The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-09-06

Cne mouse man who VIII present
himself in my name, and to place
in his hands the drawer that you
will have brought with you from
my cabinet. Then you will have
played your part and earned my
gratitude completely. Five min
utes afterward, if you insist upon
an explanation, you will have I'M
derstoOd that these arrangements
are of capital Importance, and that
by the neglect of one of them, fam
tastic as they must appear, you
might have charged your con-
science with my death or the ship
wreck of my reason.
Confident as l am that you viii
not trifle with this appeal, my
heart sinks and my hand trembles
at the bare thought of such pos
sibility. Think of me at this hour,
in a strange place, laboring under
a blacmess of distress that no fan
cy can exaggerate, and yet well
aware that, if you will but pune
tually serve me, my troubles will
roll away like a story that is told.
Serve me, my dear Lanyon, and
save
Your friend,
"H. J.
"P. 81 had already sealed this
up when a fresh terror struck up
on my soul. 1t is possible that
the post-office may fail me, and
this letter not come into your
hands until tomorrow morning. In
that case, dear Lanyon, do my err
rand when it shall be most con-
Venient for you in the course Of
the day; and once more expect my
messenger at midnight. 1t may
then already be too late; and if
that night passes without event,
you will know that you have seen
the last Of Henry Jekyll."
Upon the reading of this letter
l made sure my colleage was in
sane; but till that was proved be-
yond the possibility of doubt l felt
bound to do as he requested. The
less l understood of this farrago,
the less / was in a position to
Judge of its Importance, and an
appeal so worded could not be set
aside without grave responsible
ty. l rose accordingly from table,
got into a hanson, and drove
straight to Jekyll's house. The but
Ter was awaiting my arrival; he
had received by the same post as
mine a registered letter of intro
duction, and had sent at once for
locksmith and a carpenter. The
tradesmen came while we were yet
speaking; and we moved in a body
to old DR.. Denman's surgical thea
ter (from which, as you are doubt
less aware) Jekyll's private cabinet
is most conveniently entered. The
door was very strong, the lock ex-
cellent; the carpenter avowed he
would have great trouble, and have
to do much damage, if force were
to be used, and the locksmith was
near despair. But this last was a
handy fellow, and after two hours
work the door stood open. The
press marked E was unlocked; and
l took out the drawer, had it filled
up with straw and tied in a sheet,
and returned with it to Cavendish
Square.
Here l proceeded to examine its
contents. The powders were neat
ly enough made up, but not with
the nicely of the dispensing chem
list; so that it was plain they were
of Jekyl's private manufacture
and when 1 opened one of The
wrappers l found what seemed tt
me simple crystalline salt of :
white color. The vial, to which
next turned my attention, NIGH
have been about half full of /:
blood-red liquor, which was highly
pungent to the sense of smell, anC
seemed to me to contain phosphor
US and some volatile ether. At tn,
other ingredients, / could make n,
guess. The book was an ordinar,
version book, and contained littl
but series of dates. These GOV
cred a period of many years, but
observed that the entries cease,
nearly year ago and quite abrupt
ly. Here and there a brief remarl
was appended to date, usual,
no more than a single word
double" occurring perhaps 81,
times in total of several hundre,
entries; and once, very early in tn,
list and followed by several mark
of exclamation, "total failure !!li
All this. though it whetted my cur
iosity, told me little that was de
finite. Here were a vial of som
tlncture, a paper of some salt, an,
! the record of a series of expert
ments that had led like too man,
of JekylPs investigation to no en-,
of practical usefulness. How
could the presence of these ar
ticles in my house affect eithe
the honor, the sanity, or the lif,
of my flighty colleague? If hi
messenger could go to one place
why could he not go to another
And even granting some imperi
ment, why was this gentleman {,
be received by me in secret? Tn
more | reflected, the more convinc
ed | grew that l was dealing witt
a case of cerebral disease; an,
though | dismissed my servants +
bed, | loaded an old revolver tina
might be found in some postur
of self-defense.
Twelve o'clock had scarce run,
out over London ere the knocke
sounded very gently on the door
| went myself at the summons. an
. found small man crouchin,
against the pillars of the PORTED
Are you come from DR.. Jekvll ?
| asked.
He told me eyes" BY a constrair
ed gesture. and when | had bidde
him enter he did not obey me with
n ont a cnaYcbiro bo.J-~-,