The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-06-20

r room and bar your shutters" Miss Stone did so, and Holmes af- open window, endeavored in every way to force the shutter open, but without success. There was no slit through which a knife could be pass ed to raise the bar. Then with his
 lens he tested the hinges. but they were of solid iron. built firmly into the massive masonry.
 "Hum!' said he, scratching his chin tainIy presents some difficulties. No one could pass these shutters if they were boIted. Well we shall .>see- if matter
 A small side door led into the whftewashed corridor from which the three bedrooms opened. Holmes refused to examine the third cham Der, so we passed at once to the sec ond, that in which Miss Stoner was now sleeping, and in which her sis ter had met with her fate. It was a homely little room, with a low cell ing and gaping fireplace, after the fashion of old country-houses. A brown chest of drawers stood in one corner a narrow white-counterpan bed in another, and a dressing table on the Ieft-side of the window.
 These articles with two small wick er-work chairs, made up all the fur nItuTe in the room, save for a square of Wilton carpet in the center. The boards round and the pane1inG of the walls were of brown, worm eaten oak, so old and discolored that it may have dated from the original building of the house. Holmes drew one of the chairs into a corner and sat silent while his eyes travelled round and round and up and down,
 taking in every detail of the apart ment.
 Where does that bell communi- cate with? he asked, at last, point ing to thick bell-rope which hung
 down beside the bed, the tassel ac- tually lying upon the pillow.
 'Tt goes to the housekeeper's
 It looks newer than the other
 things?"
 Yes, it was only put there d cou-
 s'Your sister asked for it, I SUD-
 pose?''
 '.1Io, I never heard of her using it.
 We used always to get what we
 wanted for ourselves
 Indeed. it seemed unnecessary to pitt so nice a bell-pull. there. You will excuse me for a few minutes while satisfy myself as to this floor" He threw himself down upon his face with his lens in his hand, and crawl ed swiftly ba ckward and forward, eE-
 amining nlinutely the cracks be- tween the boards. Then he did the same with the woodwork with which the chamber was paneled. Finally he walked over to the bed. and spent some time in staring at it, and in
 running his eye up and down the wall. Finally he took the bell rope in his hand and gave it 8 brisk tug. Why, it's a dummy" said he. Wont it ring?"
 ''No, it is not even attached to 3 wire. This is very interesting You can see now that it is fastened to a hook just above where the little open- ing for the ventilator is" How very absurd! I never mo- ticed that before"
 ''Very strange." muttered Holmes, pulling at the rope. There are one or two very singular points about this room. For example, what a fool a builder must be to open a ventila- or into another room, when, with the same trouble, he might have com municated~ with the outside airt'' That is also quite modern" said
 the lady.
 Done about the same time as the bell rope?" remarked Holmes. "Yes, there were several little changes carried out about that time" '"They seem to have been of most
 interesting character - dummy bell
 ropes, and ventilators which do not
 ventnate. With your permission,
 Miss Stoner, we shall now carry our
 researches into the inner apartmen ent.'
 Tomorrow-Thc Adventure of the