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About The Medford mail. (Medford, Or.) 1893-1909 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 1895)
i F r I ....SIGN OF... THE FOUR -BY CONAN DOYLE . . (CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK) It was well that we had so ciear a view of hiin. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short, round piece of wood, like a school ruler, and clapped it to his lips. Our pistols rang out together. He whirled round, threw up his arms, and with a kind of chok ing cough fell sideways into the stream. I caught one glimpse of his venomous, menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters. At the same moment the wooden-legged man t hrew himself upon the rudder and put it hard down, so that his boat' made straight in for the southern bank, while we shot past her stern, only clearing her by a few feet. We were round after her in an instant, but she was already nearly at the bank. It was a wild and desolate place, where the moon glimmered upon a wide ex panse of marsh land, with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation. The launch, with a dull thud, ran up on the mud bank, with her bow in the air and her stern flush with the water. The fugitive sprang out, but his stump instantly sank its whole length into the sodden soil. In vain he struggled and writhed. Not one step could he possibly take either forwards or backwards. He yelled in impotent rage, and kicked frantically into the mud with his other foot, but his struggles only bored his wooden pin the deeper into the sticky bank. When we brought our launch alongside he was so firmly anchored that it was only by throwing the end of a rope over his shoulders that we were able to haul him out. and to drag him. like some evil fish, over our side. The two Smiths, father and son. sat sullenly in their launch, but came aboard meekly enough when com manded. The Aurora he'rself we hauled off and made fast to our stern. A solid iron chest of Indian workman ship stood upon the deck. This, there conld be no question, was the same tnat had contained the ill-omened treasure of the Sholtos. There was no key, but it was of considerable weight, so we transferred it carefully to our cwn little eabin. As we steamed slowly upstream again, we flashed our search-light in Tery direction, but there was no sign of the islander. Somewhere in the dark ooze at the bottom of the Thames lie the bones of that strange visitor to our shores. ' "See here," said Holmes, pointing to the wooden hatchway. "We were hardly quick enough with our pistols." There, sure enough, just behind where we had been standing. stueW one of those murderous darts which we knew so well. It must have whizzed between us at the instant that we fired. Holmes smiled at it, and shrugged his shoulders in his easr fashion, but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night. CHAPTER XI. THE fiRKAT AGRA TRKASfRK. Our captive sat in the cabin opposite t the iron bos which he had done so much and waited so long to gain. He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network tf lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life. There was a. singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose. His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with gray. His face in repose was not an im pleading one. though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him. as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger. He sat now with his handcuffed hands upon his lap and hi head sunk upon his breast, while he looked with his keen, twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill-doings. It seemed to me that there was more sorrow than anger in his rigid and contained countenance. Once he looked up at me with a gleam of something like humor in his eyes. "Well, Jonathan Small.1' said Holmes, lighting a cigar. "I am sorry that it has come to this." "And so am I,'" he answered, frankly. "1 don't believe that I can swing over the job. I give you my word on the book that I never raised my hand against Mr. Sholto. It was that little hell-hound Tonga who shot one of his cursed darts into him. I had no part in it. sir. I was as grieved as if it had been my blood-relation. I welted the little devil with the slack end of the rope for it. but it was done, and I could not undo it again." "Have a cigar." said Holmes: "and you had best take a pull out of my flask, for you are very wet. How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr. Sholto and hold him while you were climbing the rope? "You seem to know as much about it as if you were there, sir. The truth is that I hoped to find the room clear. I knew the habits of the house pretty well, and it was the time when Mr. Sholto usually went down to his sup per. I shall make no secret of the business. The best defense that I can make is just the simple truth. Now, if it had )een the old major I would have swung "for hi Jr . with a' light would have tnonght no more C ing him than of smoking this But it's cursed hard that I shoi lagged over this young Sholto,. whom I had no quarrel whatever.' "You are tinder the charge Athelney Jones, of Scotland Yard. He is going to bring you up to my rooms and I shall ask you for a true account of the matter. You must make a clean breast of it. for if you do I hope that I may be of use to you. I think 1 can wove that the poison acts so quickly that the man was dead before ever you reached the room." "That he was. sir. I never got such a turn in my life as hen I saw him grinning at me with his head on his shoulder as I climbed through the win dow. It fairly snook ire, sir. I'd hnve half killed Tonga for it if he had not scrambled off. That was hw he came to leave his club, and some of his lurt. ti. as ho tolls me. which I hire say helped to put you on our track: though how you kept on it is more than I can tell. I don't feel no malice ii'iiinst you for it. Vint it does M'pni a (jiiccr thinp." he added, with a bitter smi!i. "that I. who have a fair claim to r.ij.-h upon half a million of nionev should stx-m' the first half of my life building v breakwater in the Andaman, r.nd r.u. like to spend the other half iliggin" drains at P;rtmoor. i ns an evil day for me hen tirst I chtrut'd eyes upon the merchant Achtnel and had Jo do with the Apra treasure, w hieh never brought anything lut a onr-o yet uion the man who owned it. To him it brought murder, to Maj. Sholto it brought fear and guilt, to n:c it has meant shivery for life." At this moment Athelney Jones thrust his broad face and heavy shoul ders into the tinv cabin, "vjuite a fam- "HU1T A FAMILY PAKTT," ME RKMARkKO. ily. party, he remarked "1 think I shall have a pull at that flask. Hohnev Well, I think we may all congratulate each other. Pity we didn't take the other alive: but there mas no choice. I say. Holmes, you must confess that you cut it rather fine. It was all thai we could do to overhaul her." "All is well that ends wen." said Holmes. "But I certainly did not know that the Anrora w such a clipper." "Smith says that she is one of the fastest launches on the river, and that if he had had another man to help him with the engines we should never have caught her. He owears he knows noth ing of this Norwood business." "Neither he did."- cried our prisoner "not a won!. I chose- his launch be cause I heard that she was a flyer. We told him nothing, but we paid him well, and he was to pet something handsome if we reached our v ssel. the Esmeralda, at tlravesoin!. outward bound for the Itrazils." "Well, if he has done no wrong we shall see that no wrong comes, to him. If we are pretty quick in ditching our men, we are not so quick in condemn; ing them." It was amusing to notice how the consequential Jones was al ready beginning to give himself airs on the strength of the capture. From the slight smile which played over Sher lock Holmes face. 1 could see that the speech had not been lost upon him. "We will lie at Vauxliall bridge presently, said Jones, "and shall land yon. Dr. Watson, with the treasure box. I need hardly tell you that I am taking a very grave responsibility upon myself in doing this. It is most irreg ular: but of course an agreement is an agreement. I must, however, as a mat ter of duty, send an inspector with you. since you have so valuable a charge. You will drive, no doubt?" "Yes. I shall drive." "It is a pity there is no key. that we may make an inventory first. You will have to break it open. Where is the key. my man?" "At the bottom of the river," said Small, shortly. "Hum! There was no use you giv ing this unnecessary trouble. We have had work enough already through you. However, doctor. I need nut warn you to ) careful. ISring the box back with you to the baker street rooms. You will rind us there on our way to the station." They landed me at Vanxhall with my heavy iron lox anil with a bluff, genial inspector as my companion. A quarter of an hour's drive brought us to Mrs. Vcil Forrester's. The servant seemed surprised at so late a visitor. Mrs. t'ecil Forrester was out for the evening, she explained, and likely to be very late. Miss Morstan. however, was in the drawing-room; no to the drawing-room I went, box in hand, leaving the obliging inspector in the cab. She was seated by the open window, dressed in some sort of white diaphan ous material, with a little touch of scarlet at the neck and waist. The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair, playing over her sweet, grave face, and tinting with a dull metallic sparkle the rich coils of her luxuriant hair, one white arm and hand drooped over the side of the chair, and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy. At the sound of my foot fall she sprang to her feet, however, and a britrht flush of surprise and of I JTd. "i 1 yl come Vpfltned h -wr of Jir-. 7 Je thing better than nK I, putting down the box . s. i WwV-c and. speaking jov ially j.'m.W bctroatfj, ! tMb my heartw -T.frttv,'oi-'".l:Jiave bf2;l, jw - i.lZmg hte la wort h all .' -tiM "Mww-nta' world. . I have brotafc J"jb fortvae.7 - . " Shy-lMt at the oB boi.' "I? that '.the' ..treasure,-' then?" she asked, coolly enough. "Yes. this is the great Agra treasure. Half of it is yours ami half is Thaddeus Sholto's. Yon will have a couple of hundred thousand each. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. Ther.e will te few richer young ladies in England. Is it not glorious?" 1 think that I must have been rather overacting my delight, and thnt she detected a htillow ring in my congratu lations, for 1 saw her eyebrows rise a little, and she glanced at me curiously. "If I huve it." said she. "I owe it to you." "No, no." I answered, "not. to me. but to my friend Sherlock Holmes. With all tlie will in the world. 1 eoc.1.1 never have followed up : How which has taxed even his analytical genius. As it was. we very nearly lost it at the last moment-" "1'ray sit flown and toll me all tilxuit it. I'r. Watson." said she. I narrated briefly whsit had occurred since 1 had seen her last Holmes' new method of search, the disoovcrv of the Aurora, the uppeuruiioe of Athelney Jones, our expedition in the evening, and the wild chase down the Thames. She listened w ith parted lips and shiu ingeyes to my recital o( ouriidvouturos When I spoke of the dart which had m. narrowly missed us. she turned .m. white that I (cured she was about U faint. "It is nothing." she said, as 1 hastened to pour her some water. "1 am all right again. Itwasa shock ti me to hear that I had placed my friend in such horrible peril." "That isnll over." I answered. "I . was nothing. 1 will tell yon no more gloomy details. Lot us turn to something brighter. There is the treasure. What could W brighter than l lint'.' I pot leave to bring it with me. thinking that it would interest you to W the tirst to see it. "It would le of the greatest interest to me," she said. There was no eager ness in In r voice, however. It struck her. doubtless, that it might seem un gracious upon her part to lie indiffer ent to a prie w hich had cost so much to win. "What a pretty box!" she said, stoop ing over it. "This is Indian work. I suppose?" "S'es: it is lVrarrs metal-work." "And o heavy !' she exclaimed, try ing t raise it. "The Uix alone must le of some value. Where is the key?" "Small threw it into the Thames." I answered. "I must Iw.rrow Mrs. For rester's poker." There was in the front a thick and bmad hasp, wroutrht in the image of a sitting Buddha. I'nder Ibis I thrust the rnd of the poker and twisted it outward as a lever. The hasp sprang open with a loud snap. With trembling fingers 1 flung !ack the hd. We both stood gazing in astonishment. The box was empty! No wonder that it was heavy. The iron work was two-thirds of . an inch thick all round. It was massive, well made and solid, likeachest constructed to carry things of great price, but not one shred or crumb of metal or jewelry lay within it. It was absolutely and completely empty. The treasure is lost," said Miss Morstan. calmlv. As I listened to the words, and real- izoil what they meant, a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul. I did not know how this Agra treasure hail weighed me down, until now- that it was finally removed. It was selfish, no doubt, disloyal, w Tong, but I could realize nothing save that the golden barrier was gone from between us. "Thank Wod!" I ejaculated from my very heart. She looked at me with a quick, ques tioning smile. "Why do you say that?" she asked. " Because you are within my reach again." I said, taking her hand. She ilid not withdraw it. "Because I love you. Mary, as truly as ever a man loved a woautn. Kecajise this treasure. "THK TRKASt'KIC IK I.OST, M OUST AN. A1U MISS these riches, sealed iny lips. Now that they are gone I can tell you how I love vou. That is why I said: "Thank "od."" "Then I say Thank !.xl." too," she whispered, as I drew her to my side. Whoever had lost a treasure, I knew thnt night that I had trained one. (CONTIXl'ED NEXT WKEK.) Cholera Morbus is a dangerous complaint, and often is fatal in its re sults. To avoid this you should use De Witt's Colic and Cholera Cure, as soon as the first symptoms appear. Geo. II. H ask ins, druggist. --House and lot for sale. Inquire a this oflic;. BEBE, CUURTD-WiEF. Queer Oaroe: Z . am T The nimtnuHes) Omimi. by King ftaiilnlnu of polaaa Knmrroun I'orlls to Which the Uttle Fellow Was Exposed Ilia Last Iny. The story of Ilebo is a quaint bit of last century's history, which has just been rescued from oblivion by a Conti nental Dryasdust. Hebe is supposed to have been the littlest man who ever lived, says the New York Sun. Ho was borne by a peasant woman in Iorraino just l.'iO years ago. and was called Ik-bo because the first few years of his life ho could articulate only "h-b." The day of l is birth llebo was smaller than his mother's hand. Ton days afterward he was taken to tho village church to be baptised in his mother's wooden shoe, been use he was too tiny to be carriod safely in hor arms. During the next six months the same wooden shoe served as Hclic's crib. Hobo's early childhood was unevent ful. Ho did not grow and he did not talk. He was famous throughout lAirruine, however, as the cunningost and tiniest bit of humanity over soon. Ho was perfectly proportioned, had wonderfully largo and beautiful brown oy s. and was remarkably active upon his diminutive lops. When Hebe was about seven yt-ars old King Stanislaus Ijosczynski of Poland, who was then living in lAtrraine. hoard what a wonderful littlo follow he was. and ordorod the child's father to bring him to court, Hebe. Sr., carried his son to the royal palace in a small basket. At time of his introduction to court life Hobo was just twenty inches tall and weighed eight pounds. Ho never grew larger. At first the King tried to loach him jokes and fairy stories and bits of questionable poetry. Hebe's in telligence, however, was not equal to the demands thus made upon it. His memory was so weak thai ho forgot one hour what he had learned the hour be fore. Reading and writing were for him quite impossible. With all these fail ings, however, he was by no means a failure as a court dwarf. He had a sweet little voice, a pood ear for music, and nimble logs. He could dance and and kick and sing with the best of the King's courtiers. He was very useful as a table ornament, at all the King's great banquets. His most famous appearance in this rather curious role took place at a dinner which Siuilaus gate to the kinbassauor of a grout power in IT. VS. In the middle of the tkhlc was an im mense sugar castle. Shortly before the guests rose to lnave, the door of the custle opened, and a knight in full arm or stepped out with a drawn sword in his right band. All the guests thought the knigbi must be some wonderful automaton w hich the King had obtained from the skilled mechanics across tbe Rhine. He wasn't, however. He was none other than little Bebe. He walked around the table, shook his sword in the fsce of every guest, saluted the King, and then turned hack to tbe castle en trance, w cere no assumed tbe position ff sentry. At a signal from tbe King every one at the table began to bombard Dim with small sugar balls. Belie hur ried at once into tbe castle, locked th door, mounted the tower, and pretended to return the fire by setting off a lot of perfumed explosives. Within ten or twelve years after Hebe's appearance at court he was one of th most celebrated persons in royal so ciety on the i-ontinent. Wiih fame, however, came to him numerous perils. All the sovereigns of Europe were cotci ing him. and many of them tried hard to steal him. In 1"."S the Empress Cath erine, of Russia, sent un eic.ssary after him to the court of the 1'olish King. Ijite one evening, when the royal palace was almost deserted. Catherine's emis sary snapped Hebe up ami stuffed him into the pocket of his great coat. Hebe screamed so lustily that he revealed the plot lo the guard at the door. The omis stry wa arrestHl and Behe was resou'd. Not long afterward Robe accompanied Stanislaus to the court of I.ouis XV. in Versailles, whom he again narrowly es caped alMluction. A lady of the French court had boon holding him in her lap between the courses of a court dinner. Suddenly she rose to leave the room. Her first step was accompanied by a shrill cry f nm th ftld.k"'of "her gown: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, this lady has stuck me in her pocket, and is run ning avay with me." The voice was l!-be's. He was immediately dragged from the court lady's pocket anil placed under the guard of two pages, who were instructed by King Stanislaus to watch him day and nipbt. The perils throuph which he had passed, and the strict surveillance to which he was now subjected, depressed Itche's spirits and demoralised his nervous system. Ho became melan choly, morose, round-shouiderod and hagpard. The King thought he needed a companion to cheer him up. and there fore married him with great pomp and ceremony to Therese Souvray, a dwarf of about his age and slightly greater stature. That was the last drop in Hebe's cup. Two weeks after his mar riage he lost his mind. He ceased to talk entirely, ate little, and passed most of his time in his crib. His honeymoon was hardly up when he died. Shortly before his death his clouded mind was cleared in a most re markable manner. His memory, which hud always been weak and after his marriage had vanished, sodddenly re turned. He recollected all the inci dents of his early childhood, his mother's face, which he had not seen for fifteen years, and all the songs which had been taught him sincq his advent to court. Bebe was just twenty-one years old when ho died. His wifo Therese survived him fort-two years. Jlud Lost Her (Jui-r. Slip wmiteil to t.ikM snnir) lfon :n arelu-ry, Imt lu- wan vrry, very vciM.-int. "Have joii H how nml c;i;Iver?" usl.rtl Un Ifj'cll-!'. Ye ye jm," h hosi!.itil, "I l-r.Tr a W ii. l'lit, 1 hiivm't. quiver ! niijvr. lie's hem rominit for alit- lw mr.mliK now, hih'i I'm utetl to it." Ys.!.l..ii;;;'v:i Critic. NOT GENERALLY KNOWN. Asafodtida is a vegetable, not an ani mal product. It is prepared from the roots of a plant extensively grown in Persia, Itcloochistan and Afghanistan. Pt'RK gold is said to be twenty-four carats. Thus eightecn-carat gold con tains eighteen carats of the pure metal in twenty-four, or is three-fourths pnre. The most expensive drug is physostig mine, two ounces of which would cost nearly 8i!,000,000. It is a preparation from the calabar bean, and is of use in eye diseases. Takk in your hand acrystal of quartz, a stick of deal, a daisy and an acorn, and you will not find in them a single element of matter that is not also found in your physical frame. It is usually said that there are but seven nine-lettered monosyllable words in the English language, viz.: Scratched, stretched. crunched, scranched, sc reeched, squelched and staiinchcd. Dinrrhoen should he stopped fromptly. It soon becomes chronic. )eWilt's Colic and Cholera Cure is ef fective, safe and certain. Hundreds of testimonials bear witness to the virtue of the great medicine. It can itlways b) depended upon, its use saves timu and money. Coo. II. Husking, druggist. W Bt 'av a-B-B-a-aa, -aw for Infants and Children. OTHERS, Do You Know that Paregoric Batman's Drop. Godfrey ' Cordial, many so-called Soothing Syrup, aad M most remedies for children are composed of opium or morphine? fX VOW Know that opium and morphine are stupefying narcotic pouoasr Do Toa Know that in most countries druggists are not permitted toftcli narcotics without labeling them poisons ? To Ton Know that yon should not unless you or your physician know of what it is composed ? Do To Know that Castoria ei a purely vegetable preparation, and that a li its ingredients is published with every bottle f That it has beea ia use for nearly thirty years, and that more Cast oris, is now sold of all other remedies for children combined ? IX Von Know that the Patent other countries, have issued exclusive right " Cflksvtorf as ' and its formula, and that to imitate them is a state prison offense? Po Toa Know that one of the reasons for granting this government protection was because Castoria bad been proven to be aitMtolately harmltai 7 lo Yea Know that J$ average doses of Castoria are furnUhed for SS CCBtS, oronecect a dose? Do Tom Know that when posseswdof this perfect preparation, your children may be Lrpt well, and that you may have unbroken rest ? WfH. ttie-we- thloari are worth knowing. They are facts. Tag tasxilanlle lraatare of Children Cry for Union Ltivery Stables, C. n ING US & SON, Proprietors, Successor to ED. WOK.M AN. . . . . .,u v? ' T'C t"3 v Having lately purchased this popular stable atvd; aiscktyi .((..with new rigs, safe and fast teatus I am now prepared to mat th.Vaate the traveling public in a satisfactory niaMr. " ' CORNER SKYEXTlf ANI R. MKDFORD, tH?cToX. THE VERY BEST OF BRICK AND MASON ISTfMT OR n9 lyBWSi. I manufacture a splendid article of Rrick see samples everywhere about the city. Yard one block north of Brewery. Residence north C street, Med ford, Oregon. MEDFORD BRICK YARD, : Gr. AV. PEIDDY, Prop'r. MEDFORD. ... OREGON. First-class quality of Brick always promptly filled. BRICK WORK OF ALL KINDS PROMPTLY EXECUTED. Oive me a call when in need of anything in my line l., M, CONTRACTOR ANDgUILDER. Jobbing of all kinds. All work guaranteed first-class. Tlans and estimates furnished or all kind of work either brick, or wood. Hills of LUMBER of all kinds' tilled on short notice. Snsta. Poors aud Mill wort of i Kind any ttatnf in the shape of wcod work ean be had on short notice. Medford, ------- Oregon Wanderings of a I-etter. A letter with a history passed throuph Bath, Me., the other day. It was di rected to Captain It. S. Kairden, Manila, Philippine Islands, and, as the hand writing showed, was written by Capta n Rairden's sister, Mrs. Abbie Peterson, who, with her husband, was lost at sea, six years ago. Across, tbe end of the letter was written a direction to return the letter to Hath in case Captain Rairden's vessel had sailed. Tbe latter has thus been wandering over the world for six years, and though some what faded, the envelope has not beea opened and is in excellent condition. Captain Rairden is now in business in Anjnr, Java, and the letter has been sent on its way to that place. In the quaint old Anglican church of CapoI-le-Ferne, near Dover, there is no provision for lighting it at night, and at the evening service those whe attend are in the habit of bringing candles and lamps along with them. ROYAL Baking Powder. Highest of all la leavening Strength U. S. Oovernment Report, Legal Blanks for sale at this office. sNJJsS 03 l-w. permit any medicine to be given your ch Office Department of the United Slates, and of to Dr. Pitcher and his assigns to use the word ffi&ttu la Pitcher's Castoria WORK. on hand. Large and small him. 2 U V3