Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-08-29


tall man has to take q foot on his
stature for several hours on end. Now,
my dcar fellow, in the matter OF these
explanations, we have il may ask for
your cooperation, hard and danger
Gus nights work in front of us. Per
haps it would be better il gave you
an account Of the whole situation when
that work is finished"
II am full of curiosity. i should
much prefer to hear now"
You'll come with me tonight2"
when you like and where you like"
This is, indeed, like the old days:
We shall have time for a mouthful OF
dinner before we need 60. Well, then,
about that chasm. / had no serious
difficulty in getting out OF 1t, for the
very simple reason that l never was
in it"
"You never were in it2"
mo, Watson, never was in It, My
note to you was absolutely genuine. !
had little doubt that l had come to the
end OF my career when / perceived the
somewhat sinister figure of the late
Professor Moriarty standing upon the
narrow pathway which led to. safety.
l read an inexorable purpose in his
gray eyes. l exchanged some remarks
with him, therefore and obtained his
courteous permission to write the short
note which you afterwards received.
/ left it with my cigarette box and my
stick, and I walked along the pathway,
Moriarty still at my heels. When l
reached the end stood Mt bay. He
drew no weapon, but he rushed at me
and threw his long arm around me.
He knew that his own game was up.
and was only anxious to revenge HIM
self upon me. We tottered together
upon the brink OF the fall. have
some knowledge, however, of haritsu,
or the Japanese system OF wrestling,
which has more than once been very
useful to me. ! slipped through this
grip. and he with horrible scream
kicked madly for few seconds, and
clawed the air with both his hands.
But for oil his efforts he could not get
his balance and over he went. With
my face over the brink, saw him fall
for long way. Then he struck rock
bounded off, and splashed into the
water"
l listened with amazement to this
explanation, which Holmes delivered
between the puffs of his cigarette.
But the tracksp l cried. 81 saw,
with my own eyes, that two went dowr
the path and none returned"
ut came about IN this way. The
instant that the Professor had disap
pcared, it struck me what really ex.
traordinarily lucky chance Fate hac
placed in my way. knew that Moriarty
was not the only man who had sworr
my death. There were at least three
others whose desire for vengeance
upon me would only be increased by the
most dangerous men. One or Other
would certainly get me. On the Other
hand, if all the world WAS convinced
that l waS dead they would take lib
critics, these men, they would soon
lay themselves open, and sooner oi
later ! could destroy them. Then il
would be time for me to announce that
/ was still in the land of the living. Sc
rapidly does the brain act that believe
l had thought this all out before Pro
fessor Moriarty had reached the bottom
Of the Reichenbach Fall.
Il stood up and examined the rocky
wall behind me. In your picturesque
account of the matter, which ! reae
with great interest some months later
you assert that the wall was sheer
That was not literally true. A few
small footholds presented themselves
and there was some indication of ,
ledge. The cliff is so high that Il
climb it all was an obvious impossible
ity, and it was equally impossible Il
make my way along the wet patl
without leaving some tracks. l might
il is true, have reversed my boots, a
I have done on similar occasions, bu
the sight of three sets of tracks in on
direction would certainly have suggeste,
deception. On the whole, then, j
was best that should risk the climb
1t was not a pleasant business, Watson
The fall roared beneath me. / ar
not fancifu person but give yo
my word that seemed to hear Nc
riarty's voice screaming at me ou
of the abyss A mistake would hav
been fatal. More than once, as tuft
of grass came out in my hand OF m
foot slipped in the wet notches of tn
rock, I thought that ] was gone. But
struggled upward, and as last reache
ledge several feet deep and covere
with soft green moss, where / coul
lie unseen in the most perfect comfort
There | was stretched, when you, m
deaf Watson, and all your followin
were investigating in the most symps
thetic and inefficient manner the Gil
cumstances of my death.
Tomorrow-The Mystery of the
Empty House, continued.