The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-06-04

pale, and filled with horror and
loathing.
He had ceased to strike, and was
gazing up at the ventilator, when sud
denly there broke from the silence of
the night the most horrible cry to
which I have ever listened. 1t swell
ed up louder and louder. a hoarse
yell of pain and fear and anger, all
mingled in the one dreadful shrek.
They say that away down in the viii
lage, and even in the distant parson-
age, that cry raised the sleepers from
their beds. It. struck cold to our
hearts, and I stood gazing at Holmes.
and he at me, until the last echo OF
it had died away into the silence from
which it rose.
What can it mean" ! gasped.
1T means that it is ell over.
Holmes answered. And perhaps
after all, it is for the best. Take
your pistol. and We will enter DR.
Roylott's room"
With a grave face he lit the lamp
and led the way down the corridor
Twice he struck at the chamber
door without any reply from within
tered, l at his heels, with the cooked
pistol in my hand.
{ 1t was a singular sight which met
our eyes. On the table stood dark
! lantern. with the shutter half open
throwing a brilliant CLEAN of ligh,
upon the iron safe, the door of which
was ajar. Beside this table on the
wooden chair, sat DR.. Grimesby Roy
lott, clad in lang, gray dressing
gown, his bare ankles protruding be
meath. and his feet thrust into red
I Turkish slippers. Across his lap lay
the short stock with the long lash
which we had noticed during the day
His chin was cooked upward, and his
eyes were fixed in a dreadful, rigid
stare at the corner of the ceiling
! Round his brow he had a peculiar
yellow band. with brownish speckles
which seemed to be bound tightly
around his head. AS we entered, he
made neither sound nor motion
| The band! The speckled band.'
whispered Holmes
l took step forward In an in
slant his strange headgear began tt
move and there reared itself from
among his hair the squat diamond
shaped head and puffed neck Of ;
loathsome serepnt.
| 1T is swamp adder" criet
Holmes: 1.-The deadliest snake in In
dia. He has died within ten second
of being bitten Violence does, il
truth, recoii upon the violent, ant
the schen,er falls into the pit h.
digs for another. Let US thrust thi'
creature back into its den, and WI
can then remove Miss Stoner to som,
place of shelter. and let the count!
police know what has happened"
AS he spoke he drew the dog-whil
swiftly from the dead mans lap, an
throwing the moose around the rep
| tiles neck, he drew it from it's horri(
perch, and carrying it at arms length
! threw it into the iron safe, which b.
closed upon it..
Such are the true facts of the dealt
of DR.. Grimesby Roylott, of Stoke Mo
ran. 1t is not necessary that l shoult
prolong a narrative which has alread,
run too great a length. by telling how
we broke the sad news to the terrified
| girl, how we conveyed her by tn;
morning train to the care Of her gooc
aunt at Harrow, of how the SLOW
process of official inquiry came t.
the conclusion that the doctor me
his fate while indiscreetly playing
with a dangerous pet. The LITTLE
which I had yet to learn of the cas-
was told by Sherlock Holmes as W,
| Travelled back the next day
| Il had" said he, come to an en-
/ tirely erroneous conclusion whict
shows, my dear Watson, how dan
gerous 1t always is to reason from
i insufficient data The presence o
the gypsies, and the use of the wore
| band which was used by the poo
girl. no doubt to explain the appear
ance which she had caught a hur
] ried glimpse of by the light of he