V OLXXXII
A RN ESS#-
We have more workmen and larger shop room than ever. W
havr in machinery and can supply you with machine or ha .
made work at wholesale factory prices. We are getting ojt our nc .
catalogue and in our wholesale department we iind ib >it 100 •
of harness that we cannot duplicate again, and don't want these it*
our road and will sell them for about half price. Th e : s only a feu
set of each kind, therefore it you want bargains com ,irk. No d't
ference what jou want in the harness lint, tit Iter new v< i or n p.r: -
ing, come here.
We must have room for bug«ies and wagons of which we liuv.
the largest line we ever had and will close out
BLANKETS and ROBES
from now till April istat less than wholesale prices. It will pay you
to buy now for next winter. Just come in and see what bargains we
are offering in different articles. We have a special s<aic going 011 in
horse collars, too. We never advertise in a c.itch-penny way —when
we say we are down in price we are down in price.
S. B. MARTINCOURT CO j
BUTLER, PA.
A Card to the Public.
Wn desire to inform tb«; paMlc tbat we have opened a fir*t clan- Mer
chant Tailoring aod Gents Fiirninhine Goodw, ea'ahliwhmeot. in the room on
the corner of Main and Jeifermin streets. opp )Bir« ihe Lurry H >me "Ifi w.
We hope by fair dealing aud Htriot attention to biniaeiw to merit n
share of yoar patronage
We have purchased a large st-tck of Foreign and D >mn-ttic goods
which will made up in first class style
We employ none tot the bes'. workman and guarantee perfect sa'iM
faction in ev»<ry particular Call and See Us.
J. S. & J. P. YOUNG,
THE TAILORS and FORMSBERS, 101 Sooth Siin Strut, Butlsr, Pa.
SPECIAL
Owing to a contemplated change iti r>ur hnsiners April Ist. it liecomn*
Decest-ary tbat we close out our entire *t'«ek on or before that dale—Wi
will therefore Dloce on nale this w«-ek over 2.000 pairs of pants I.OnO t-uits
onderwear, 1,200 Men's. 800 Boy's and (>OO Children's suit,;; 500 0»»-r
coats; 1600 Hats; 300 aolid iroid
Collar and Cuff button-; 2,000 Scarf pins; 200 Sjirt waists,etc.
We here give yoo timely notice of special davs ales, and special dis
count, so that you can prepare to take advantage of these sales and secure
gome ot the bargain*.
Bargain Days
Wednesday Jan. 30—Pant* day—2s per cent off,
Friday, Feb. l*t -Overcoat day —25 j-er e«-n1 off,
Tuesday Feb s:h Uuderwe ir day —25 per cent, off
Thursday, Feb. 7tb Jewelry day —25 per cent off,
Monday, Feb. 11 tit—Hat day—2s per cent, off
r
Special sales on certain lines of goo< 4 s every day ns long as those uoods
last Tbete goods not subject >o special discount. Pant* former price 3
to 6 dollars, special priee $1 50 >o #3.50 Men's suit- forme- prce $4 50 t<»
sl2 00, «peci»i price 250 to 7 50,—rHIdrens suits former price 1 to 6
dollars special pric«- 75c t4> 13 50, 6?je gondola Ha's former price $2 00 to
$4 50. special price from 75c w> $2 00 —Hoy's and Cbildrens Caps, former
price 15 to 25c special price 1 to 10e—Underwear former price 25c, Srecinl
price ]se—Muffl'-rs former price fr.m 50c to #2 50 special price 25" tosl 25
Don't miss tt-is great sale-by li.-rowinir money at 0 p<r cent ytu can
save 27 per c«nt net, now this may se>-m strange \et it i* true, and if vou
doubt it Just call around and we will convince ou
D. A. Heck,
Champion Clothier, Hatter and Furnisher,
21 N. M Gin. Duffy's Elcck, I tiller, Pn
List of Applicationsfor LICENSE.
The following applications for Wholesale and T»»ern License* to wli vi:ioii«,»ninu>us. m ilt or
brfwtd llqn< rsr.r Buyicimlxlurt- thereof h' th"never I pi»- es 0"liw are ti >w
filed In the offlce of the (,'ieik of Quarter Sessions court of Hurler County l'a. an t win be h«->ird
by the said Court on the 3rd Wwdoe.vlaj ot Mar 'li M.r>, Demi; the iMih di, t nT«of. arid coat'.ti-
UIDK from time to time until all Hppllca't-m* sli til mvn been he ir I.
WHOLESALE.
NAMI. KFSINRXCB. PLACE FOE WHICH XPCLICATION.' is MADK
(AMM M I.usk. ZelUaople lluM-r 'o 1*« New Castle ot Zelleuople lloro Butler Co Pa
\Ca»ItODC FrederleW. S4 ltleUmoud Ave BuDali H V " '• ••
Jaeon K-lDfr. 129 E .letters >n s> 2nd >vd (Sutler Pa 12J E Wayne at 2nd wd ISutler Uoro
Joseph L Uhi New Castle Lawrence Co Pa 12fi '• " "
Kfharil Bowen. Pbllll "Rbuiv Cenrre Pa K Jefferson at 4 "
C Rjie erleln Bre« Ina Co. Chief office Bennett PO Pa 333 VV •• ••
(Alex Williams 2nd «d liuiler Boro l'a 152 S Main st " "
(Mark H Brook* " \
Jacob Boos, 316 S Main si. 3rd Wd " 318 e.or Main and Wayne st.s 3rd wd " "
Rlcholaa Manifold, is Lowry si AlleKheny Pa 120-122 E CunruiiifUiiii st -n-t • ••
TAVERN.
Mrs Mattle Kelhlns; 2d wd. Butler boro. Pa No S Main St. Jl wd Butler boro. Pa
KranK H Clark 2d wd •• (park Hotel; los N Diamond st, Jd wd
J Harry Fa'bel 3d wd '• 3M .336 and 338 8 Main ist " ••
Herman Uebold 31C&21K H Main " 2i4 2l« and 21H
IW J McCaff'rtj 2d wd •• Our Main and .leffersou SUt. 24 wd "
11) K Mcf-rea 2d wd '* •• •• ••
Bliaron Nlxon 215 H MoKean,4»d '• (Nlxou'i Home) 215 N M> K,.an St. 4th wd
Win |{-lellinon Petroll* boro. Hurler Co. !'a (Oriental
John S rty»rs •• NKIu si
(Agustus HO' h, Mlllerstowii bor • " (Central Hotel) Mllleralown l>oro "
(Adolpbus A Hiwh
Benjamin J Korquer " •' Sllpneryrock St "
John liolan •• " (Sclireloer llou-o
Frederick Pfabe Saxonburg boro •• Main St >axon'mrg horo '•
Cbrißtlau J Kaabe. Jr •• •• (Laube Hou*fe)
John Nicholas Ifft Kvansmir* buro •• (Comin reUI Hotel) Evantt.urg boro "
«rs Lou Cunningham * " (>itiler ll'.iise) - ••
enry W Stokej Zellenople boro '• Cenlral) Zelieoople biro "
Charles Htok-y •• (r>tokej House) ••
(taniuel Bram Harmony boro •• (Beam Hotel) llartu uy bor> •'
l> wis N Zl> gler ... ...
Olerk k Offlee. Frb. 2T 1595. JOSEPH < KHWEI.I,, Clerk g. S.
Hotel Williard.
Reopened aud now ready for tbe
rcon-Dicdtttor- of tk« trtivfling pub
lic.
Everything in first-claes Btyle.
MRS. HATTIE REIHIKG, Ciner
1 H BROOKS. Clerk.
Hotel Butler
J. H. FAUHKL, Prop'r.
This house has been thorough
ly renovated, temodeled, and re
fitted with new furniture and
carpets; has electric bells and all
other modern conveniei > <for
guests, and is as convenient, and
desirable a home for stranger? as
can be found in Butler. Pa.
Elegant sample room for use 01
commercial men.
WHO If 11 very i nappro
pria c quotation if
I STEALS you I u» your parses
of u v
j MY We hftpp no tra*b,
but wh do keep tbe
PURSE fiut-Ht liuo of purses
and pocket books in
; STEALS tbe county,
We have tbe latest.
; TRASH ' and l>est things in
tbis line.
Purees and Leather
P.x'ket Books from
5c to
All thi: New Lea'b
ers.
J. H. DOUGLASS',
i
Near P^stoffire.
P arfiaM r - m
• udi nu «i ?
fill I . • . >.»Ot ■>;
j i <; *»«- : ' " ••
i|Wlu.My iion
THE BUTLER CITIZEN.
Utate LikwaT ,al^'
The Only
Great and thoroughly re
liable building-up medicine,
nerve tonic, vitalizer and
Blood
Purifier
Before the people today, and
which stands preeminently
above all other medicines, is
HOOD'S
Sarsaparilla
It hris won its hold upon the
hearts of the people by its
own absolute intrinsic merit.
It is not what we say, but
what Hood's Sarsaparilla
does that tells the story:
Hood's Cures
Even when all other prepar
ations and prescriptions fail.
"X had scrofula in a very painful and
disagreeable form. I had three run
ning sores on one of my limbs. I saw
that Hood's Sarsnpirilii had cured a
similar case and determined to try it.
I began using Hood's SartsapariUa and
am completely cured." JOHN RrssELL,
Eipvrilic Station, Pennsvlrania.
Get HOOD'S
Dillc tasteless mild, effeo
noou S> rllla tjve. AU
Look at This.
■ a
■ / v
fi
ty WKm
t Ml k3/1
Think of it, a Ladies fine Vici
Kid Shoe, in lace or button, si>
different styles to select from,
price $1.25 actual value $2.00.
We are going to spring a sur
prise on our customers and plat,
on sale a Ladies Kid Buttor
Shoe, Pat tips at 88cts., also
Ladies fine grain button shoe a
88cts..if you want a pair of thes
don't delay, they are going fast
We claim to sell the best shot
for SI.OO ever made It i.s a gents
fine Buft Shoe in lace or congress
and just as mu<h style to it a
« tu > $3.00 ahcrc in the mat K t.
Our mens A Calf Congress an
Lace shoe at 9jcts, needs n
mention. W* are selling tin
about as fast as we can get them
All winter goods and Hub!
to be'sold regardless 01 -st,
TRY.
The New Slioe Store.
C. E. MIL LEU,
215 s. Main St., Butler. P;
£A re Your £
\
/Fresh?
C Everything we have i: V
/ fresh. We guarantee ever> /
\ pound we sell to be the \
\ best of its kind there is. \
/ We want regular,all-thc \
? year-round, trade. Let n.- (
V sell you all you <an < at. <
) Henry fliller, (
? Opposite P. 0. S
Seanor & Go's.
LIYERY, FEED AND SALE STABLE,
Rear of Wick House,
Butler, Pa.
hi nt ol I orct-P urd first clu*s
rijrn always on baud and for birn.
acconoui datum* in town fur
pmnaitßi.r, boarding and tran-ient
trade. Spec *1 eir»* truarau'w 1.
B'ahlt-rootu f« r vjxiv live l.or--«B.
A eo >d clast" of b TH. i*,b' th dr ver
•tad draft hor-es alivuvg »•. n < an
for fftle undt-r a lull gu>«ra.i im»; ai
borons bought up"i |»r ;>• r 10 l>
cation hv H. SKA NOR
c T1 fU. r, un ur^rhr
uUtai&l Uk wilU
j?l6 Ontrr A»>nur,
Butlkb. PA.
I
Save 20
Per Cent,
By y«>ur <ly«:inu n I ol'M'li
reet In our place. Wt* have done «w*v u : t<
•or ntfpnts and propose ffiviotr our j»a Ir, >
rh»* Pome and brin«r v«»nr wi rk ♦ *
we <**n tpjj v«»u ju«f wh*r can be »!ou« to i
•hu« avoiding th** mi-nndei^ts'idm/ and i«
competency of
ftrt d i h a )oflal nn<l we will rail on you
R. Fisher.
L. S, McJUNKIN
tosuranee and Kea £5 te
Agent,
7 RaBT JEFFEKHON T
' liUTUhIK, - PA.
HUTLER. PA., THURSDAY, MARCH 14. 1895.
x N. —^
CHAPTER UI.
IX QUEST OF A SOLUTION".
It was lialf-past five before Holmes
returned. He was bright, eager and
in excellent spirits—a mood which in
his case alternated with tits of the
blackest depression.
>; There is no great mystery in this
matter." he said, taking the cup of tea
which I had poured out for him '"The
facts appear to admit of only one ex
planation."
' What! you have solved it already?"
"Well, that, will be too mueh to say.
I have discovered a suggestive fact,
that is alt. It is, however, very sug
gestive. The details are still to be add
ed. I have just found, on consulting
the back files of the Times, that Maj.
Sholto, of Upper Norwood, late of the
Thirty-fourth ' Bombay infantry, di l
upon the 28th of April. I-- 1 ?."
"I may be very obtuse, Holmes, but
I fail to see what this suggests."
"No? You surprise me. Look at it
in this way. then. Capt. Morstan dis
appears. The only person in London
whom he could have visited is Maj.
.Sholto. Maj. Sholto denies having
heard that he was in London. Four
years later Sholto dies. Within a week
of his death Capt. Morstan's daughter
receives a valuable present, which is re
peated from year to year, and now cul
minates in a letter which describes her
as a wronged woman. What wrong
can it refer to except this deprivation
of her father? And why should the
presents begin immediately after
Sholto's death, unless it is that t-holto's
heir knows something of the mystery,
and desires to make compensation?
Have you any alternative theory which
will meet the facts?"
"But what a strange compensation!
And how strangely made! Why, too,
should lie write a letter now, rather
than six years ago? Again, the letter
speaks of giving her justice. What
justice can she have? It is too much
to suppose that her father is still alive.
There is no other injustice in her case
that you know of."
"There are difficulties; there are
certainly difficulties," said Sherlock
Holmes, pensively. "But our expedi
tion of to-night will solve them all.
Ah, here is a four-wheeler, and Miss
Morstan is inside. Are you all ready?
Then we had better go down, for it is
a little past the hour."
I picked up my hat and my heaviest
stick, but I observed that Holmes took
his revolver from his drawer and
slipped it into his pocket It wasclear
that he thought that our night's work
might be a serious one
Miss Morstan was muffled in a dark
cloak, and her sensitive face was com
posed. but pale She must have been
more than woman if she did not feel
some uneasiness at the strange enter
prise upon which we were embarkiDg,
yet her self-control was perfect, and
she readily answered the few addition
al questions which Sherlock Holmes
put to her
"Maj Sholto was a very particTilar
friend ot pra s," HW ».-!-< --Hir, l*t
ters were full of allusions to the major.
He and papa were in command of the
troops at the Andaman islands, so they
were thrown a threat deal together. By
the way, a curious paper was found in
papa's desk which no one could under
stand I don't suppose that it is of the
slightest importance, but I thought
you micrht care to see it, so I brought
it with me It is here."
Holmes unfolded the paper careful- ,
ly and smoothed it out upon his knee, j
lie then very methodically examined !
it all over with his double lons.
"It is paper of native Indian mann- j
facture." he remarked. "It has at some
time been pinned to a hoard. The dia- |
pram upon it appears to be a plan of
part of a large building' with numer
ous halls, corridors. and passages. At
one point is a small cross done in red
ink. and above it is '3.37 from left.' in
faded pencil-writing In the left-hand
corner is a curious liieroglyphic like
four cro-.scs in a line with their arms
touching. Beside it is written, in very
rough and coarse characters;'' The sign
of the four. —Jonathan Small, Mahomet
Singh, Abdullah Khan, Dost Akbar.'
No, I confess that I do not see how
this bears upon the matter. Yet it is
evidently a document of importance.
It has been kept carefully in a pocket
book; for the one side is as clean as the
other."
"It was in his pocketbook that we '
found it."
"Preserve it carefully, then. Miss I
Mors tan, for it may prove to Ik.- of use :
to us. I begin to suspect that this mat- i
ter may turn out to be much deeper j
and more subtle than I at first sup- |
posed. I must reconsider my ideas." j
lie leaned back in the cab, and I could
see by his drawn brow and his vacant
eye that he was thinking intently.
Miss Morstan arid I chatted in an un
dertone about our present expedition
and its possible outcome, but our com
panion maintained his impenetrable re
serve until the end of our journey.
It was a September evening, anil not
yet seven o'clock, but the day had been
a dreary one, and a dense drizzling fog <
lay low upon the great city. Mud- !
colored clouds drooped sadly over the j
muddy streets. Down the Strand the i
lamps were but misty splotches of dif- i
fused ight which threw a feeble cir- |
cular glimmer upon the slimy pave- ,
inent. The yellow glare from the shop
windows streamed out into the steamy,
vaporous air, and threw a murky,
shifting radiance across the crowded
thoroughfare. There was to my mind
something eerie and ghost-like in the
endless procession of faces which flitted i
across these narrow bars of light—sad ;
faces and glad, haggard and merry, i
Like all human kind, they flitted from j
the gloom into the light, and so back j
into the gloom once more. lam not
bubject to impressions, but the dull, i
heavy evening, with the strange busi
ness upon which we were engaged, !
combined to make me nervous and de- j
pressed. I could see from Miss Mor- j
Stan's manner that she was suffering 1
from the same feeling. Holmes alone
could rise superior to petty influences,
lie held his open notebook upon his
knee, and from time to time he jotted
down figures and memoranda in the
light of his pocket lantern.
At the Lyceum theater the crowds
were already thick at the side en
trances. In front a continuous stream
of hansoms and four-whcelcrs were
rattling up, discharging their cargoes
of shirt-fronted men and bcshawled,
bediamonded women. We had hardly
reached the third pillar, which was our
rendezvous, before a small, dark, brisk
man in tlio dress of a coachman ac- .
costed us.
"Are you the partita who come with |
Miss Morstan?" he asked.
"I am Miss Morstan. and these two
gentlemen are my friends," said she
Lie bent a pair of wonderfully pene
trating and questioning eyes upon as.
"You will excuse a<e. miss," he said,
with a certain dogged manner, "but I
•was to ask you to give mc your word
that neither of your companions is a
police officer."
"I give you my word on that." she
answered.
lie gave a shrill whistle, on which a
street Arab led across a four-wheeler
and opened the door The man who
had addressed us mounted to the box.
while we took our places inside. We
had hardly done so before the driver
whipped up his horse, and we plunged
away at a furious pace through the
fogKy streets.
The situation was a curious one We
were driving to an unknown place, on
an unknown errand Yet our invita
tion was either a complete hoax—
which was an inconceivable hypothesis
—or else we had good reason to think
that important issues might bang upon
car journey Miss Morstan-'s demeanor
wis a-j resolute and collected cs ever.
I endeavored to cheer and amuse her
by reminiscences of my adventures in
Afghanistan; but, to tell the truth, I
was myseif so excited at our situation
and so curious as to our destination
that my stories were slightly involved.
To this day she declares that I told her
one moving anecdote as to how a mus
ket looked into my tent at the dead of
night, and how I fired a double-bar
relled tijrer cab at it. At first I had
some as to the direction in which
we were driving; but soon, what with
our pace, the fog, and my own limited
knowledge of London, I lost my bear
ings. and knew nothing, save that we
seemed to be going a very long way.
Sherlock Holmes was never at fault,
however, and he muttered the names
as the cab rattled through squares and
in and out by tortuous by-streets.
"Rochester row," said he "Now
Vincent square Now we come out on
the Vauxhall Bridge road We are
making for the Surrey side apparent!}'.
Yes. I thought so Now we are on the
bridge. You can catch glimpses of the
river."
We did indeed fret, a fleeting view of
a stretch of the Thames with the lamps
shining upon {fee broad, sileut water;
but our cab dashed on. and was soon
involved in a labyrinth of streets upon
the other side.
"Wordsworth road," said my com
panion "Priory road. Lark Hall
lane. (Stockwell place Robert street.
Cold Harbor lane. Our quest does not
appear to take us to very fashionable
regions."
We had. indeed, r- ached a question
able and forbidding neighborhood.
Long lines of dull brick houses were
only relieved by the coarse glare and
tawdry brilliancy of [public houses at
the corner Then came two rows of
two-storied villa -. each with a fronting
of miniature garden, and then again in
terminable lines of new staring brick
buildings—the monster tentacles which
the giant city was throwing out into
the country At last the cab drew up
at the third house in a new terrace.
None of the other houses were inhab
ited, and that at which we stopped was
as dark as its neighbors, save for a sin
gle glimmer in the kitchen window.
* A
"THE SAHIB A WITS YOU."
On our knocking, however, the door
was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo
servant clad in a yellow turban, white,
loose-fitting clothes, and a yellow sash.
There was something strangely incon
gruous in this oriental figure framed in
the commonplace doorway of a third
rate suburban dwelling house.
"The sahib awaits you." said he, and
even as lie spoke there came a high
piping voice from some inner room.
"Show them in to me, khitmutgar," it
cried. "Show them straight in to uie."
CHAPTER IV
Tin: STORY OF TIN; RAXD-HEADED MAS.
Wc followed the Indian down the
sordid and common passage, ill lit and
worse furnished, until he came to a
door upon the right, which he threw
open. A blaze of yellow light streamed
out upon us, and in the center of the
glare there stood a small man with
a very high head, a bristle of red
hair all round the fringe of it, and
a bald shining scalp, which shot
out from among it like a mountain
peak from lir trees. He writhed his
hands together as he stood, and his
features were in a perpetual jerk, now
smiling, now scowling, but never for
an instant in repose. Nature had given
hiui a pendulous lip. and a too visible
line of yellow and irregular teeth,
which he strove feebly to conceal by
constantly passing his hand over the
lower part of his face. In spite of his
obtrusive baldness, he gave the impres
sion of youth. In point of fact he had
just turned hi thirtieth year.
"Your servant. Miss Morstan," he
kept repeating in a thin, high voice.
"Your servant, gentlemen Cray step
into my little sanctum. A small place,
miss, but furnished to my own liking.
An oasis of art in the howling desert of
South London."
We were all astonished by the ap
pearance of the apnrtment into which
he invited us. In that sorry house it
looked as out of place as a diamond of
the first water in a setting of brass.
The richest and glossiest of curtains
and tapestries draped the walls, looped
back here anil there to expose soaie
richly mounted painting or Oriental
vase. The carpet was of umber and
black, so soft and so thick that the
foot sank pleasantly into it, as into a
bed of moss. Two great tiger-skins
thrown athwart it increased the sug
gestion of eastern luxury, as did a
huge hookah which stood upon a mat
in the corner. A lamp in the fashion of
a silver dove was hung from an almost
invi iblc golden wire in the center of
the room. As it burned it filled the air
with a subtle and aromatic odor.
"Mr. Thaddeus Sholto," said the little
man, still jerking and smiling. "That
is my naine. You are Miss Morstan, of
course. And these gentlemen—"
"This is Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and
this I)r. Watson."
"A doctor, eh?" cried he, much ex
cited. "Have you your stethoscope?
Might I ask you—would you have the
kindness? I have grave doubts as to
my mitral valve, if you would be bo very
good. The aortic I may rely upon, but
1 should value your opiuioo upon tire
mitral."
I listened to his heart as requested,
but was unable to find anything amiss,
save indeed that he was in an ecstasy
of fear, for he shivered from head to
foot "It appears to be normal,' I
said "You have no cause for uneasi
ness."
"You will excuse my anxiety. Miss
Morstan." he remarked, airily. "I am
a great sufferer, and I have long had
su-picion- as to that valve lam de
lighted to hear that they are unwar
ranted Had your father. Miss Mor
stan. refrained from throwing a strain
upon his heart he might have lieen
alive now "
I could have struck the man aeross
the face, so hot was I at this callous
and off-hand reference to so delicate a
matter Miss Morstan vat down ano
her face grew white to the lips. "I
knew in my heart that he was dead,"
said she
"I can give you every information,"
fa id he. ""and. what is more. I can do
yon justice: and I will. too. whatever
Brother Bartholomew may say lam
so rlad to have your friends here, not
only as an escort to you, but also as
witnesses to what I am about to do and
say The three of us can show a bold
front to Brother Bartholomew But let
i>- have no outsiders—no police or oflfl
ci K We can settle everything satis
factorily a inonff ourselves, without any
interference. Nothing would annoy
Brother Bartholomew more than any
publicity." He sat down upon a low
settee and blinked at us inquiringly
with his weak, watery blue eyes.
"For my part," said Holmes, "what
ever you may choose to say will go no
further."
I nodded to show my agreement.
"That, is well! That is well!" said he
"May 1 offer you a glass of Chianti,
Miss Morstan? Or of Tokay? I keep
no other wines. Shall I open a flask?
No? Well, then. I trust that you have
no objection to tobacco smoke, to the
ir'.ld balsamic odor of the eastern to
bacco. lam a little nervous, and I find
my hookah an invaluable sedative."
He applied a taper to the great bowl,
and the smoke bubbled merrily through
the rose water. We sat all three in a
semicircle, with our heads advanced,
and our chins upon our hands, while
the strange, jerky little fellow, with
his high, shining head, puffed uneasily
in the center.
"When I first determined to make
this communication to you," said he,
"1 might have given you my address,
but I feared that you might disregard
my request and bring unpleasant peo
ple with you. I took the liberty, there
fore, of making an appointment in such
a way that my man Williams might be
able to see you first. I have complete
confidence in his discretion, and he had
orders, if he were dissatisfied, to pro
ceed no further in the matter. You
will excuse these precautions, but I am
a man of somewhat retiring, and I
might even say refined, tastes, and
there is nothing more unnosthetie than
a policeman. I have a natural shrink
ing from all forms of rough material
ism. I seldom come in contact with
the rough crowd. I live, as you see,
with some little atmosphere of ele
gance around me. I may call myself a
patron of the arts. It is my weakness.
The landscape is a genuine C'arot, and,
though a connoisseur might perhaps
throw a doubt upon that Salvator Rosa,
there cannot be the least question about
the Bouguereau. I am partial to the
modern French school."
"You will excuse me. Mr. Sholto,"
said Miss Morstan, "but I am here at
your request to learn something which
you desire to tell me. It is very late,
and I should t'esire the interview to Vie
as short as possible."
he ansMtti* &P n .Si takesome time,;
have to go to Norwood and see Brother
Bartholomew. We shall all go and try
if we can get the better of Brother
Bartholomew. Lie is very angry with
me for taking the course which has
seemed right to mc. I had quite high
words with him last night. You can
not imagine what a terrible fellow he
is when he is angry."
"If we are to go to Norwood it would
perhaps be as well to start at once," I
ventured to remark.
He laughed until his ears were quite
red.
"That would hardly do," he cried. "I
don't know what he would say if I
■ J B
R -t r -
\ liLlf jNjbt
£ >■ Vsv-- :.c,
"THAT WOULD HARDLY DO," lIK CRIED.
brought you in that sudden way No,
I must prepare you by showing you
how we all stand to each other. In the
first place, I must tell vou that there
are several points in the story of which
lam myself ignorant. I can only lay
the facts before you as far as I know
them myself.
"My father was. as you may have
guessed, Maj. John Sholto, once of the
Indian army. He retired some eleven
years ago, and came to live at I'ondi
chcrry lodge in Upper Norwood. He
had prospered in India, and brought
back with him a considerable sum of
money, a large collection of valuable
curiosities and a staff of native serv
ants. With these advantages he bought
himself a house and lived in great lux
ury My twin brother Bartholomew
and I were the only children.
"1 very well rememl>er the sensation
which was caused by the disappear
ance of Capt. Morstan We read the
details in the papers, and. knowing
that he had been a friend of our fa
ther's. we discussed the ease freely in
his presence He used to join in our
speculations as to what could have hap
pened. Never for an instant did we
suspect that he had the whole secret
hidden in his own breast -that of all
men he alone knew the fate of Arthur
Morstr-n.
"We did know, however, that some
mystery —some positive danger—over
hung our father He was very fearful
of going out alone, and he always em
ployed two prize fighters to act as por
ters at I'ondichcrry lodge Williams,
who drove you to-night, was one of
them He wa once li<rht-weight eham
pion of England. Our father would
never tell us what it was that he feared,
but he had a most marked aversion to
men with wooden legs. On one occa
sion he actually fired his revolver at a
wooden-legged man. who proved to be
n harmless tradesman canvassing for
orders. We had to pay a large sum to
hush the matter up My brother and I
used to think this a mere whim of my
father's, but events have since led us
to change our opinion.
"Early in ISS2 iny father received a
letter from India which was a great
shock to him. He nearly fainted at the
breakfast table when he opened it. and
frntu that day he sickened to his death.
>V'hat was iu the letter we could never
tfttv a» hy hvftMV
that it was short and written in a
scrawling hand. He had ufTi-rr.l for
, years from an enlarge i spleen, lint he
now became rapidly wor o.and towards
the end of April w > were informed tiiat
he was beyond all hope, an J that he
wished to make a last communication
to us.
"When we entered his room he was
propped up with pillows and breathing
heavily lie besought us to loek the
door and to come upon either side of
the bed. Then, yrnsrvintr onr hnnds. he
iu.. ' • a remarkable statement to us. in
a voice u'• was broken as much by
emotion as by • I shall try and
give it to you iu his ov.u : / rords.
" 'I have only one thing.' he said,
'which weighs upon my mind at this
supreme moment It Is my treatment
of poor Morstan's orphan. The cursed
greed which has l>ceu my besetting sin
through life has withheld from her
the treasure, half nt least of which
should have been hers. And yet I have
made no use of it myself—so blind and
foolish a thing is avarice. The mere
feeliny of possession has been so dear
to me that I could not bear to share it
with another. See that ehaplet tipped
with pearls beside the quinine bottle?
Even that I could not bear to part
with, although I had got it out with
the design of sending it to her. You.
my sons, will give her a fair share of
the Agra treasure But send her noth
ing—not even the ehaplet—until I am
gone. After all. men have been as bad
as this and have recovered.
"'I will tell you how Morstan died,'
he continued. "He had suffered for
years from a weak heart, but he con
cealed it from everyone. I alone knew
it. When in India, he and I. through a
remarkable chain of circumstances,
came into possession of a considerable
treasure. I brought it over to Eng
land. and on the night of Morstan's ar
rival he came straight over here to
:laim his share, lie walked over from
I the station, and was admitted by my
j faithful old Lai Chowdar, who is now
i dead. Morstan and I had a difference
r>f opinion as to the division of the
1 treasure, and we came to heated words,
j Morstan had sprung out of his chair in
a paroxysm of anger, when he sudden
! ly pressed his hand to his side, his face
| turned a dusky hue. and he fell back-
I wards, cutting his head against the
I corner of the treasure-chest. When I
stooped over him I found, to my horror,
that he was dead.
'•'For a long time I sat half dis
tracted. wondering what I should do.
My first impulse was, of course, to
call for assistance; but I could not but
recognize that there was every chtnce
that I would be accused of his murder.
Ilis death at the moment of a quarrel,
and the gash in his head, would be
black against me. Again, an official
inquiry could not lie made without
bringing out some facts about the
treasure, which I was particularly
anxious to keep secret. He hail told
me that no soul upon earth knew
where he had gone. There seemed to
be no necessity why any soul ever
should know.
" 'I was still pondering over the mat
ter, when, looking up. I saw my serv
ant, Lai Chowdar, in the doorway,
lie stole in, and bolted the door behind
him. "Do not fear, sahib," he said.
"No or.e need know that you have
killed him. Let us hide him away,
and who is the wiser?" "I did not
kill him," said I. Lai Chowdar shook
his head, and smiled. "I heard it all,
sahib," said he. "I heard you quarrel,
and I heard the blow. But my lips
-are sealed. All are asleep in the house.
Let us put him away together." That
was enough to decide me. If my own
servant could not believe my inno
cence. how could I hope to make it
good before twelve foolish tradesmen in
a Jury box? Lai Chowdar and I dis
witlim a'few days ' tn<*''fjKnflWftf"W4
were full of the mysterious disappear
ance of Capt. Morstan. You will *ee
from what I say that I can hardly be
blamed in the matter. My fault lies in
the fact that we concealed, not
only the body, but also the
treasure, and that 1 have clung
to Morstan's share as well as to
my own. 1 wish you, therefore, to
make restitution. Put your ears down
to my mouth. The treasure is hidden
In—' At this instant a horrible change
came over his expression; his eyes
stared wildly, his jaw dropped, and he
yelled in a voice I can never forget:
'Keep him out! For Christ's sake keep
him out!' We both stared round at the
window behind us upon which his gaze
was fixed. A face was looking in at us
out of the darkness. We could see the
whitening of the nose where it was
pressed against the glass. It was a
bearded, hairy face, with wild, cruel
eyes and an expression of concentrated
malevolence. Mv brother and I rushed
towards the window, but the man was
gone. When we returned to 1113' father
his head had dropped and his pulse had
ceased to beat.
"We searched the garden that night,
but found no sign of the intruder, save
that just under the window a single
footmark was visible in the flower-bed.
But for that one trace, we might have
thought that our imaginations had con
jured up that wild, fierce face. We
soon, however, had another and more
striking proof that there were secret
tgencies at work all around us. The
ivindow of my father's room was found
jpen in the morning, his cupboards and
Boxes had been rilled, and upon his
ihest was lixed a torn piece of paper,
with the words 'The sign of the four'
icrawlcd across It. What the phrase
neant. or who our secret visitor may
have been, we never knew. As far as
we can judge, none of my father's
property had been actually stolen,
though everything had been turned
out My brother and I naturally asso
ciated this peculiar incident with the
fear which haunted my father during
his life: but it is wtill a complete mys
tery to us."
The little man stopped to relight his
hookah, and puffcd thoughtfully for a
few moments. We had all sat absorbed,
listening to his extraordinary narra
tive At the short account of her fa
ther's death Miss Morstan had turned
deadly white, and for a moment 1
feared that she was about to faint. She
rallied, however, cm drinking a glass of
water which I quietly poured out for
her from a Venetian carafe upon the
side table Sherlock Holmes leaned
back in his chair with an abstracted
expression and the lids drawn low
over hi . glittering epes. As I glanced
at him I could not but think how on
that very day he had complained bit
terly of the commonplaccness of life.
Here, at least, was a problem which
would tax his sagacity to the utmost.
Mr. Thaddeus Sholto looked from one to
the other of us with an obvious pride
at the effect which his story had pro
duced. and then continued between
the puffs of his overgrown pipe.
"My brother and I." said he. " were,
as you may imagine, much excited as
to the treasure which my father had
spoken of For weeks and for months
we dug and delved in every part of tho
garden. ■ ilh >ut discovering its where
abou' It wa maddening to think
that the hiding place was on his very
lips at the moment that he died. We
could judge the splendor of the missing
riches by the chaplet which he had
taken out. Over this chaplet my
brother Bartholomew and I had some
litt! di . ission. The pearls were evi
dently of great value, and he was
averse to part with thc.u, for, between
friends, my brother was himself a lit
tle inclined to 1113- father's fault. He
thought, too, that if we parted wiUi
the chnplet it might give rise to gossip,
and finally bring us into trouble. It
was *.'mt I could do to persuade him
t > let in.- tind out Miss Morstan's ad
dre ■> and send her a detached pearl at
fixed intervals, so that, at least, she
might never feel destitute."
"It was a kindly thought," said our
companion, earnestly. '"lt was ex
tremely good of you."
Tke little man waved his hand dep
reeatingly. "We were your trustees,"
he said. "That was the view which I
took of it, though Brother Bartholo
mew could not altogether see it in that
light. \\ e had plenty of money our
selves. I desired no more. Besides, it
would have l>een such bad taste to have
treated a young lady in so scurvv a
fashion 'Le mauvais gout mene au
crime.' The French have a very neat
way of putting these things. Our dif
ference of opinion on this subject went
so far that I thought it best to set up
rooms for myself: so I left Pondicherry
lodge, taking the old khitmutgar and
Williams with me. Yesterday, how
ever, I learned that an event of ex
treme Importance has occurred. The
treasure has been discovered. I in
stantly communicated with Miss Mor
stan. and it only remains for us to drive
out to Norwood and demand our share.
I explained my views last night to
Brother Bartholomew; so we shall be
expected, if not welcome, visitors."
Mr. Thaddeus Sholto ceased, and sat
twitching on his luxurious settee. We
all remained silent, with our thoughts
upon the new development which the
mysterious business had taken. Holmes
was the first to spring to his feet,
"You have done well, sir, from first
to last." said he. "It is possible that
we may be able to make you some
small return by throwing some light
upon that which Ls still dark to you.
But, as Miss Morstan remarked just
now, it is late, and we had best put the
matter through without delay."
Our new acquaintance very delib
erately coiled up the tube of his
hookah, and produced from behind a
curtain a very long befrogged top coat
with Astrakhan collars and cuff a. This ,
he buttoned tightly up, in spite of the
extreme closeness of the night, and
finished his attire by putting on a rab
bit-skin cap with hanging lappets
which covered the ears, so that no part
of him was visible save his mobile and
peaky face. "My health is somewhat
fragile," he remarked, as he led the
way down the passage. "I am com
pelled to be a valetudinarian."
Our cab was awaiting us outside, and
our programme was evidently prear- j
ranged, for the driver started off at
once at a rapid pace. Thaddeus Sholto
talked incessantly, in a voice which rose
high above the rattle of the wheels.
"Bartholomew is a clever fellow,"
said he. 'Dow do you think he found
out where the treasure was? Lie had
come to the conclusion that it was
somewhere indoors; so he worked out
all the cubic space of the house and
made measurements everywhere, so
that not one inch should be unaccount
ed for. Among other things, he found
that the height of the building was
seventy-four feet, but on adding to
gether the heights of all the separate
rooms, and making every allowance
for the space between, which he as-
THK LITTLE MAN STOPPED TO LIGHT HIS
HOOKAH.
certained by borings, he could not
bring the total to more than seventy
feet. There were four feet unaccount
ed for These could only be at the top
of the building He lcocked a hole,
therefore, in the lath-and-plaster ceil
ing- of the highest room, and there,
sure enough, he came upon another
little garret above it, which had been
sealed up and was known to no one
In the center stood the treasure-chest,
resting upon two rafters. He lowered
it through the hole, and there it lies
He computes the value of the jewels at
not less than half a million sterling."
At the mention of this gigantic sum
wc all stared at one another open-eyed
Miss Morstan, could we secure her
rights, would change from a needy
governess to the richest heiress in Eng
land. Surely it was the place of a
loyal friend to rejoice at such news;
yet 1 am ashamed to say that selfish
ness took me by tho soul, and that my
heart turned as heavy as lead within
me. 1 stammered out some few halt
ing words of congratulation, and then
sat downcast, with my head drooped,
deaf to the babble of our new ac
quaintance. lie was clearly a con
firmed hypochondriac, and I was dream
ily conscious that he was pouring forth
interminable trains of symptoms, and
imploring information as to the com
position aud action of innumerable
quaclt nostrums, some of which he bore
about in a leather caso in his pocket. I
trust he may not remember any of the
answers which I gave liiin that night.
Holmes declares that he overheard me
caution him against the great danger
of taking more than two drops of cas
tor oil, while I recommended strych
nine in large doses as a sedative. How
ever that may be, I was certainly re
lieved when our cab pulled up with a
jerk and the coachman sprang down
to open the door.
"This, Miss Morstan, is Pondicherry
lodge," said Mr. Thaddeus Sholto, as
be handed her out.
(TO BE CONTINL XD.)
Contrition.
Mistress (angrily) Bridget, I find
that you woro one of my decollete ball
gowns to tho hack driveis' ball last
evening. It's the worst piece of impu
dence I ever heard of. You ought to be
ashamed of yourself!
Bridget (meekly)—Oi wus. mum; Oi
wus.—aud ine young moil said, as if Oi
lvir wore sich an Indacent dress in pub
lic ug'in, he'd break our ingagemint.—
Puck.
A Dnifar*! I'rayer.
M. Pan, who has a very small nose,
one day gavo a coin to a poor fellow
who, in thanking him, said:
"God preserve your sight."
"Why my sight?" said M. Pan.
"Because, if you happen to lose it,
you could not wear any spectacles."—
Anecdotes Itecueillics.
Avoiding Suspicion.
Miss De Style—Horrors! Why have
you adopted a grocer's scale and a yard
stick as our eoat-of-arms?
Mrs. l)e Style—l wish people to know 1
that our money was made in honest j
trade. Otherwise they might 6uspect
that your father or grandfather had
been on the police force.—N. Y. Weekly.
Her Crnel Tate.
She nevrr s!n?s tho old. old songs
sue stjrtcucd tn daj., of yore.
She never thumps tho keyboards now.
Until her thumbs are sore.
Alas' upon the latest Graml.
She never more wl.! J>l «y.
She failed with the Installments, ana {i
Tfcey'viftrfkVirtFKwgy. ___
SUNSHADE FOR FRUIT.
How tn Make I'm of Vine* on a Trellis
A bore Ilerry Bu«h«c.
Rod raspberries, currant* and goose*
berries are often greatly benefited by
shade from the hot sun in the middle
of tho day. Orchards and trees afford
6hade to a certain extent, but not al«
ways when and where needed. Part
will be shaded when the 6un is most
needed. To remedy this, I should ar»
range to shade in the middle of the day
by the use of grapevines on a trellia
above the bushes, as shown in the iU
lustration. Set the rows of bushes sis
feet opart, and set grapevines in th#
rows eight to ten feet apart. Thee#
can be supported by stakes with a«
arm two feet long, placed to hold threa
wire# to support the ones above tU»
bushes. This gives shade in the mid*
die of the day, and snn In the morning
and afternoon, and possibly a c~op 73
grapes when the bushes fall t pro
duce.
This shade is a great Itenefit to re<i
raspberries in a warm e'.. aate. <;,>.)so
berries are often blisteri 1 by the sua
and fall to the ground before ripe.
Mildew to a certain extent is checked
by shade aud a heavy uiuleh. Tha
English varieties succeed best when
slightly shaded. I know this by ex*
perience. For a number of years th#
Industry mildewed badly, so that tha
fruit was worthless. I was abcrnt
sukshad* for rarrr.
dig them up. Last spring I mulched
with coarse manure. The weather was
almost continuously rainy and cloudy
until the berries were half-grown.
The result was no mildew and a fino
crop of smooth fruit. We are apt ta
associate mildew with damp weather.
It is the hot sun following, with littla
air. that produces bad results. If th«
bushes could be dried by the air before
the hot sun shines on them, therf
would be less mildew.
Shade to the ground is a great pro
tection to prevent winter-killing.
Ground that is mulched with manui#
or sawdust after it is frozen will often
Becure a good crop even of the tendey
varieties. I have proof of this neajf
me. The Antwerp raspberry is snt*
ce6sfully grown in orchards on a bleali
hill at an elevation of 400 to 500 feat
above a protected valley, while in th*
▼alley they almost invariably winter*
kill. This is due to the sap starting lij
the warm weather in the early spring,
and afterwards freezing. This is on*
cause of failure in the southern states.
Currants shaded in the middle of the
day hold their fruit and leaves much
longer. I have picked currants from
bushes thus shaded from July X to tho
middlo of September.—C. Mills, lq
Country Gentleman.
HORTICULTURAL NOTES.
The pecan will come into bearing in
about eight years. The hickory re
quires a somewhat longer time.
ONE who knows writes that thq
hickory will grow readily if planted
in the fall, and, contrary to the gen*
eral opinion, will grow when four years
old after being in a h«»» ~ «■ drawer all
that time.
about as freely hj eiPi}** grow
Simply cover in the fall an inch
two deep. These should be planted
where the tree is to stay, as they soon
get so large that they are unwieldy
and not so sure to grow.
Canaigre culture, we think, is bound
to grow to considerable volume and
importance in this country. We have
no doubt that it can be grown success*
fully on any sandy soil that has enough
moisture, and we sec that it is stated
that it can be grown on heavy soils.
Just what can be done with it in the
states should be made a matter of in*
▼estigation by the experiment stations..
—Farmers' Voice.
Applet for tho Complexion.
Helen Campbell says: "A modern
sooffer has lately written that the
reason Eve yielded to the serpent waa
becau.se apples were good for the com
plexion, and he told her so. Whether
the argument was needed or not, it 1$
a true one. Nothing in all our varied
and fascinating range of fruits holds
quite the quality of an apple. A ripe,
raw apple, at its best, is digested In
eighty-five minutes, and the malio
acid which gives its distinctive char
acter, stimulates the liver, assists di
gestion and neutralizes much noxious
matter, which, if not eliminated, pro
duces eruptions of the skin. They do
not satisfy like potatoes, complain
people to whom they have been rec
ommended as food, but the starch of
the potato, added to the surplus staroh
we are always eating, makes the veg
etable a thoroughly undesirable stand*
by. The more fruit we add to our
dietary the clearer brains and the
clearer skin we are likely to have."
llow to riant: Apple Trees.
There is a deplorable tendency among
apple orchard planters to set the trees
too close together. Numerous or
chards, just coining into bearing, have
their trees only twenty-two and twen
ty-four feet apart, with limbs almost
interlocking, while thus young. Th«
smallest limit should be two rods, o*
thirty-three feet, thirty-five feet would
be better, and thirty-eight or forty still
better. When the trees get large and
their limbs meet passage through ths
orchard with horses is obstructed, aa
well as cultivation. Further, the
ground so densely shaded become® sou*
and unproductive, so far as fine fruit
is concerned.
Heroine*.
Little* Dick—Mamma was readin!
something about a heroine. Wat's I
heroine?
Little Dot—l don't know 'xactly, birt
I guess it's a girl Wat puts out the lighl
an' then gets into l>ed wifout pullin* he«
feet in fjulck. —Good News.
And Vet It li » MonolofU.
"I've just written a monologue."
"What is the character it 1» wrtttea
for—a man or a woman?"
"This monologue is written for fw
characters —a man and his wife."—Lite
Ilia Modrety Explained.
"The major Ls one of the most mode*
and retiring of men."
"What business is he in?"
"Moonshine distillery."—AtluutaCoij
stitutfon.
Wiie Ancient*.
Traveler —The houses in some of tbi
ancient cities had walls ten foet thick
Mr. llrickrow (enviously)—l prcautr*
some of the neighbors were musical.—
K. Y. Weekly.
I're paring 'or Emergencies.
"What arc yon reading, dear?"
"The courtship of Miles Standlah;
Jack is coming to-night, yon know.""
Truth.
At the ThmMr.
SUo wort* n hSgli hat to the play.
The man behind her said:
"It often happens just this WWII
Nol 1