The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-30
The Adventure Of the Specked Band
BY SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
Published

| with restless, frightened eyes, like
those of some hunted animal. Her
features and figure were those of a
woman of thirty, but her hair was
shot with premature gray. and her
expression was weary and haggard
Sherlock Holmes ran over her with
one of his quick, al.comprehensive
glances.
you must not fear" said he. sooth.
ingly. bending forward and patting
her forearm. I'VE soon get mat
tiers right, have no doubt You have
come in by train this morning, see.'
you know me, them"
"No, but 1 observe the second half
of a return ticket in the palm OF
your left glove. You must have start
ed early, and yet you had good
drive in dog cart, along heavy roads
before you reached the station"
The lady gave a violent start, and
stared in bewilderment at my com
panion.
There is no mystery, my dear
madam" said he, smiling. The left
arm of your jacket is spattered with
| mud in no less than seven places. The
marks are perfectly fresh. There is
no vehicle save a dog cart which
throws mud that way, and then only
when you sit on the left hand side
of the driver"
Whatever your reasons may be
you are perfectly correct" said she
II started from home before six
reached Leatherhead at twenty past
and came in by the first train to
Waterloo. Sir, | can stand this strain
no longer; shall go mad if it con
tinues. I have no one to turn to
none, save only one, who cares for me
! and he poor fellow can be of little
aid. have heard of you, Mr.. Holmes
I have heard of you from Mrs. Farm
! tosh, whom you helped in the hour
of her sore need. 1t is from her that
l had your address. Oh, sir, do you
; think that you could help me, too
| and at least throw little light
through the dense darkness which
surrounds me? At present it is out
of my power to reward you for your
services. but in a month or six weeks
I shall be married, with the contro
of my own income, and then at least
you shall not find me ungrateful"
Holmes turned to his desk, ant
unlocking it, drew out a small case
book, which he consulted.
'Farintosh," said he "Ah. yes,
recall the case; it was concerned with
an opal tiara I think it was before
! your time, Watson. l can only say
madam, that l shall be happy tc
devote the same care to your case
as l did to that of your friend Al
to reward, by profession is it's own re
ward; but you are at liberty to de
fray whatever expenses I may be pu
to, at the time which suits you best
And now l beg that you will lay be
fore us everything that may help III
in forming an opinion upon the mat
ter"
Alas" replied our visitor, "ths
very horror of my situation lies il
the fact that my fears are 50 vague
and my suspicious depend so entirel,
upon small points, which might seen
| trivial to another. that even he tt
whom of all others / have a right tt
look for help and advice looks upol
all that l tell him about it, as tn,
fancies of nervous woman He doe
not say so, but | can read it from hi
soathing answers and averted eyes
But l have heard, Mr.. Holmes, tina
you can see deeply into the manifold
wickedness of the human heart. Yo,
may advise me how to walk amid tn
dangers which encompass me-"
IL am all attention. madam"
MY name is Helen Stoner. and
am living with my stepfather, who i
the last survivor Of one of the oldes
Saxon families in England, the Roy
lofts of Stoke Manor, on the western
border of Surrey
Holmes nodded his head. "Th
name is familiar to me-" said he
THE family was at one tim
among the richest in England, an