Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-08-12
CHAPTER II-Continued.

From a drop of water" said the
writer, "a logician could infer the pos
sibility of an Atlantic or Niagara
without having seen or heard OF one
or the other. So all life is great
chain, the nature of which is known
whenever we are shown single INK
of it. Like all other arts, the science |
of deduction and analysis is one which
can only be acquired by long and pa
tient study, nor is life long enough to
allow any one mortal to attain the
highest possible perfection in 1t. Be
fore turning to those moral and mental
aspect of the matter which present the
greatest difficulties, let the inquirer
begin by mastering more elementary
problems. Let him, on meeting fel-
low mortal, learn at a glance to dis
tinguRh the history of the man, and
the trade or profession to which he be-
longs. Peurile as such an exercise may
seem, it sharpens the faculties OF OBJ
servation and teaches one where 10
look and what to look for. By mans
finger nails, by his coat sleeve, by his
boot, by his trouser knees, by the cal
losities of his forefnger and thumb,
by his expression, by his shirt cuffs
by each of these things mans call
ing is plainly revealed. That all unit
ed should fail to enlighten the COM
petent inquirer in any case is almost
. uncomfortable"
- What ineffable twaddle!" I cried,
slapping the magazine down on the
table, 81 never read such rubbish In
what is it?" asked Sherlock
Holmes.
"Why, this article" I said, pointing
at it with my egg spoon as I sat down
to my breakfast. 81 see that you have
read it, since you have marked it. 1
don't deny that it is smartly written.
1t irritates me though. 1t Is evidently
the theory of some armchair lounger
who evolves all these neat little para
doxes in the seclusiOn of his own
study. It Is not practical. I should
like to see him clapped down in
third-class carriage on the Under
ground, and asked to give the trades
of all of his fellow travellers. l would
lay thousand to one against him..
"You would lose your money" Sher-
lock Holmes remarked calmly. AS
for the article, wrote it myself
"You!"
"Yes; have turn both for obser-
walton and for deduction. The theories
which l have expressed there, and
which appear to you to be so chimeri-
cal, are really extremely practical-so
practical that I depend upon them for
my bread and cheese"
"And hoW?" I asked invOluntarlly.
''Well, I have a trade of my own. l
suppose l am the only one in the
world. I'm a consulting detective, II
you can understand what that Is. Here
lin London we have lots of government
detectives, and lots of private ones
When these fellows are at fault they
come to me, and l manage to put
them on the right scent. They lay all
D.. the evidence before me, and am gen
orally able, by the help of my knowi
edge of the history of crime to SCI
them straight. There is strong fam
lily resemblance about misdeeds, and II
you have all the details of thousano
at YOUR finger ends, it is odd if you
can't unravel the thousand and first
Lestrade is a well-known detective
He got himself into fog recently
over a forgery case, and that was wha
brought him here"
And these other people?"
They are mostly sent out by private
anquiry agencies. They are all people
who are in trouble about something
and want a little enlightening. | lister
to their story, they listen to my com
ments, and then pocket my fee"
But do you mean to say" 1 said
that without leaving your room yol
can unravel some knot which othe
men can make nothing of, although
they have seen every detail for them
selves?"
"Quite so I have kind of intuition
that way. Now and again case turn
I'D which is a little more complex
Then have to hustle about and Sc
things with my own eyes. You see,
have a lot of special knowledge whicl
apply to the problems, and which fs
cilitates matters wonderfully. Thos
rules of deduction laid down in tha
article which aroused your scorn ar
invaluable to me in practical worl
Observation, with me, is second ns
,ture. You appeared to be surprise
when I told you, on our first meeting
that you had come from Afghanistan.
"You were told. no doubt"
Nothing of the sort. I knew yo
came from Afghanistan. From lon
habit the train of thought ran so swift
ly through my mind that l arrived
the conclusion without being consc1ou
of intermediate steps. There were sue
steps. however. The train of reason
ing ran: Here is a gentleman OF
medical type, DuL Win tle diT VI d III
itary man. Clearly an army docto
then. He has just come from tn
tropics, for his face is dark, and tn;
is not the natural tint of his skin. fl
his wrists are fair. He has undergor
hardship and sickness, as his haggal
face says clearly. His left arm h;
been injured. He holds it in sti
and unnatural manner. Where In II
tropics could an English army doct'
seen much hardship and got his ar
wounded? Clearly in Afghanistan.' tt
whole train Of thought did not occur
second. I then remarked that "
came from Afghanistan, and you We
astonished."
''It is simple enough as you expla
It," said, smiling. You remind n
of Edgar Allen Poe's Dupin. l had
idea that such individuals did exi
outside of stories"
Sherlock Holmes rose and light
his pipe.
mo doubt you think that you a
complimenting me in comparing me
Dupin." he observed. "Now, in I
opinion Dupin was a very inferior f
low. That trick Of his Of breaking
ON his friends thoughts with an apl
pos remark after a quarter Of an hou
silence is really very snowy and sup
acial. He had some analytical geni'