THE SUNDAY OKEGONIAN, PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 12, 1905.
33
immmsm i
K3ssv added, with a touch of gallantry: "I do
BY LOUISE LEXINGTON.
ON THE first morning of her advent
In the dingy -office of the Tarrytown
Times, Margaret Mills dispelled all
doubt from, the mind of the male contin
gent of the force that a girl would be able
to "hold down a case" on that important
Bheet. After having set up a "take" In
the editor's own handwriting with scarce
ly a halt, she was voted a brick by all
present. This opinion was shared by
Maxwell Strong, the editor, whose one
proud boast was that his chlrography
was as bad, if indeed not worse, than
Horace Greeley's.
Margaret's place in the city was
usurped by the machines, and she had
come to the country office simply as a
compositor, but before long her duties be
came varied. She was so quick, so en
tirely capable and reliable that finally it
fell to her lot to revise all proof, edit
country locals, and to even supply an oc
casional lack of copy by an intelligent
use of the shears. She was allowed to
count all time thus employed as equiva
lent to 1000 "ems" per hour, which, as a
printer Knows, was a generous arrange
ment for Margaret.
One day, when busy at other tasks.
Maxwell took up her "stick." finished the
copy on her case and "dumped" the type
on her galley. But Margaret promptly
credited this gift to a jiew compositor
one "Slug M" when "pasting up her
string." at the end of the week, and laid
the proof upon Maxwell's desk without a
word. The editor had liked her from that
moment.
Once he had said to her, solicitously:
"Little girl, let mo lift that for you." in
dicating a full galley of type which she
had taken up, and she had laughingly re
plied: "How old do you think I am. Mr.
Strong?"
"Twenty-five," came the direct answer,
without a moment's hesitation. At this
THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
d& Continued From Page 32 d -iff
but the back, which was turned toward us.
Three years had certainly not smoothed
the asperities of his temper or his Im
patience with a Jess active intelligence
than his own.
"Of course, it has moved," said he. "Am
J such a farcical bungler, Watson, that I
should erect an obvious dummy, and ex
pect that some of the sharpest men In
Europe would be deceived by it? We have
been In this room two hours, and Mrs.
Hudson has made some change In that
figure eight times, or once In every quar
ter of an hour. She works It from the
front, so that her shadow may never be
seen. Ah!" He drew in his breath with a
shrill, excited intake. In the dim light I
saw his head thrown forward, his whole
"attitude rigid with attention. Outside the
street was absolutely deserted. Those two
men might still be crouching in the door
way, but I could no longer see them. All
was still and dark, save only that bril
liant yellow screen In front of us with the
black figure outlined upon its center.
Again in the utter silence. I -heard that
thin, sibilant note which .spoke of intense
suppressed excitement. An instant later
he pulled me back Into the blackest corner
of the room, and I felt nls warning hand
upon my Hps. The fingers which clutched
me were quivering. Never had I known
my friends more moved, and yet the dark
street still stretched lonely uid nvotionlc:
before us.
But suddenly I was aware of that which
his keener senses had already distin-
uusned. A low, stealthy sound came to
, my cars, not from the direction of Baker
'street, but from the back of tho very house
In which we lay concealed. A door opened
and shut. An Instant later steps crept
down the passage steps which were
meant to be silent, but which reverberated
harshly through the empty house. Holmes
crouched back against the wall and I did
the same, my hand closing upon the handle
of my revolver. Peering through the
gloom. I saw the vague outline of a man.
shade blacker than the blackness of the
t open door. He stood for an instant, and
,then he crept forward, crouching, menace
'lng. into the room. He was within three
jards of ue, this sinister figure, and I had
braced myself to mec nls spring, before
I realized that he had no idea of our pres
ence. He passed close beside us, stole over
t-to the window, and very softly and noise-
?ssly raised It for half a foot. As he
sank to the level of this opening, the light
of the street, no longer dimmed by tho
dustj glass, fell full upon his face. The
man seemed to be beside himself with ex
citement. His two eyes shone like stars.
id his features were working convulsive-
lr. He was an elderly man, with a thin.
Injecting nose, a high, bald forehead
a huge grizzled mustache. An
bra hat was pushed to the back
his head, and an evening dress
rt front gleamed out through
K open overcoat. His -face was gaunt
swarthy, scored with deep, savage
les In his hand he carried what ap-
ired to be a stick, but as he laid it on
floor It gave a metallic clang. Then
im tho pocket of his overcoat he drew
'-bulky object, and ho busied himself in
some task which ondod with a loud, sharp
she made some playful protest, and he
added, with a touch of gallantry: "I do
not Judge by your looks; you do not. look
over 0. But your mind Is as matured
and as logical as a woman's of 25. You
could scarcely be younger than thaL"
Margaret had liked him from that time
forth. She was 26. .
The handsome pressman promptly lost
his heart to the new compositor, and, as
Inevitably follows, his appetite and all
Interest in his work; whereupon Strong,
with only kindest Intent, bade him be off
for a vacation, much to the other's secret
disgust. The presswork being at a low
ebb. as was usual through the Summer.
Charley Brown had no alternative but to
accept the invitation, but In so doing
he declared to himself that Strong was
not putting up a fair fight: that some day
he would get even. And he did.
In the meantime the friendship between
the sunny-haired typo and the editor
flourished and grew apace. There were
tangles in the copy that thes must needs
puzzle out together, which brought the
dark head perilously near the fair one.
so near at times that the owner of the
former could snatch fleeting glimpses
into the clear depths of two gray-blue
eyes. And when the lashes drooped hast
ily, as the eyes bent again to their task,
it seemed to Maxwell like the clanging of
the gates of Paradise.
They met one July morning before work
hours, that Maxwell might show Mar
garet his favorite haunt, a beautiful path
through a wood that no one else seemed
ever to frequent. Gayly colored warblers
abounded there, .and Maxwell knew the
little songsters by heart and by name.
On this morning there was a rare concert
in progress, and they stood quite still
to listen on the brown leaves where the
Altering sunlight cast Its golden en
chantment. "Do you like It, Mar Margaret may
I?" spoke Maxwell softly, and she re
plied: "Oh, It Is like some lovely dream
set to music; each note is an Inspira
tion:"' Then smiling Into his eyes, "You
may why not?"
On a starlight night he had walked
from church with her. and before realiz
ing it had confided all of his ambitions,
not omitting the secret hope In his heart
click; as if a spring or bolt had fallen Into
Its place. Still kneeling upon the floor
he bent forward and threw all his weight
and strength upon some lever, with the
result that there came a long, whirling,
grinding noise, ending once more In a
powerful click. He straightened himself
then, and I saw that what he held in his
hand was a sort of a gun, with a curious
ly misshapen butt. He opened it at the
breech, put something in. and snapped
the breech-lock. Then, crouching down,
he rested the end of the barrel upon the
ledge of the open window, and I saw his
long moustache droop over the stock and
his eye gleam as it peered along the
sights. I heard a lltUe sigh of satis
faction as ho cuddled the butt into his
shoulder, and saw that amazing target,
the black man on the yellow ground,
standing clear at the end of his fore
sight. For an instant he was rigid and
I motionless. Then his finger tightened
on the trigger. There was a strange,
loud whizz and a. long, silvery tinkle of
broken glass. At that instant Holmes
sprank like a tiger on to the marksman's
back, and hurled him flat upon his face.
He was up again in a moment, and with
convulsive strength he seized Holmes by
the throat, but I struck him on the head
with the butt of my revolver, and he
dropped again upon the floor. I fell
upon him. and as I held him my comrade
blew a shrill call upon a whistle. Thero
was the clatter of running feet upon the
pavement, and two policemen in uni
form, with one plain-clothes detective,
rushed through the front entrance and
into the room.
"That you, Lestrade?" said Holmes.
"Yes. Mr. Holmes. I took the Jog my
self. It's good to see you back In Lon
don, sir."
"I think you want a HtUe unofficial help.
Three undetected murders in one year
won't do, Lestrade. But you handled the
Molesey Mystery ' with less than your
usual that's to say, you handled It fair
ly well."
We had all risen to our feet, our pris
oner breathing hard, with a stalwart
constable on each side of him. Already a
few loiterers had begun to collect In "the
street. Holmes stepped up to the window,
closed It, and dropped the blinds. Les
trade had produced two candles, and the
policemen had uncovered their lanterns,
t was able at last to have a good look
at our prisoner.
It was a tremendously virile and yet
sinister face which was turned towards
us. With the brow of a philosopher
above and the Jaw of a sensualist be
low, the man must have started with!
6'i ttpacwes xor good or Tor evil.
But one could not look upon his cruel
bluo eyes, with their drooping, cynical
lid.?, ,or upon the fierce, aggressive
noso and threatening, deep-lined brow,
without reading Nature's plainest
danger-signals. He took no heed of
any of us. but his eyes were fixed upon
Holmes' face wltji an expression In
which hatred and amazement were
equally blended. "You fiend!" he kept
muttering, "you clever, clever liond!"
"Ah. Colonel!" said Holmes, rrang
Ing his rumpled collar, ""Journeyj? end
of one day winning the love of a good
girl a girl like herself and of having
a home and fireside of his own.
And then as theyj stood at the gate.
Margaret, very sweet and dainty In her
soft Summer gown, looked up at the
stars, and repeated more to herself than
to Maxwell:
"Silently,- one by one. In the Infinite
meadows -of heaven.
Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots
of the angels."
It may have been the witchery of the
languorous night, or the witchery of the
maid herself; but when she extended to
him her hand at parting, suddenly Into
Maxwell's eyes appeared something that
Margaret had never .seen there before
something swift and dangerous and
catching her to himself he kissed her
"full upon the mouth." Margaret could
only whisper. "Please, oh. please!" and
escaping from his arms ran Into the house
without so much as saying good-night.
Maxwell, not understanding girls in
the least, thought he had offended her
beyond pardon; and afterwards constru
ing her new shyness with himself as
studied coldness, berated himself as a
fool. He said "an old fool." as being the
biggest of all. Maxwell was 3S.
Believing he could never forglvo himself
If Margaret would decide to leave Tarry
town, at the eurliest opportunity he at
tempted an apology. And such an apol
ogy! He started In by begging her to
forget that he had made such a fool of
himself.
"You wish me to understand, sir," Mar
garet began interrogattvelv, rising to her
feet.- with flashing eyes. ' '
"That I would give worlds to undo
what -I have done." protested Maxwell
earnestly. "1 am an Idiot. T had no
right, and I I hope you will forgive me
and forget It," he concluded lamely, not
thinking for a moment that a construo
tiori could be placed upon his words which
was little less than an Insult to the
proud girl.
So constantly was he In fear of annoy
ing her afterwards bj his very presence
that he avoided her even more than she
avoided him. If that were possible. And
then, fortunately for Margaret, during
this strained relationship there came a
letter offering her a coming vacancy In
the city, so she left shortly with an un
accountable heaviness at ,her heart, which
she was too proud to own, much less to
define.
Afterwards, the longing to see her
once more came upon Maxwell with Ir
In lovers" meetings," as the old play
8nvs. I don't think I have had tnc
pleasure of seeing you since you fav
ored me with those attentions as I lay
on the ledge above the Reichenbach
Fail."
'"ic Colonel tUI stared at my friend
like a man In a trance. "You cunning,
cunn:ng fiend." was all that he could
say. i
"I have not introduced you yet." said 1
Holmes. "This, gentlemen. Is Colonel j
Sebastian Moran. once of her Majesty's '
Indian Army, and the best""iieavy-game :
shot that our Eastern Empire has ever .
produced. I believe I am correct, Colo- j
nel. In saying that your bag of tigers
still remains unrivaled?"
The fierce old man said nothing, but .
still glared at my companion withJ
his savage eyes and bristling mustache, j
he was wonderfully like a tiger him-
self.
"I wonder that my very simple strat
agem could deceive so old a shikari,"
said Holmes. "It must be very familiar
to you. Have you not tethered a
young kid under a tree, lain above it !
with your rifle and waited for the bait i
to bring up your tiger? This empty j
house Is my tree and you are my tiger. :
You have possibly had other guns in
reserve in case there should be several j
tigers, or in the unlikely supposition of
your own aim failing you. These." he
t
nolnte.1 jiroiinit. "ure m other ffimt '
Tne parallel is exact." 1
Colonel Moran sprang forward with i
a 'snarl of rage, but the constables j
dragged nlm back. The fury upon his !
face was terrible to look at. J
"I confess that you had one small
surprise for me." said Holmes. "1 did 1
not anticipate that you would your- !
self make use of this empty house and !
this convenient front window. I had
imagined you as operating from the i
street, where my friend Lestrade and
his merry men were -awaiting you.
With that exception, all has gone as
1 expected."
Colonel Moran turned to the official
detective.
"You may or may not have just cause
for arresting me." said he. "but at
least there can be no reason why I
should submit to the gibes of this per
son. If I am In the hands of the law,
let things be done In a legal way."
"Weli. that's reasonable enough."
said Lestrade. "Nothing further you
have to say, Mr. Holmes, before we
go?"
Holmes had picked up the powerful
alrgun from the floor and was exam
ining its mechanism.
"An admirable and unique "weapon."
said he, "noiseless and of tremendous
power. I knew Von Herder, the blind
German mechanic, who constructed it
to the order of the late Professor Mo
rlarty. For years I have been aware
of its existence, though I have never
before had the opportunity of handling
It. I commend It very specially to your
attention. Lestrade. and also the bullets
which fit It."
JTou qan trust us to look after that.
resistible force, following him through
his waking hours and haunting him In
his dreams; so that he was moved to
write her a letter, a tender, pitiful ap
peal, begging her to allow him to occa
sional visit her at her home.
"I shall never breathe a word of my
love for you." he had written though
he had very stupidly not mentioned this
word before "If only we might at times
have one of our old friendly talks. How
dear to me our. little talks have been!
"Why, I would rather have your friend
ship, Margaret, even with the sobering
knowledge that you would never bs my
wife, than the love of any other -woman I
know. Forgive my bungling stupidity. Be
my friend and make mo glad."
It was Maxwell's custom to leave all
letters to be mailed upon his desk, to be
taken to the postofflce when the "devil"
should go for the mail In the morning; J
and arown coming in nrst ana looKing
them over, as was his custom, saw the
address of this one and intercepted it
without a scruple. It was the beginning
of his revenge for the vacation, which
had lasted ajmost through Margaret's
stay. v
Receiving no reply to his letter. Max
well made up his mind to forget. If pos
sible, the pain of caring so much for a
girl who scorned even his friendship.
And leaving others In charge, he went on
an extended Eastern trip, mailing a lead
er for the Times each day while absent.
Margaret received a paper dally, sent
her by Brown, and eagerly followed the
editor's acc6unts of his travels, reading
with keenness his impressions of an ed
itorial convention, and his descriptions of
the world's fair.
One day a local notice, blue penciled,
conveyed to Margaret the Intelligence
that Maxwell was on his was- home with
a wife, a schoolmate of his boyhood. And
Margaret was not surprised- It only
served to corroborate her In'" the belief
that he had attempted to flirt with her
while engaged to another "having no
right." as he expressed it.
After rejecting Charley Brown's suit
for the second lime, Margaret gradually
grew out of touch with Tarrytown.
Then something hapnened something
to raise this "story out of the common
place. It was the 14th of February- Mar
garet had returned home from work tired
and spiritless, and found her two younger
sisters laughing as they compared some
valentines they had received by mail. It
gave Margaret a sudden overwhelming
Mr. Holmes," said . Lestrade, as the
whole party moved towards the door,
"Anything further to say?"
"Only to ask what cnarge you .In
tend to prefer'"
"What charge sir? Why. of course,
the attempted murder of Mr. Sherlock
Holmes."
"Not so. Lestrade. I do not propose
to appear In the matter at all. To you,
and to you only, belongs the credit of
the remarkable arrest which you have
effected. Yes. Lestrade. I congratulate
you! With your usual happy mixture
of cunning and audacity, you have got
him "
"Got him! Got whom. Mr. Holmes?"
"The man that the whole force has
been seeking in vain Colonel Sebas
tian Moran. who shot the Honorable
Ronald Adair with an expanding bullot
from an alrgun through the open win
dow of the second-floor front of No.
427 Park Lane, upon the 30th of last
month. That's the cnarge. Lestrade.
And now. Watson. If you can en
dure the draught from a broken
window. I think that half an hour In
my study over a cigar may afford you
some profitable amusement."
Our old chambers had been left un
changed through the supervision of My
croft Holmes and the Immediate care
of- Mrs. Hudson. As I entered I saw, it
Ls true, an unwonted tidiness, but the old
landmarks were all In tbelr place. There
was the chemical corner and the acld
fitained. deal-topped table. There upon a
shelf was the row of formidable scrap
books and books of reference which many
of our fellow-citizens would have been
so glad to burn. The diagrams, the vlo-lin-case,
and the pipe-rack even the Per
sian slipper which contained the tobacco
all met my eyes as I glanced round me.
There were two occupants of the room
one. Mrs. Hudson, who beamed upon, us
both as we entered the other, the strange
dummy which had played so Important a
part In the evening's adventures. It wa3
a wax-colored model of my friend, so ad
mirably done that It was a perfect fac
simile. It stood on a small pedestal table
with an old dressing-gown of Holmes !so
draped round it that the Illusion from the
street was absolutely perfect.
"I hope you preserved all precautions.
Mrs. Hudson?" said Holmes.
T went to It on my knee?, sir. Just as
you told me."
i "Excellent. You carried the thing out
very well. Did you observe where the
bullet went?"
"Yes. sir. I'm afraid it has spollt'your
beautiful bust, for it passed right through
the head and flattened Itself on the wall.
I picked It up from the carpet. Here It
Is!"
. Holmes held It out to me. "A soft re
volver bullet, as you perceive, Watson.
There's genius in that, for who wonld ex
pect to find such a thing fired from an alr
gun. All right. Mrs. Hudson. I am much
obliged for your assistance. And now,
Watson, let me see you In" your old seat
once more, for there are several points
which I should like to discuss with you."
He had thrown off the seedy frock coat,
and now he was the Holmes of old'-in tho
sense of loneliness, and murmuring some
thing about a sick headache, she hurried
to her room. When she had locked the
door she threw herself upon the bed,
and for the first time acknowledged to
herself the heartache that wa3 hers. Sob
after sob, without one single effort at
control, until the storm was spent, and
then Margaret sat up and dried her eyes,
as her mother pushed a thick letter under
her door, and cheerfully called to her:
"It came by mall. Margie. I am making
some tea for the headache."
Margaret opened the packet wonderlng
ly. and great was her astonishment when
the stolen letter, dated over half a year
before, fell out. together with a proof
of tho wedding notice that had "appeared
In the Times. In addition was a letter
from Maxwell, explaining what at first
seemed so mystifying. It ran:
"Dear Margaret You will probably be
surprised to learn that Brown Is married
and is leaving Tarrytown shortly. In
view of this latter fact. It has seemed
good to him to confess to a theft and a
deception which, at another time. I dare
say, he feared might have cost "him his
job. He. however. Insists that his wife
has urged him to this course. After the
regular Issue of the Times was run off
one evening Brown lifted a small notice,
and slipping this pleasant little fiction
about myself in its place, printed the
copy sent you. composing it and setting
it up himself, beforehand. He further
more appropriated unto himself the letter
sent herewith, which he discovered on my
desk ready for the mall. I have not yet
dealt with Brown. It Is just possible that
Mrs. Brown and I attach an Importance to
the whdlc affair that you will fall to rec
ognize. Suffice It for me to say that
with my dally Increasing sense of the
loss of something fair and sweet In life,
I want you to have the letter as I could
scarcely have doni six months before. I
shall await with Impatience yotir answer,
and In case you do not answer I shall
understand. Brown wtll have humbled
himself for naught and I will have cheat
ed myself with a glimmer of golden hope
before utter dreariness attain fettles
around me. For, oh, Margaret, it is like
that with me!"
Throe hours later, and It was the Jlth
hour, this little message went singing its
way over the wires to Tarrytown:
February 14.
IPO .
A VALENTINE.
Max: Come to me.
MARGIE.
r
mouse-colored dressing-gown which he
took from hla effigy.
"The old shikari's nerves have not lost
their steadiness, nor his eyes their keen
ness." said he. with a laugh, as he in
spected the shattered forehead of his bust.
"Plumb In the middle of the back of
the head and smack through the brain.
He was the best shot In India, and I ex
pect that. there are few better In London.
Have you heard the name?"
"No. I hnvc not."
"Well. well, such Is fame! But, then.
If I remember right, you had not heard
the name of Professor James Morlarty,
who had one of the great brains of the
century. Just give me down my Index of
biographies from the shelf."
He turned over the pages lazily. lean
ing back In his chair and blowing great
clouds from his cigar.
"My collection of M's Is a fine one."
said he. "Morlarty himself is enough to
make any letter illustrious, and here 13
Morgan the poisoner, 'and Merridew of
abominable memory, and Mathews, who
knocked out my left canine in the waiting
room at Charing Cross, and, finally, here
is our friend of tonight."
He handed over the book, and I read:
"Moran. Sebastian. Colonel. Unemployed.
Formerly First Bcngalore Pioneers. Born
London. 1840. Son of Sir Augustus Moran.
C. B.. "once British Minister to Persia.
Educated Eton and Oxford. Served In
JowakI campaign. Afghan campaign.
Charasiab (despatches). Shcrpur and Ca
bul. Author of 'Heavy Game of the West
ern Himalayas' (1S51): 'Three Months In
the Jungle C1SS4). Address: Conduit
street. Clubs: The Anglo-Indian, the
TankervIIIe. the Bagatelle Card. Club."
On tho margin was written. In Holmes
precise hand: "The second most danger
ous man In London."
"This Is astonishing." said I. as I hand
ed back the volume. "The man's career ls
that of an honorable so'dier."
"It Is true," Holmes answered. "Up to a
certain point he did well. He was always
a man of Iron nerve, and the atory Is still
told In India how he crawled down a drain
after a wounded man-eating tiger. There
are some trees, Watson, which grow to a
certain height, and then suddenly develop
some unsightly eccentricity. You will see
It often in humans. I have a theory that
the individual represents In his develop
raent the whole procession of his ances
tors, and that such a sudden turn to good
or evil stands for some strong influence
which came Into the line of his pedigree.
The person becomes, as It were, the epitome.-of
the history of his own family."
"It Is surely rather fanciful."
"Well. I don't Insist upon It. Whatever
the cause. Colonel Moran began to go
wrong. ' Without any open scandal, ho still
mado India too hot to hold him. He re
tired, came to London, and again acquired
an 'evil name. It was at this time that he
was sought out by Professor Morlarty,
to whom for a time he was chief of the
staff. Morlarty supplied him liberally
witi money, and used him only in one or
two very high-class Jobs, which no ordinary-
criminal could have undertaken. You
may have some recollection of tho death
of Mrs. Stewart, of Lauder, in 1SST. Not?
Well, I am sure Moran was at the bottom
of 1L but nothing could be proved. So
cleverly was the Colonel concealed that,
even when the Morlarty gang was -broken
up. we could not Incriminate him. You
remember at that date, when I called upon
you In your rooms, how I put up the shut
ters for fear of air-guns? No doubt you
thought me fanolfui. knew exactly what
I was. doing, for I knew of the existence
of this remarkable gun. and I knew also
that one of the best shots in the world
would be behind It. When we were In
Switzerland ho followed us with Morlarty.
and It was undoubtedly he who gave me
that evil five minutes on the Reichenbach
ledge.
"You may think that I read the papers
with some attention during my sojourn in
France, on the look-out for any chance
of laying him by the heels. So long as
he was free in London, my life would
really not have been worth living. Night
and day the shadow would have been over
fne. and sooner or later his chance must
have come. at could I do? I could not
shoot him at sight, or I should myself be
lu the dock. There was no use appealing
to a magistrate. They cannot interfere
on the strength of what would appear to
them to be a wild suspicion. So I could
do nothing. But watched the criminal
news, knowing that sooner or later I.
should get him. Then came the death of
this Ronald Adair. My chance had come
at last. Knowing what t did. was it not
certain that Colonel Mcran had done It?
He' had played cards with the Jad, he had
followed him home from the club, he had
shot him through the open window. There
was not a doubt of it. The bullets alone
are enough to put his heatl in a noose. I
came over at once. I was seen by the
sentinel, who would, I knew, direct the
Colonel's attention to my presence. He
could not fall to connect my sudden re
turn with his crime, and to be terribly
alarmed. I -was sure that he would make
an attempt to get me out of
the way at once and would bring
round his murderous weapon for that pur
pose.' I left him an excellent mark In
the window, and. having warned the police
that they might be needed by the way.
Watson, you spotted their presence In
that doorway with unerring accuracy I
took up what seemed to me to be a judi
Guarding President From Assassin
No Opportunity Now to Repeat Crime of Czolgosz at Buffalo.
mmrVASHINGTON, D. C. Feb. 6. (Spe
clal Correspondence of The Sun
day Oregonlan. "Hands out of
your pockets!"
"Hat In your left hand!"
The orders were quietly spoken, but
they were said so firmly that they were
never once disobeyed.
They showed that no President of the
United States will ever again have his life
in danger from a man or woman ap
proaching him with extended hand, cov
ered by a hat or handkerchief or some
thing else, and underneath a deadly
I weapon. No person will also get the op
portunity of shooting at a President
through the pockets of a coat or over
coat. The Secret Service will see to
that.
It was January 1 when these orders
were given to a few of the 4000 or 5000
visitors who shook hands with the chief
executive in the Bluo Parlor of the White
House. The long line of people, repre
senting every type on the face of the
earth, passed in through the main north
door, across the corridor to the Red Par
lor, through there to the Blue Parlor,
where the President stood, surrounded by
his receiving party, and, Incidentally, by
two Secret Service officers.
Just at the door, where the line entered
the Blue Parlor, within 20 feet of the
President, stood Chief Wllkle, of the Se
cret Service, and one of nis keenest,
brightest men. The orders were Impera
tive that no man should pass In through
that door with hla right hand holding his
hat or covered In any form; or with hla
right hand In his right overcoat pocket.
The day was cold and everybody wore an
overcoat. The line of people passed In
between the two sleuths, and whenever a
man carried his hat In his right hand or
his right hand In his pockets he heard
the quick but qule't command mentioned.
There was Instant obedience, too.
Every person passed the President on
his right and shook hands with the right
hand, consequently the precaution was a
good one. These Immense receptions are
so arranged, too, that the man In line
does not see the President until right upon
him. and It frequently happens that' a
slow-witted fellow has shaken hands with
the President and gotten a few steps be
yond before he realizes that his desire has
already been gratified.
Roosevelt Dislikes Protection.
The President himself gives little con
sideration to the possibilities of harm
from contact with thousands of curiosity
moved people. He has often said that It
the life of a President Is sought It would
bo easy to take from a distance with a
rifle or some other long-distance weapon,
but those whose duty It ls to guard the
President carefully leave nothing undone
to protect him against possibilities of va
rious kinds. . They devise all receptions
with as much view to his comfort and
safety as to anything else. The great
New Year receptions at the White House
furnish openings that are not "relished,
and that is why Secret Service men and
policemen are on duty- every few feet In
side the building and keep so close a
watch on the movements of the thousands
of people. No one Is refused a place In
the Hne.on that day. no matter who he Is.
what his record, or how forbidding he
looks. The great event is truly to the
public, and If Washington were a city like
New York or Chicago It would be Impos
sible to continue these receptions by rea
son of tho low characters who would take
advantage of the chance to get into the
White House on mischief bent, and es
pecially to work among the throng of peo
ple who remain in the parlors to watch
what Is going on. But Washington Is still
pretty free of fnich a class. The local
thieves are of too low an order to pass
the watching police.
Many people hope that Presldont Roose
velt will decide to abolish the New Year
receptions to the public. It was a cus
tom that originated with Presidents when
Washington wa3 a city of a few thou
sand people. The New Year crowds, at
the inception of the custom, probably
never exceeded a thousand people, and
they were mostly those In official life and
personal friends of the Chief Executive.
Slowly the reception has become one of
physical endurance with the President.
He must stand on his feet for three hours
or more and work his right arm up and
down 000 to 10.000 times, just to follow
precedent. At the last reception Presi
dent Roosevelt shook hands" with nearly
830O people, and he was doing' nothing
else for three and a quarter hours. Just
think of requiring that much physical
exertion from the Head of the Nation!
It would be better for the President to
head a parade and be wheeled around the
city, so that he could be seen by the
people.
Never Out of Sight.
Washington people are usually so ac
customed to Presidents. Senators. Cabi
net officers and ' other dignitaries that
they do not infringe upon the President
on his rounds in the city; but some thou
sands of them will Insist on punishing
him New Year's day. At any other time
he may walk the streets or drive wher
ever he desires, but there will be no at
tempt to disturb him or take up his
time by handshaking. Citizens who pass
him raise their hats or salute him ver
bally and pass on. President Boosevclt
is frequently on Washington streets
nearly always walking. Several weeks
ago he and Senator Lodge, of Massachu
cious post for observation, never dream
ing that he would choose the same spot
for his attack. Now. ray dear Watson,
does anything remain for me to ex
plain?" "Yes," I said. "You have not made it
clear what was Colonel Moran's motive
in murdering the Honorable Ronald
Adair?"
"Ah! my dear Watson, there we come
into those realms of conjecture, where
the most logical mind may be at fault.
Each may form his own hypothesis upon
the present evidence, and yours is as like
ly to be correct as mine."
"You have formed one. then?"
"I think that It is not difficult to ex
plain the facts. It came out in evidence
that Colonel Moran and young Adair had.
between them, won a considerable amount
of money. Now. Moran undoubtedly
played foul of that I have long been
aware. I believe that on the day of the
murder Adair had discovered that Moran
was cheating. Very likely he had spoken
to him privately, and had threatened to
expose him unless rTe voluntarily resigned
his membership of the club, and promised
not to pity cards again. It Is unlikely
that a youngster like Adair would at
once make a hfaeous scandal by exposing
a well-known man so much older than
himself. Probably he acted as I suggest.
The exclusion from his clubs would mean
ruin to Moran. who lived by his ill-gotten
card gains. He therefore murdered Adair,
who at the time was endeavoring to work
out how much money he himself should
return, since he could not profit by his
partner's foul play. He locked the door
lest the ladles should surprise him and
insist upon knowing what he was doinc
with these names and coins. Will it
pass?""
"I have no doubt that you have hit
upon the truth."
"It will be verified or disproved at
the trial. Meanwhile. (come what may.
Colonel Moran will trouble lis no more
The famous airgun of Von Herder will
embellish the Scotland Yard Museum,
and once again Mr. Sherlock Holmes i
fret to devote his life to examining
those 'nteresting little problems which
the complex life of London so plenti
fully presents." (Copyright 1903. by A.
Conan Doyle and Collier's Weekly.
Copyright, 1905, by McClure, Phillipa
& Co.)
setts, walked from near the point for
the new Connecticut-avenue bridge to tho
White House In just 20 minutes. The dis
tance Is close to two miles, and they
came near "walking the legs off" tha
secret service athlete whose duty it was
to keep near them and to watch for sus
picious characters. That is merely a.
sample of what the President can and
does do in the walking line. Shortly af
ter Secretaries Morton and Metcalf en
tered the Cabinet he Invited them to ac
company. him on a stroll of the suburbs.
When he got back with them. Secretary
Metcalf. an old Yale athlete, was so sore
ho could hardly walk for three days,
while Secretary Morton was also put
out of the game.
President Roosevelt rarely manages to
elude the secret service officers and get
away from the White House without one
or more of them near him. They are un
der the strictest Instructions from Chief
Wllkie never to lose sight of him. wher
ever he may be, and they follow these In
structions. He knows many of them per
sonally, likes them and speaks to. them
when he recognizes them. He gets
gllmpso of some of them at every turn,
outside the White House. When the Pres
ident first came to Washington to-"take
up tho executive duties he did not like
the idea of being followed everywhere by
offlcen. and many times he got away
from them by suddenly emerging from his
office for a long walk alone. In the course
of time, however, he came to look upon
them as necessary and valuable. He never
stops to consider whether they are around
when he goes for a walk or drive or starts
out to keep an engagement, but he Is not
surprised when he sees them near. The
President Is physically able to take care
of himself from the front, but it i3 in the
rear and sides that the careful officera
keep the closest watch.
Strict Vigilance Necessary.
The presence of numerous" secret service
officers wherever the President goes la
the outgrowth of the assassination of
President McKinley. at Buffalo. Up to
that tragic affair secret service men had
no place at the executive offices. During
tho first four years of President McKin
ley's first administration, even during all
the Spanish War, there was not a detec
tive on duty at the White House except
when receptions were held or thero was
some function that would draw stranger?.
The regular White House force of ushers
exercised a watch over the movements of
the President inside the building. This
did not extend to the outside. President
McKinley went for long walks through
the principal streets of Washington un
accompanied or followed by a soul. In the
middle of the day'a work, when his vis
itors had grown scarce, he would leave
his offices, go" out the rear door of
the building and take a stroll
through the grounds or neighboring
streets. He wanted tho sunshine and
fresh air and that was the only way he
could enjoy both. He didn't care much for
the exercise, as la the case with President
Roosevelt. One secret service officer al
ways accompanied President McKinley on
his Journeys through the country, as much
with the Idea of keeping him from being
too rudely jostled and handled by surging
crowds as anything else. Two detectivea
were with him when he was shot at Buf
falo, but that was the largest number
ever with him on a trip. There are two
or three times as many near President
Roosevelt when he goes out of town.
The first secret service man assigned to
duty in the beginning of the Roosevelt
administration was a poor fellow named
Craig. He was killed at Plttstteld. Mass..
at the time President Roosevelt's carriage
was struck by a street-car. He was sit
ting on the seat with the driver, and was
thrown under the car. He was an athlete
and a broadswordsman. He was like all
i..e men assigned to duty at the White
House, bright, active, muscular, quick.
George's Cherry Tree.
Amanda Waldron in Munsey"?.
I.
Oh. the little cherry-tree was a rustler!
Its leaves danced and twinkled In the breeze:
And it wore Its blossoms white,
And It3 cherries, corul-brlght.
Like a little crowned queen anion? the trees.
U.
Oh. the little cherry-tree waa a hustler!
It grew like a daisy in the sun: .
It lifted up its head.
And it spread and spread.
Until George cut It down Just tir fun.
III.
JCow the little cherry-tree la a teacher.
And Its scholars are the people of the land:
It teaches truth and pluck
Must forever bring good luck.
And It shouts the letsons out to beat the band;
IV.
And the little cherry-tree Is a preacher.
Preaenln? sermons with the hatchet for a. text.
"God and nature" so It speaks
"Hate the liars and the sneaks;
They're not wanted In this world nor in th
next."
V.
So the little cherry-tree la Immortal;
For centuries Its rmlt shall glitter red;
Trees that round It used to grow
Turned' to sawdust Ions ago,
But this fellow risea yearly from the dead.
VI.
Oh, little cherry-tree, by the portal
Ot Fame's historic temple you are ttl
And bccaiwe you had to die
Just to teach ua not to 11.?,
You're a. martyr, and wa'H canonize you yetl