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The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, July 13, 1902, Magazine Section, Image 40

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THE REPUBLIC: SUNDAY. JULY 13. 1902.
THE
OUND OF THE BASKERVILLES.nan
DOYLE
IPiglffilgPSg 1 1. 1 mil M0 ' ' ' I ' ' i ' I
BA&5s3S?!2Cis23!c3KR73r
lliliiiiiigi
lasl8ggSSal
WM iniM-iiiwiiiiiirr ifiniinrnnnrniiriii i r rr imwurwuw
EgSSfSnXS? Doctor Mortimer, you would do wisely If
K5KSffiS??Sr& without more ado ou wou,d Wndly tell me
3JfcCffigg!i plainly what the exact nature of the prob-
iPffil5iSiSfr'6'frJ "TiM ,em ta iQ which you demand my assistance."
KferaEesfeflsKaS yrrr fr in , rSf T1IE CCRSE OF THE baskervilles.
!5wfeffli?ba?ga "I have In my pocket a manuscript." said
ssKgjgfcKEggsreS3r Doctor James Mortimer.
THE LATEST SHERLOCK HOLMES DETECTIVE STORY.
would that very night render his body aca for MtJ-Devcn at the next election, has
foul to the Powers of Evil If he might hut , cast a gloom over the county. Thoush Sir
AM while the revel- t-naries had resided at Baakerville Hall for
MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES.
Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who was usually
Tery late In the mornings, save upon thoss
not Infrequent occasions when he was up
all night, was seated at the breakfast table.
I stood upon the hearth-rue and picked up
the stick which our visitor bad left behind
him the night before. It was a fine, thick
piece of wood, bulbous-beaded, of the sort
which Is known as a. "Penang lawyer."
Just under the head was a bread silver
band, nearly an Inch across. "To James
Mortimer, M. R. C. S., from his friends of
the C. C H-," was engraved upon it, with
the date "1SS4." It was just such a stick
as the old-fashioned family practitioner
used to carry dignified, solid, and reassur
ing. "Wen, 'Watson, what do you make of
ltr i
Holmes was sitting with his back to me,
and I had given him no sign of my occupa
tion. "How did you know what I was doing?"
Z bilieve you have eyes In the back of your
head." "-
I have, at least, a well-polished silver
plated coffee-pot In front of me," said he.
"But, tell me, Watson, what do you make
of our visitor's stick? Since we have been
so unfortunate as to miss him and have no
action of his errand, this accidental souve
nir becomes of importance. Let me hear
you reconstruct the man by an examina
tion of it."
"I think." said I. following as far as I
could the methods of my companion, "that
Doctor Mortimer ! a successful elderly
EUdlcal man, well-esteemed, since those
who know htm give him this mark of their
appreciation."
"Good!" said Holmes. "Excellent!"
"I think also that the probability Is in
favor Of his being a country practitioner
who does a great deal of his visiting on
foot"
Why soT"
"Because this stick, thoush originally a
very handsome one, has been so knocked
about that I can hardly imagine & town
practitioner carrying It. The thick iron
ferrule Is worn down, so It is evident that
be has done a great amount of walking
with It."
"Perfectly sound!" said Holmes.
"And then again, there Is the 'frleDds
of the C.C.H. I should guess that to be the
Something Hunt, the local hunt to whose
members he has possibly given some surgi
cal assistance, and which has made him a
small presentation In return."
"Really, Watson, you excel yourself." said
Hojmes, purshlng back his chair and light
ing a clrgarette. "1 am bound to say that
in all the accounts which you havo been so
good as to give of my own small achieve
ments you have habitually underrated your
own abilities. It may be that you are not
yourself luminous, but you are a Conductor
of light. Some people without possessing
genius have a remarkable power of stlmu- i
latins it. I confess, my dear fellow, that
I am very much in your debt."
He had never said as much before, and
I must admit that his words gave ms keen
pleasure, for I had often been piqued bi
nts indifference to my admiration and to
the attempts which I had made to give
publicity to his methods. I was proud too
to think that I had so far mastered his
system as to npply It In a way which
earned his approval. He now took the stick
from my bands and examined it for a fen
minutes with his naked eyes. Then with
an expression of Interest he laid down his
cigarette and, carrying the cane to the win
dow, he looked over it again with a con
Tex lens.
Interesting, though elementary," said
he, as he returned to his favorite corner of
the settee. "There are certainly one or two
Indications upon the stick. It gives us the
basis for several deductions."
"Has anything escaped me7" I asked,
wjth some self-importance. "I trust that
there is nothing of consequence which I
have overlooked?"
"I am afraid, my dear Watson, that most
ef your conclusions were erroneous. When
I said that you stimulated, me I meant, to
be frank, that In noting your fallacies I was
occasionally guided towards the truth. Not
that yon are entirely wrong in this instance.
The man is certainly a country practitoner.
And he walks a good deal."
"Then I was right."
To that extent."
"But that wns all?"
"Ko, no, my dear Watson, not all-by m
means all. I would suggest, for example, I dog himself on our verv dorr-step, and
that a presentaton to a doctor Is more
likely to come from a hospital than from
a hunt, and that when the Initials 'C.C.
are placed before that hospital the words
Charing Cross" ery naturally suggest
themselves."
"Tou may be right."
The probability lies In that direction.
And if we take this as a working hypothe
sis we have a fresh basis from which to
start our construction of this unknown vis
itor." "Well. then, supposing that 'C.C.H.' does
stand for 'Charing Cross Hospital," what
further Inference may we draw?"
"Do none suggest themselves? You know
my methods. Apply them!"
"I can only think of the obvious con
elusion that the man has practised In town
before going to the country."
"I think that we might venture a llttls
farther than this. Look at it In this light.
On what occasion would it be most proba
ble that such a presentation would be made?
When would his friends unite to gte him a
pledge of their good will? Obviously at
the moment when Doctor Mortimer with- j
drew from the service of the hospital In or- !
der to start in practice for himself. Wo
know there has been a Presentation. We
bcllevo there has been a chance from a I
town hospital to a country practice. Is It.
then, stretching our Inference too far to say
that the presentation was on the occasion
of the change?"
"It certainly seems probable."
"Now, you will observe that he could not
have been on the staff of the hospital, since
only a man well-established In a London
practice could hold such a
thre Is the ring of Its owner. 1k.ii t move,
I beg you. Watson. He ti a professional
brother of yours, and jour presence may
be of assistance to me. Now I? the dra
matic moment of fate, Watson, when jou
hear a step upon the stair which is walk
ing Into your life, and you know not wheth
er for Koo-i or 111. What does Doctor James
Mortlmir. the man of science, ask of Saer-
THE CCRSE OF THE BASKEUVILLE3.
"I have In my pocket a manuscript." said
Doctor James Mortimer.
"I observed It as jou entered the room,"
said Holmes
"It U an old manuscript."
"Early Eighteenth Century, unless It Is a
forgery."
"How can you say that, sir?"
"You hae presented an inch or to of
it to my examination all the time that you
have been talking. It would be a poor ex
pert who could not give the date of a docu
ment within a decade or so. You may pos
sibly have read my Httle monograph uion
tho subjeot. 1 put that at 1T30."
i "The exact date is 1TC" Doctor Mortl
' mer drew it from his breast-pocket. "This
family paper was committed to my care by
Sir Charles Baskerllle. whose sudden and
tragic death some three months ago creat
j ed so much excitement In Devonshire. I
may say that I was his personal friend as
' well as his medical attendant. He was a
' etrorg-mlnded man. sir. shrewd, practical.
and a unimaginative as I am raiself. Yet
he took Ihld document verv n.-trfiti!t. Dn.
lock Holmes, the specialist in crime? Come j u mta, wa, preparill for Just suc a"n fnJ
as did eventually overtake tlm."
Holmes stretched out his band for the
in
The appearance of our visitor was a sur
prise to me. since I had expected a tjpicol
country practitioner. He was a very tall,
thin man. with a long nose like a beak,
which Jutted out between two keen, grey
eyes, set closely together and sparkling
brightly from behind a pair cf gold-rimmed
glasses. He was clad in a professional but
rather slovenly fashion, for his frock-coat
was dingy and his trousers frayed. Though
young, his long back was already boned,
and he walked with a forward tbrut of his
head and a general air of peering benevo
lence. As h- entered his eyes fell upon the
stick In Holmts's hand, and he ran towards
it with an exclamation of joy. "I am so
very glad." said he. "I was not sure wheth-
. l er I had left it here or In the Shipping Of
fice. I would not lose that stick for the
world."
"A presentation. I see," said Holms.
"Yes. sir."
"from Charing Cross Hospital?"
"lYom ore or two friends there on the
occasion of my marriage."
"Dear, dear, that's bad!" said Holmes.
shaking his head.
i Doctor Mortimer blinked throuirh his
pusiuon, ana
manuscript and flattened it upon his knee.
"You will observe. Watson, tho alternative
uso of the long s and the short. It is one
of several indications which enabled me to
fix the date."
I looked over his shoulder at the yellow
paper and the faded script At the head
was written: "Baskervllle Ha!l." and below
in large, scrawling figures: "17C"
"It appears to be a statement of soma
sort."
"Yes. It Is a statement of a certain legend
which runs In the Baskervllle family."
"But I understand that It Is something
more modern and practical upon which you
wish to consult me?"
"Most modern. A most practical, pressing
mauer. wmen must be decided within twen
overtake the wench.
ers stood asbast at the fury of the man.
one more wicked or. It may be. more drunk
en than the rest, cried out that they should
put the hounds upon her. Whereat Hugo
ran from the hou-. erjlng to his grooms
that they should .-addle hi mare and un
kennel the pack. nU giving the hounds a
kerchief of the maid's, he swung them to
the line, and so off full cry In the moon
light over the moor.
"Xow. for some space the revefcrs stood
agape, unable to understand all that had
been done In such hate. But anon their be
mused wits awoke to the nature of tho
deed which was like to W lon- np.in the
moorlands. Everything wa now In an up
. "n- rul.np Tor their pIstoR some for
thrlr hores. and some for another Jlti
of wine. ISut at Ieng'h some sense came
back to the crazed mlrds. the whole of
them, thirteen in number, took horse and
started in pursuit. The tnoen shone (Unr
above them, and they rode swiftly abreast.
'sUIng that coiirs which the maM :n-m
need.', have taken If she weie to reach hr
ovn home.
"They had gone a mile or two when they
passed one of the night shepherd upon the
moorlands, and they cried to him to know
If ho had seen the hunt. And the man. as
the story goes wan so craxed with fear that
he could scarce sreak. but at last he said
that he had Indeed seen the unharpy maid
en, with the hounds upon her track. 'But
I have seen more than that.' said he. "for
Hugo Baskervllle passed me upon his black
a comparatively short period hfc amiability
of character and extreme generosity had
won the arfection and respect of all who
had been broach Into contact with him.
In these days of nouveaut riches It Is re
freshing to find a case where the scion of
an nH county family which has falltn up
on evil .lay W able to make his own
fortune and to brln It back with him to
restore the fallen grandeur of his line. Sir
Charles, a Is welt known, made large
sums cf money In South African specula
tion. More ! than those who go on un
til th wheel turns agafnt them, he
realized his gains and returned to England
with them. It I only two iare since he
took up his residence at Haskerviil Ha!!.
ami It it
jnose scoemes or reconstruction and im
provement which have ben Interrupted
by hi-, death. Being himself childless, it
was his openly expres-Hd desire that the
wliole countryside should, within his own
lifetime, pront by his good fortune, and
many will have personal reasons for le
waiilng bis untimely end. Ilk gt-nerous
donations to local and roomy charities
have been frequently chronicled In then
column;.
"The circumstance connected with
death of Sir Charles cannot
have been entirely cleared up by the In
quest, but at least enough bus been done
to dispose of tliose rumors to whkh local
superstition has given rise. There Is no
reason whatever to suspect foul play, or
can cameos, and In my anxiety to oblixs
the rpe I lost touch with several Interest
ing EngUsh cases. This article, you say,
contain all the public facts?"
"It does."
Then let me have the private one," He
leaned back, put his flnger-tipa together.
and assumed his most impassive and Judi
cal exprer-ston.
"In dolnu so." said Doctor Mortimer, who
had begun to show signs of some strong
entotlon.i "I am telling that which I have
not confided to any one. My motive for
withholding It from the Coroner's Inquiry Is
that a man of scelence shrinks from placing
hlnelf In the public position of seeming
to Indorse a popular uperstltutlon. I had
the further motive that Baskervllle Hall, as
the paper says, would certainly remain un
tnan,i if anvthln:: were done to increase
common talk how large were ,. already rather f rim reputation. For both
IhM nf mimI.h.,1.. a i . . ... l. .1 T ....... 4..ffa.w4
these reasons i tnouunt mui j.
In telling rather lss than I knew, since no
practical good could result from it. but
with you there Is no reason why I should
not be perfectly frank.
"The moor la very sparsely inhabited.
and thoae who live near each other are
thrown very much together. For this rea
son I saw a good deal of Sir Charles
Itat-kervllle. With the exception of Mr.
rranklard. or Latter Hall, and Mr. Sta
tileton. th naturalist, there are no other
.f education within many miles, sir
the
. . 1 IIWH
in? sam vo ..... ......,,.,.,..
Cnarii was a iriiunn uuu. .,.. ... .... -of
his Illness brought u together, and a
community of Interest? In science kept us
so He had brought back much scientific
Information from South Africa, and many
a charming evening we have spent together
discussing the comparative anatomy of
the Bushman and the Hottentot.
"Within the last few months It became
Increasingly plain to me that Sir Charles's
1 1 rnj!iu In mftrf rftnnlchmowf
such a one would not drift Into the coun- -whv wns it b-irtr-
j. .uu.v .!. ug, iucu. ii. lie was in ms :
hospital and yet not on tho staff he could
only have been a hous--surgeon or a house
phys clan little more than a senior student.
And he left five years ago the date !s on
the stick. So your grave, middle-aged fam
ily practitioner vanishes Into th!n air. my
dear Watson, and there emerges a young
fellow under 30, amiable, unambitious, ab
sent-minded, and the possessor of a favor
ite dog. which I should describe roughly as
being larger than a terrier and smaller than
a mastiff."
I laughed Incredulously as
Holmes leaned back In his settee and blew
Httla wavering rings of smoke up to the
celling.
"As to the latter part. I have no means
of checking you," said I. "but at least It
Is not dimcult to find out a few particulars
about the man's age and professional ca
reer." From my small medical shelf I took
down the Medical Directory and turned up
the name. There were several Mortimers,
but only one who could be our visitor. I
read Ms record aloud.
"Mortimer. Jamts. M.R.C.S.. 1SS2. Grlm
rec, Dartmoor. Devon. IIoue surgeon,
from 18J2 to 1SSI. at Charing Cross Hospital
Winner of the Jackson prize for Compara
tive I'atcology. with essay entitled 'Is Dis
ease a Reversion?" Corresnondlnsr mmbr
of the Swedish Pathological Society. Au
thor of "Some Freaks of Atavism' (Lancet.
ISSI). "Do We Progress? (Journal or Psv-
chology, March. ISO). Medical Officer for
the parishes of Grlmpcn, Thorslcy. and
High Barrow."
"No mention of that local hunt, Watson."
said Holmes, with a mischievous unil'e.
"but a country doctor, as you very astute
ly observed. I think that I am fairly Jus
tified In my inferences. As to the adjec
tives, I said, if I remember right, amiable,
unambitious, and absent-minded. It is my
experience that It Is only an amiable man
In this world who receives testimonials, only
an unambitious one who abandons a Lon
don career for the country, and only an
absent-minded one who leaves his stick and
not his visiting-card after waiting an hour
in your room."
"And the dog?"
"Has been in the habit of carrying this
stick behind his master. Being a heavy
stick the dog has held It tightly by the
middle, and the marks of his teeth are very
Plainly visime. doirs Jaw, as shown in
the snace between these marl..
broad In my opinion for a terrier and not !
broad enough for a mastiff. It may
have been yes, by Jove, It Is a curly
halred spaniel."
He had risen and paced the room as he
spoke. Now he halted In the recess of the
window. There was such a ring of convic
tion in his voice that I glanced up In sur
prise. "My dear fellow, how can you possibly be
so sure of that?"
"For the very tlmple reason that I ace ta
"Only that you have disarranged our lit
tle deductions. Your marriage, you say?"
"Yes. s;r. I married, and so left the hos
pital, and with It ail hope of a consulting
pract.ee. It was necessary to make a noma
of my own."
"Come, come, we aro not so far wrong
after all." said Holmes, "And now. Doctor
James Mortimer "
"Mister, sir. Mister-a humble M.ILC.S."
"And a man cf precise mind, evidently."
"A dabbler In science Mr. Holmes.
to Imagine that death could be from any
j mare, and there ran mute behind him such ' ljUt natural causes. Sir Charles was a
a hound of hell as God forbid should ever ' widower, and a man who may be said to
be at my heels.' So the drunken snulres nava 'a some ways of an eccentric
cursed the shepherd and rode onwards. But haDit : mind. In spite of hU consider- .... ,..,., , ..,!ni m th. break
soon their skins turned cold, for there came nl),e wealth he was simple In his personal ,nj. p,ln. IIc haij taken this legend which
a galloping across the moor, and the black taste, and his Indoor servants at Basker- j j nae nai you exceedingly to heart eo
mare dabbled with white froth, went past V,1I I'a'l consisted of a married couple much o that, although he would walk In
with trailing bridle and empty saddle. Then named Barrymore. the husband acting as
the revelers rode close together, fcr a great butler and the wife as housekeeper. Their
fear was on them, but they still followed i evidence, corroborated by that of several
over the moor, though tach. h-ul he been friends, tends to show that Sir 'Charles's
alone, would have been right glad to liavo ' health has for some time been Impaired. ,
turned his horse's head. Rdlng slowly In ! and point. c-jpevially to some affection of ' records which he was able to give of his
this fashion they came at last upon the j the heart, manifesting itself in changes of ancestors were not encouraging. The Idea
hounds. These thmirH knnun r.ir thlr I color !rtvithltii,i4. art.! nrtii.. nttnplf flf i of some chastlv rtrk?nce constantrv haunt-
ty-four hours. But the manuscript Is short valour and their breed, were whimpering I nervous depression. Doctor James Mortl- : il hlra. and on more than one occasion he
and Is Intimately connected with the af- In a cluster at the head of u deep dip or ' mer. the friend and medical atemiant if hs asked mo whether I had on my medical
...... uu pcibjiasiun i win reaa It goyai. as we call It. upon the moor, some . trw de.-asnl. ha eiveii evidence In the journevs at nignt ever seen any strange
his own grounds, nothing would Induce him
to go out upon the moor at night. Incredi
ble as it may appear to ycu. Mr. Holmes.
he was honestly convinced that a dreadful
fate overhung his family, and certainly the
fair.
to you."
Holmes leaned back In his chair, placed
his finger-tips together, and closed his eyes.
with an iIr of resignation. Doctor Morti
mer turned the manuscript to the light and
read In a high, crackling voice the follow
ing curious, old-world narrative:
"Of the origin of the Hound or the Bas
kervliles there have been many statements,
yet as I come In a direct line from Hugo
Baskervllle. and as I had the story from
my father, who also had It from his, I have
set It down wish all lel!er that It occurred,
tven as is hero set forth. Ami I would have
ou believe, my sons, that the same justice
which punishes sin may also most gracious
ly forgive it. and that no ban is so heavy
but that Ly iraycr and repentance It may
slinking away and some, with starting
hackles and staring eyes, gazing down the
narrow valley befcre them.
The company had come to a halt, more
sober men. as you may guess, than when
they started. The most of them would by
no means advance, but three of them, the
boldest, or It may be the most drunken,
rode forward down the gcyaL Now. It
opened Into a broad rpnee In which stood
two of those great ttone. still to lie seen
there, which were set by certain forgot
ten peoples In the days of old. The moon
was shining bright upon the clearing, and
there In the center lay the unhappy maid
where she had fallen, dead of fear and of
fatigue. But it was not the sight of her
body, nor yet was it that of the body of
Hugo Baektrvllle lying near her. which
raised the valr uron the heads of these
same effect. creature or neara tne oayinc oi a nouna.
The facts of the case are simple. Sir j 'rh later question he put to me several
Charles Baskervllle was In the habit every "" an.i always wim a voice wmca vi-
nlsht before going to bed of walking down b"ted with excitement.
the famous Yew Alley of Bakervlllo Hall. I "' can " remember driving up to hi.
a, j oe removeu, ixam men irom this story
iTrtl l'v si' rrlx.11j n ln !..,.. t tlSlf 9 1 Tin !., n.I.. -. at ,. . . .
"'"" " - " "" "' "-! oi me i - " -- nuns ui me ii. oui rainer i three uareoevii roystercrs. but It was that
".w ! TfLU"ir? ,-f2a"- tb il ts il!1 J? lUe """";. tn" hHtandIng over Hugo, ami plucking at hi,
: vMt IWIUH3 uitn.ur our i a mil v na ur- t ... .1 . - .-.. ...
, 1 , ., , : "wau mcie siow a 10m mini;, a Kreai,
fered so grievously may not again be , bUck ,ast. shapC(i ko a nounJ t to
Iootened to our undoing. thn .. ,.ouml ..... ..... M ' M-
'l . tlif.M !.. t .a a . . -. m . I
,., wicji nuii. in iiie lime oi ine ureat I
Rebellion (the history of which by tho
learned lord Clarendon I mct earnestly
commend to jour attention) this Manor
of Baskervilie was hckl by Hugo of that
name, nor can It be gainsaid that he was
s. inos-t wild, profane, and god ess man.
Thl. In truth, his neighbors might have
pardoned., seeing that saints have never
nourished In thoso ports, but there wa In j
Mr. Sherlock Holmes whom I am address
ing and not "
"No. this Is my friend. Doctor Watson."
"Glad to meet you, sir. 1 have heard
your name mentioned in connection with
that of jour friend. You Interest me very
much. Mr. Holmes. I had hardly expected
so dolichocephalic a skull or such well
marked supra-orbital development. V.'oull
you have any objection to my running my
finger along your parietal tissure? A cut
of jour skull, sir, until the original Is avail
able, would be an ornament to any an
thropological museum. It Is not my Inten
tion to bo fulsome, but I confess that I
cov ct j our skull."
Sherlock Holmes waved our strange vis
itor Into a chair. "You are an enthuiat
In jour lino of thought. 1 perceive, sir. as
I am In mine." said he. "I observe from
j-our foretlnger that jou make j-our own
cigarettes. Have no hesitaMun In Ilqht.ns
one."
The man drew out paper and tobacco and
twirled the one up In tho other with jur
priklng dextritj. He had long, quivering
fingers as agile and restless as the antennao
of an Insect.
Holmes was silent, but his little darting
glances showed me the Interest which ue
took In our curious companion.
"I presume, sir." said he at last, "that
It was not merely for the purpose of ex
amining my skull that you have done me
the-honor to call here last night and again
to-day?"
"So. sir. no; though I am happy to havo
had the opportunity or doing that as well.
I came to you. Mr. Holmes, because I rec-
, ognlzed that 1 am myseir an unpractical
man. and because 1 am suddenly confront-
eU with a most serious and extraordinary
( problem. Recognizing, as I do. that you
are me .-ctiu uignesi expert in Europe "
"Indeed, sir! May I Inquire who has the
honor to be the first?" asked Holmes, with
some aspcritj'.
To the man of precisely scientific mind
I the work of Monsieur Bcrtillon must al-
waj-s appeal strongly."
"Then had jou not better consult him?"
"I said. sir. to the precisely scientific
mind. But as a practical man of affairs it
is acknowledged that you stand alone. I
trust, sir. tliat I have not Inadvertently
"Just a little," Bald Holmes. "I thlak.
house In the evening, some three weeks be
fore the fatal event He chanced to be at
hit hall door. I had dscended from my
gig and was standing In front of him. when,
I saw his e-es fix themselves over my
I'M,. illit li .ion. Ail. in llitliul I r
" " ". , I preaslon of the moat dreadful horror. I
Tlie evidence of the Barrymores shows
that this had been his custom. On the
4th of May Sir Charles bad declared hi
intention oi starting next day for London.
and had ordertd Barrymore to prepare his
lURgHKe.
whlskel round and had Just time to catch
a gllmnse of something which 'I took to oe
nun a certain wanton and cruel humor
which made hi name a byword through the
West. It chanced that this J(1uko came to
love (If. indeed, so dark a passion may bo
known under so bright a njmej the daugh
ter of a jeoman uho held lunds near tho
Baskervllle estate. But the joung mallcn,
being dlocrtet and of good repute, would
ever avoid him. for she feared his evil
name. So It came to pa'-s that one Michael
mas this Hugo, with Jive or six of his Idle
and wicked companions, stole down upon
the form and carried off the maiden, her
father and brothers being from home, as be
well knew. When thej had brought her
to the Hall the maiden was placed In an
vtnvefcA lms s.tih ..t.I . fl...- . a . . .
..... V...1UUW. ii.,e jjugo atm nis inenas "(This from Hugo Baskervllle to bis sons
sat down to a long carouse, as was their Roger and- John, with Instructions that
nightly custom. Now. the poor lass up- they say nothing thereof to their sister
stairs was like to have her wlta turned at Eltaabeth.)"
the singing and shouting and terrible oaths i When Doctor Mortimer had finished read-
whlch came up to her from below, for they ing this singular narrative he pushed his
rested upon . And even as they looked the
thing tore the throat out of Hugo ltasker
v.'lle. on which, as It turned Its blazing
ejes and dripping jaw upon them, the
three shrieked with fear and role for dear
life, still screaming, across the moor. One.
It Is said, died that cry night of what he
hnd sicn. and the other twain were but
broken men for the rest of their days.
"Such Is the tale, my sons, of th- coming
of the hound which Is said to li.ive plairuel
the family so sorely ever since. If I have
set It down It Is because that which is
clearly known hath less terrorythan that j
which is uui ninieo at ami guesmM. Nor
can It be denied that many of the family
have been unhappy In their deaths, which
have been sudden, bloody, and mysterious.
Yet may we shelter outftelves in the In
finite goodness of Providence, which would
not forever punish the Innocent bejond that
third or fourth generation which Is threat
ened In Holy Writ. To that ITvvldence. my
sons. I hereby commend you. and I counsel
you by way of caution to forbear from
crossing the moor in those dark hours
when the powers of evil are exalted.
for hi? nocturnal walk. In the course or
which he was In the habit cf smoking a
.. .. . . . .... ...,. .
,,R"r- "c n"tr '" - '- - a larce. black calf passing at the head of
Barrjmore. rinding the hall door still open. . the drlV(. So excltcd nn(1 alarmed was he
became alarmed, and. lighting a lantern. , that j , eompolied to go down to the
went In search of hU master. The day ha J yf)vt wlwrc lhe anlroai ha,i DWJ ,nd look
Iwen wet. and Sir Charles's footmarks were around for It. It was gone, however, and
easily traced down the Allej-. Half-way ; the Incident appeared to make the worst
down this walk there Is a gate whkh lead ( Impreslon upon his mind. I stayed with
out on the moor. There were indications j him all the evening, and It was on that oc
that Sir Charles bad stood for some little easlon. to explain the emotion which he
time here. He then proceeded down the , bad shown, that he confided to my keep-Allej-.
and It was at the far end of It I ing that narrative which I read to you
tint his body was dl-covored. One fact I when first I came. I mention this small
which has not been explained Is the
statement of I tarry more that hfc master's
footprints a I tend their character from the
time that he paeel the moor-gate, ami that
he appeared from thence onward to have
been walking uNn his toes. One Murphy,
a gjpsy horse dealt r. was on the m.or at
no grtat distance ct the time, but he ap
ppir by hU own confession to have been
the worse for drink. He declares that he
heard crie. but is unable
vvliat direction thev came.
violence were to lie discovered upon Sir
Charles' person, and though the doctor's
evidence jiointetl to an almost Incredible
facial distortion so great that Doctor Mor
timer refused at tlrst to believe that it wa
Indeed his friend and patient who lay be
fore him It was explained that that is a
symptom which Is not unusual In cases of
djfpnoea and death from cardiac exhaus
tion. This explanation was borne out by
the post-mortem examination, which showed '
fPlsmle lieeause It assumes some Importance
in view of the tragedy which followed, but
I was convinced at the time that the mat
ter was entirely trivial and that his excite
ment liad ro justification.
"It wa at i . 'dv.ee that Sir Charles
wa.s about to g to. London. His heart
was. I kn-w affected, and the constant
anxiety In which he lived, however chimer
ical the cause of It might be. was evidently
.. . .
to state from ' having a serious effect upon his health. 1
No igna of i thought that a few months among the dls-
irae;ions or town would send him back a
new man. Mr. Stnpleton. a mutual friend
who was much concerned at his state of
halth. was of the same opinion. At the
last instant came this terrible catastrophe.
"On the night of Sir Charles's death Bar
rymore. tho butler, who made the discov
ery, sent Perkins, the groom, on horseback
to me. and as I was sitting up late I was
able to reach Baskervllle Hall within an
hour of the event. I checked and corrob-
ir4l.il -II . ! sBrAWA mantlrlflaff
l.,r,,..-..r,.M .! .11 Z ... .. "'" "e lUClS WHICH -cm ind..,..
... ...-..,. ...,,. ,,.. anu 1M . Inquest. I followed the footsteps
cnrlSwJ.U,,hr ? ,a VSCl '" aC- !" he Yej-alley. I saw the spot at th.
cordance with he medical evidence. It I, I rooor gate e seemed to have walted
well that tWs i so. for it b obviously of : , remarkel the change In tho shape or the
the utmo-t Importance that Sir Charles's prInt afr tnat point. I noted that there
heir should settle at the Hall and continue Pr no nth.P footsteos save those of Bar-
say that the words used by Hugo Basker
vllle, when he was In wine, were such as
might blast the man who said them. At
last In the stress of her fear she did that
which might have daunted the bravest or
most active man. for by the aid of the
growth or Ivy which covered (and still cov
ers) the south wall she came down from
under the eaves, and so homeward across
the moor, there being three leagues betwixt
the Hall and her father's farm.
It chanced that some little time later
Hugo left his guests to carry food and
drink with other worse things, perchance
to his captive, and so found the cage emp
ty and the bird escaped. Then, as it would
seem, ho became as one that bath a devil,
for, rushing down the stairs Into the dlnlng
hall. he sprang upon the great table, flagons
and trenchers flying before him, and he
cried aloud before all the company tiUTi k
spectacles upon his forehead ami stared
across at Mr. Sherlock Holmes. The totter
yawned and tossed the end of his cigarette
Into the fire.
"Well?" said he.
"Do J'ou not find it Interesting?"
To a collector of fairly tales,"
Doctor Mortimer drew a folded newspa
per out of his pocket.
"Now. Mr. Holmes, we will give you
something a little more recent. This is the
Devon County Chronicle of May 14. of this
year. It Is a short account of the facts
elicited at the death of Sir Charles Basker
vllle. which occurred a few days before that
date."
My friend leaned a little forward and his
expression became Intent. Our visitor re
adjusted bis glasses and began:
The recent sudden death of Sir Charles I
Baskervllle, whose name has been men
the gooa work which has been so sadly Ip-
terrupieu. umi me prosaic finding if the
Coroner not finally put an end t3(i)tte ro
mantic stories which have been whlMercd
In connection with the affair. It might have
been difficult to find a tenant; for Basker
vilie Hall. It Is understood that the next-of-kin
Is Mr. Henry Baskervllle. If he be
still alive, the son of Sir Charles Basker
Mlle's younger brother. The young man
when lart heard or was In America, and In
quiries arc being Instituted with a view
to Informing him of bis good fortune."
Doctor Mortimer refolded his paper and
replaced It In his pocket.
Those are the public facts.. Mr. Holmes.
In connection with the death of Sir
Charles Baskervllle."
"I must thank yoa." said Sherlock
Holmes, "for calling my attention to a case
which certainly presents some features of
Interest. I had observed some newspaper i
nn"i n An t 4r f Via tssei .,a. V - . .
..".u.uw... .. ...c .,... uui x ,3 excceaineir
r-mor. on the soft gravel, and finally 1
carefully examined the body, which had not
been touched until my arrival. Sir Charles
lay on his face, his arms out. his fingers
dug Into the ground, and his features con
vulsetl with some strong emotion to such
an extent that I could hardly have sworn
to hi Identity. There was certainly no
physical Injury of any kind. But one false
statement was made by Barrymore. at the
Inquest. He said that there were no traces
upon the ground around the body. He did
not observe any. But I dld-some little
data nee off. but fresh and clear."
"Footprints?"
"Footprints."
"A man's or a woman's?"
Doctor Mortimer looked strangely t us
for an Instant, and his voice sank almost
to n whisper as he answered:
'Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of
a g'gjntle hound!"
Honed as the probable Liberal candidate preoccupied by tbatvttle affair of the Vatl-
Cro be contluned next Sunday.)
(Copyright. Utt. by Gears NwaJ
l
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