available,
and devote the morning to the pursuit
of neoaithic man."
! may have commented upon my
friends power Of mental detachment,
but never have wondered at it more
than upon that spring morning in
Cornwall when for two hours he dis
coursed upon celts, arrowheads and
shards as lightly as if no sinister mys-
terry was waiting for his solution. 1t
was not until We had returned in the
afternoon to our cottage that We found
q visitor awaiting us, who soon
brought our minds back to the matter
in hand. Neither Of us needed to be
told who that visitor was. The huge
body, the craggy and deeply scanned
face with the fierce eyes and hawk
like nose, the grizzled hair which
nearly brushed our cottage ceiling,
the beard-golden at the fringes and
white near the lips, save for the nico-
tine stain from his perpetual cigar
all these were as we'll known in Lon
don as in Africa, and could only be
associated with the personality OF
DR.. Leon Sterndale, the great lion
hunter and explorer.
We had heard of his presence in the
district, and had once or twice caught
sight Of his tall figure upon the moor
land paths. He made no advances to
us, however, nor would We have
dreamed Of doing so to him, as It was
we'll known that 1t was his love Of Sc
clusion which caused him to spend the
greater part Of the intervals between
his Journeys in small bungalow bur.
led in the lonely wood Of Beauchamp
Arriance. Here. amid his books and
his maps, he lived an absolutely lone
ly life, attending to his own simple
wants, and paying little apparent
heed to the affairs Of his nriShbors.
1t was surprise 10 me, therefore, TO
voice, whether he had made any ad.
vance in his reconstruction of this
mysterious episode. 1.-THE county po'
lice are utterly at fault" said he;
but perhaps your wider experience
has suggested some conceivable eXpla.
nation. My only claim to. being taken
into your. confidence is that during my
many residences here l have come to
know this family Of Tregennis very
well--indeed, upon my Cornish moth.
er's side could call them cousins
and their strange fate has naturally
beeaia great shock TO me. may tell
you thst.I had got as far as Plymouth
upontH,y way to Africa. but the news
reaolrOi me this morning. and l came
straight back again to help in the in'
Quiry:,"'
Hplmcs raised his eyebrows.
Ibid you lose your boat through it,"
81 viii take the next"
Dear. me! that is friendship in.
deed;
Il tell-you they were relatives"
fQuite 'so-cousins of your mother.
Was your baggage aboard the ship"
Some Of it, but the main part at
the hotel
81 see. But surely this event could
not have: found its way into the Plym'
outh morning papers?"
"No. sir; had telegram"
Might | ask from whom?"
A shadow passed over the gaunt
face Of the explorer.