The Calumet news., 1912-06-06


outside person affected the card play.
ers, how can We reconstruct that per.
son, and how was such an impression
of horror conveyed? Mrs. Porter
may be eliminated. She is evidently
harmless. Is there any evidence that
some one crept up TO the garden win.
dow and In some manner produced so
terrific an effect that he drove those
who saw it out of their senses? The
only suggestion in this direction
comes from Mortimer Tregennis him.
self. who says that his brother smoke
about some movement in the garden.
That is certainly remarkable, as the
night was rainy, cloudy and dark,
Anyone who had the design to alarm
these people would be compelled TO
place his very face against the glass
before he could be seen. There ia a
three-foot flower border outside this
window. but no indication OF a foot
mark. II 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 30 strange and elaborate an AZ.
tempt. You perceive our difficulties.
Watson?"
"They are only too clear" I an.
swered, with conviction.
"And yet, with a little more mate.
rial. we may prove that they are not
insurmountable," said Holmes. 81
fancy that among your extensive ar
chives, Watson. you may find some
which We're nearly as obscure Mean
while, we shall put the case aside un.
TIL more accurate data are available.
and devote the morning to the pursuit
Of nsolithic man"
may have commented upon nv
friends power of mental detachment
but never have ] wondered at II more
than upon that spring morning in
Cornwall when for two hours he dis
coursed upon celts. arrowheads and
shards as lightly as II no sinister mys.
terry was waiting for his solution. Il
was not until We had returned In the
afternoon to our cottage that we found
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 We're as well 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
right OF his tall figure upon the moor
land paths. He made no advances TO
rs, however, nor would we have
dreamed OF doing so to him, as it was
well known that It was his love of Sc
clusion which caused him to spend the
greater part of the intervals between
his journeys in a 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 neighbors.
1t was a surprise 10 me, therefore, to
hear him asking Holmes, in an eager
voice, whether he had made any ad-
vance in his reconstruction OF this
mysterious episode. "The county pc
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 / have come to
know this family of Tregennis very
well--indeed, upon my Cornish moth
er's side l could call them cousins
and their strange fate has naturally
been a great shock to me. / may tell
you thai had got as far as Plymouth
upon MY way to Africa, but the news
reachOi 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?"
II will take the next"
Dear me! that is friendship In
deed"
Il tell you they were relatives"
Quite so-cousins of your mother.
Was your baggage aboard the ship?"
Some of it, but the main part at
the hotel"
Il see. But surely this event could
not have found it's way into the Plym-
outh morning papers?"
mo, sir; had telegram"
Might l ask from whom?"
A shadow passed over the gaunt
ACE of the explorer