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morning, provided the candle was lit about eight oclock yesterday eveningwhich I am betting it wasand provided there was an explosive in the cabin and connected with that end of the fusewhich I am also betting there was, though I cant prove it. Boys, the barrel is there in the chaparral, the candles remains are in it in the tin stick; the burnt-out fuse is in the gimlet-hole, the other end is down the hill where the late cabin stood. I saw them all an hour or two ago, when the Professor here was measuring off unimplicated vacancies and collecting relics that hadnt anything to do with the case. He paused. The house drew a long, deep breath, shook its strained cords and muscles free and burst into cheers. Dang him! said Ham Sandwich, thats why he was snooping around in the chaparral, instead of picking up points out of the Pfessors game. Looky herehe aint no fool, boys. No, sir! Why, great Scott But Stillman was resuming: While we were out yonder an hour or two ago, the owner of the gimlet and the trial-candle took them from a place where he had concealed themit was not a good placeand carried them to what he probably thought was a better one, two hundred yards up in the pine woods, and hid them there, covering them over with pine needles. It was there that I found them. The gimlet exactly fits the hole in the barrel. And now The Extraordinary Man interrupted him. He said, sarcastically: We have had a very pretty fairy-tale, gentlemenvery pretty indeed. Now I would like to ask this young man a question or two. Some of the boys winced, and Ferguson said, Im afraid Archys going to catch it now. The others lost their smiles and sobered down. Mr. Holmes said: Let us proceed to examine into this fairy-tale in a consecutive and orderly wayby geometrical progression, so to speaklinking detail to detail in a steadily advancing and remorselessly consistent and unassailable march upon this tinsel toy-fortress of error, the dream-fabric of a callow imagination. To begin with, young sir, I desire to ask you but three questions at presentat present. Did I understand you to say it was your opinion that the supposititious candle was lighted at about eight oclock yesterday evening? Yes, sirabout eight. Could you say exactly eight? Well, no, I couldnt be that exact. Um. If a person had been passing along there just about that time, he would have been almost sure to encounter that assassin, do you think? Yes, I should think so. Thank you, that is all. For the present. I say, all for the present. Dern him! hes laying for Archy, said Ferguson. Its so, said Ham Sandwich. I dont like the look of it. Stillman said, glancing at the guest, |
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