Evening star., 1925-03-08
>no \ &C +lo
A Sherlock Holmes Story
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

lie was away some minutes, dur
ing which Holmes resumed his exam
ination of the curiosities upon the
wall.
| When our host returned it was
clear from mis- downcast face that he
had made no progress. He brought
with him a tall, slim, brown-faced
girl.
The tea is ready, Dolores" said
Ferguson See that your mistress
has everything she can wish"
She vera ILL.," cried the girl, look
ing with indignant eyes at her mas
ter. She no ask for food. She vera
i'll. She need doctor. | frightened
stay alone with her without doctor" 4"
Ferguson looked at me with a
question in his eyes.
II should be so glad II / could be
of use"
Would your mistress see DR.. Wat
SOM"
Il take him. 1 ask no leave She
needs doctor"
Then I'll come with you at once"
followed the girl who was quiv-
erine with strong emotion, up the
staircase and down an ancient cor
r1dor At the end was an iron
clsmped and massive door.
II struck me as | looked at it that
II Ferguson tried to force his way
TO his wife he would find it no easy
matter The girl drew a key from
her pocket and the heavy oaken
planks creaked upon their cid HINGES
passed in and she swiftly followed,
fastening the door behind her.
on the bed woman was lying
who was clearly in a high fever. She
was only half-conscious, but as /
ertered she raised a pair of fright
ened but beautiful eyes and glared
at me in apprehension. Seeing a
stranger, she appeared to be relieved
and sank back with a sigh upon the
pillow
j stepped up to her with few
reassuring words, and she lay still
while | took her pulse and tempera-
ture. Both were high. and yet my
Impression was that the condition
was rather that OF mental and
nervous excitement than of any
actual seizure
She lie like that one day, two day.
fraid she die" said the girl
The woman turned her flushed and
handsome face toward me-
Where is my husband?"
He is below and would wish to
see you"
Il will not see him. I will not see
him" Then she seemed to wander off
into delirium. "A fiend, A fiend! Oh,
what shall ! do with this deviI?"
Can / help you in any way?"
NO. No one can help. 1t is FIN
ished. All is destroyed Do what /
will all is destroyed"
THE woman must have some
strange delusion. l could not
see honest Bob Ferguson in the
character of fiend or devil.
Madame" l said, your husband
I arl ;g
grieved at this happening"
Again she turned on me those glori-
Gus eyes
He loves me. Yes But do l not
love him? Do / not love him even
to sacrifice myself rather than break
his dear heart? That is how l love
him. And yet he could think of me
he could speak of me so"
He is full of grief, but he cannot
understand"
No. he cannot understand. But he
should trust"
viii you not see him." l sug-
gested
mo, no. I cannot forget those ter
rible words nor the look upon his
: lace. will not see him. Co now
You can do nothing for me. Tell
child. j have a right to my child
That is the only message l can send
him"
She turned her face to the wall
and would say no more.
| returned TO the room downstairs
where Ferguson and Holmes still sat
by the FIRE. Ferguson listened mood.
| uy to my account of the interview
! How can | send her the child -
he said. How do | know what
strange impulse might come upon
her? How can l ever forget how she
rose from beside il with it's blood
upon her lips?" He shuddered at the
recollection. The child is safe with
Mrs. Mason and there he must remain" I"
smart maid, the only modern
thing which we had seen in the
'house, had brought in some tea. AS
she was serving it the door opened
and youth entered the room He
was remarkable lad. pale-faced
and fair-haired with excitsble, light
blue eyes. which blazed into a sud-
den fame OF emotion and joy as they
rested upon his father. He rushed
forward and threw his arms around
his neck with the abandon of low
ing girl.
oh, daddy" he cried II did not
know that you were due yet 1
should have been here to meet you.
oh, | am so glad to see you"
Ferguson gently disengaged him
self from the embrace with some lit
tie show of embarrassment
Dear old chap said he, pstting
the faxen head with a very tender
hand. II came early because my
friends. Mr.. Holmes and DR.. Watson.
have been persuaded to come down
and spend an evening with us
rs that Mr.. Holmes. the detective"'
Yes"
The youth looked at us with a very
penetrating and. as it seemed to me,
unfriendly gaze.
What about your other child, Mr..
Ferguson asked Holmes. Might
We make the acquaintance of the
baby?"
ASK Mrs. Mason to bring baby
down." said Ferguson. The boy went
off with a curious shambling gait,
which told my surgical eyes that he
was suffering from weak spine.
Presently he returned, and behind
him came a tall, gaunt woman bear
ing in her arms a very beautiful
child, dark-eyed. golden-haired - a
wonderful mixture of the Saxon and
the Latin. Ferguson was evidently
devoted to 1t, for he took 1t into his
arms and fondled 1t most tenderly.
Fancy any one having the heart
to hurt him." he muttered, as he
glanced down at the small, angry.
red pucker upon the cherub throat.
| r
TT was at this moment that chanced
l. to glance at Holmes and saw a
most singular intentness in his ex-
preston. His face was as set as
If it had been carved out of old
ivory, and his eyes, which had
glanced for moment at father and
child, were now fixed with eager Gu
riosity upon something at the other
hfc