The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-01-10
LOGIC AS A FINE ART.
SHERLOCK HOLMES, JR., GIVES Evi-
DENCE OF HIS SKILL.


Takes a Man He Never Saw Before
and In an Instant Finds Himself In
Possession of the individuals Pri-
vate History.
"Hah!" exclaimed Sherlock Holmes,
Jr., pausing suddenly and looking at a
man who had stopped ut the corner to
wait for car.
"Do you know himT asked his COM
panion.
II never saw him BEFORE" Mr.. Holmes
answered. II have never heard his
name. Until this moment l have been
unaware of his existence. He is mar
ried man. He has been married twice.
He has son, and that son is the child OF
his first wife. He and his second wife
have had no children"
''Ah, Sherlock" said the other, full of
amazement and curiosity, you are a
constant source Of wonder to me. Often
| find myself lying awake at night think
ing about you and asking myself whether
you are really human or not"
The great amateur detective permitted
himself to smile family. This was unusu-
al for him. After brief silence he re-
| piled:
| IlpTe Is uU TedSUn why yOu obOuiN
| ask yourself such questions. There is
] nothing supernatural about these demon
/ STATIONS of mine. Observation-that is
| the secret of it all. DO you know how
! many cracks or joints there are in the
| sidewalk between your office door and the
corner where you take the carp
| "Why. no." his astonished friend re-
| piled.
"Can you tell me how many Of your
/ elevator boys teeth are filled with anal
| gamW
Certainly not. I never looked at his
teeth"
Gust as I thought. No wonder, then
that you are astonished at my wonderful
deductions. Now, suppose you are anx
ious to find out how know that this maj
has been a widower and is"married agaii
and has one child, the son of his hrs
wife,"
eyes, would like to have you explain
it. But / can't imagine what the crack
in the sidewalk and the amalgam in on
elevator boys teeth have to do with tn
case"
"There you 60 jumping at wild conclu
sions," Mr.. Holmes said, somewhat impa
tiently. "That is the thing to avoid in a
cases. Don't jump at your conclusions
Reach them by cool, deep reasoning. In
sidewalk and the elevator boy do not Ell
ter into this particular question: 70 begi
with, then, know that the man has
, son because he bought one of those climl
, ing sailors from that street fakir-one
those tin manikins, you see, that go U
, and down the string"
! "Yes, saw him do that"
: every good. / am glad that under m
! instructions you are at last beginning
notice things. Now, of course he wouldn
buy a cheap toy like that for any be
! but his own because he is well dresst
T and apparently well to do, and glan'
! at his face is enough to show any OF
= who has made a study of human natu
! that he Is anxious to have the wor
: think well of him. A quarter is the We
least he would squander on any 9th
! persons boy. II his child were not
!. son, he would have bought cheap d.
! or a book, and that he has only one 81
is proved by the fact that he didn't b.
:, more climbing sailors. No sane faith
y would think of taking just one toy to
7 home that was made happy by more tn
- one child. So you see we have clear a
: abundant evidence on this point"
eyes, but how do you know he b
u been married t,yioo and that this hoy I
a whom he has bought the climbing sail
i, is the child of his first wifeT'
"A "Now," said Holmes as he picked
~, long, brown hair from his friends CO
~ sleeve, tive approach the INTEREST,"
=, point. See! He is looking at his wat
y again. saw him do that before, and
=, noticed something that you probably
- not observe even now. There is lad
y, portrait pasted on the inside Of the cas-
~ what does that signifyT"
w. "Ah, my dear sir, Pm afraid you v
ne never learn to be great amateur
- tective. That portrait on the inside
"a "a the case is picture of his second wife
e. "But men often have pictures of tn
~ first wives in their watch cases."
~ mot after the only son comes
~ town. It's the boys picture that goes
- them, to stay till the second wife
- rives. When she becomes mother, r
NY haps he will have the courage to ms
=, another change, but not before"
- Having said which the wonderful $
dent of human nature went upon
on way, leaving his friend in a state Of Sc
~ ~ observation-disclosures Times-Herald.