The Washington herald., 1912-04-07


"She has been with her all her life"
said Hopkins. "Nursed her as baby,
and came with her to England when
they first left Australia, eighteen months
ago. Theresa Wright is her name, and
the kind Of maid you don't pick up now
adays. This way, Mr.. Holmes, If you
The keen interest had passed out of
Holmes expressive face, and / knew
thaf with the mystery all the charm of
the. case had departed. There still re-
NAMED an arrest to be effected. but
what were these commonplace rogues
that he should soil his hands with them
An abstruse and learned specialist who
finds that he has been called in for a
case OF measles would experience some
thing OF the annoyance which>I read in
my friends eyes. Yet the scene in
the dining groom OF the Abbey Grange
was sufficiently strange to arrest his at
tention and to recall his waning inter-
est.
II was very large and high cham
Der, with carved oak ceiling, oaken pan
cling, and fine array of deer's heads
and ancient weapons around the walls.
At the further end from the door was
the high, French window of which we
had heard. Three smaller windows on
the right-hand side filed the apartment
with cold winter sunshine. On the left
was large, deep fireplace, with mas
sive, overhanging oak mantelpiece. Be
side the fireplace was a heavy oaken
chair with arms, and crossbars at the
bottom. In and out through the open
woodwork was woven a crimson cord,
which was secured at each side to the
'crosspiece below. In releasing the lady,
the cord had been slipped off her, but
the knots with which II had been Sc
cured still remained. These details only
struck our attention afterward, for our
thoughts were entirely absorbed by the
terrible object which lay upon the tiger
skin hearthrug in front OF the FIRE.
II was the body Of tall, weli-made
man. about forty years of age. He lay
upon his back, his face upturned, with
his white teeth grinning through his
short, black beard His two clenched
hands were raised above his head, and
q heavy, blackthorn stick lay across
them. His dark, handsome, aquiline
features were convulsed into a spasm of
vindictive hatred, which had set his dead
face in terribly fiendish expression. He
had evidently been in his bed when the
alarm had broken out, for he wore a
foppish embroidered night-shirt, and
his bare feet projected from his trous-
ers. His head was horribly injured, and
the whole room bore witness TO the saw
age ferocity of the blow which had
struck him down. Beside him lay the
heavy poker, bent into a curve by the
concussion. Holmes examined both il
and the indescribable wreck which II
had wrought.
He must be a powerful man, this
elder Randall" he remarked.
YES" said Hopkins. IL have some
record Of the fellow, and he is rough
you should have no difficulty in get
ting him"
Not the slightest We have been on
the lookout for him, and there was some
idea that he had got away to America.
Now that We know that the gang are
here, don't see how they can escape.
We have the news at every seaport al
ready, and reward will be offered be-
fore evening What beats me is how
they could have done so mad thing,
knowing that the lady could describe
them and that we could not fail to rec
ognize the description"
@~@e>hJs OhN Wouiu ndNt CNpcCtCu
that they would have silenced Lady
Brackensfall as well.
They may not have realized" sug-
gested, that she had recovered from
her faint"
That Is likely enough. III she SEEM
ed to be senseless, they would not take
her life. What about this poor fellow,
hopkins? seem to have heard some
queer stories about him."
He was good-hearted man when
he was sober, but a perfect hend when
he was drunk. or rather when he has
half drunk, for he seldom really went
the whole way. The devil seemed to
be in him at such times, apd he was
capable of anything. From what hear,
in spite of all his wealth and his title,
he very nearly came our way once or
twice. There was a scandal about his
drenching dog with petroleum and set
ting j on fre-her ladyship's dog, to
make the matter worse-and that was
a. -