Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-12-02

us against the black rocks. and listen
ing to the half-human shout which
came booming up with the spray out
of the abyss.
The path has been cut halfway
round the fall To afford a complete
view, but it ends abruptly, and the
traveller has 60 return as he came.
We had turned TO do so when We saw
Swiss lad come running along il
with n letter in his hand. IL bore the
mark Of the hotel which we had Just
left, ;ni was addressed TO inc by the
landlord. Ii appeared that within
very few minutes of our leaving. an
English lady had arrived who was in
the last stage of consumption. She
had wintered at Davos Platz. and was
lourneying now to join her friends AT
Lucerne, when a sudden hcmorrhagc
had overtakcn her. IL was thought
that she could hardly live few hours
but it would be a great consolation TO
her TO see an English doctor, and, il |
would only return, etc. The good
Stcilcr assured me in a postscript that
he would himself look upon my COM
pliance rs very great favor. since the
lady absolutely refused To see Swiss
physician, and he could not but feel
| that he was mourning great rcspon-
sibllity.
The appeal was one which could not
he ignored. IL was impossible To re-
fuse the request of fellow country
woman diving in strange land. Yet |
had my scruplcs about leaving Holmes.
IL was finally agreed, however, that he
should retain the Young Swiss mcsscn-
ger with him as guide and companion
while | returned TO Meiringcn. My
friend would stay some little tune nj
the fall, he said. and would then walk
slowly over the hill TO Rosenlaui. where
| was TO rcioin him in the evening. As
! | turned away | saw Holmes, with his
back against n rock and his arms
folded, gazing down at the rush of the
waters II was the last that | was
ever destined TO see of him in this
world
When | was near the bottom OF the
descent | looked back. II W rs impossi-
hle, from that position, To see the fall,
hut could see the curving path which
winds over the shoulder of the hill and
leads To il. Along this a man was, |
remember, walking very rapidly.
! | could see his black figure clearly
outlined against the green behind him.
| noted him, and the energy with which
he walked. hut he passed from my
mind again as | hurried on upon my
crrand.
IL NAV have been little over an
hour before | reached Mciringen. Old
Stcilcr was standing at the porch oi
his hotel
We'll. said I, as | came hurryine
up. Il tr,ls, that she is no worse
\ look of surprise passed over his
face, and at the first quivor of his eye
hrows my heart turned 20 lead in my
breast.
You did not write ,his?" said. pull.
ing the letter from my pocket. There
IS no sick Englishwoman IN the hotel?
Certainly notr he cried. But il
has the hotel mark upon IT, Ha. il
must have been written by that tal
Englishman who came in after YOU haC
gone He said"
But / waited for none Of the land
lords explanations In n tinglc Of feal
was already running down the villsg,
street, and making for the path which
had 50 lately descended II had takcr
me an hour 10 come down. For all my
efforts two more had passed before
found myself at the fall Of Rcichenhacl
once more There was Holmes Alpine
stock still leaning against the rock 10y
which ! had left him. But there was n,
sign OF him. and II was in vain that
shouted. My only answer was my owl
voice rcverbcraiing IN q rolling cch,
from tho cliffs around mo
IL was the sight of that Alpinc-stocl
which turned me cold and SICK. III
had not gone TO ROSenlau. then. III
had remained on that three-foot path
with sheer wall on one side and shec
. drop on the other. until his enemy ha,
overtaktn him The Young Swiss ha,
gone too. He had probably been in tn
pay Of Moriarty, and had left the tw
: men together And then what ha,
happened? Who was TO tell US wha
/. had happened then?
] stood for a minute or two To collec
myself. for ! was dazed with the hor
/. ror Of the thing Then began TO thin
OF Holmes own methods and TO tr
10 practise them IN reading this trac
edv Ii was, alas, only too easy 10 dc
: During our conversation We had no
= gone 10 the end of the path, and th
Alpine-stock marked the place whcr
I we had stood. The blackish soil j. kep
= forever soft 10y the incessant drift q
, spray, and a bird would leave its trea
upon it. Two lines of footmarks wer
2 clearly marked along the farther en-
= of the path, both leading away fror
D me. There were none returning.
P few yards from the end the soil wa