Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-08-05


his powers upon the violin. These
were very remarkable, but as eccen-
tric as all his other accomplishments.
That he could play pieces, and DIM
cult pieces, knew well, because at my
request he had played me some Of
Mendelssohn's 'Lieder," and other ia
vorites.
When left. to himself, however, he
would seldom produce any music or
attempt any recognized air.
Leaning back in his armchair Of an
evening he would close his eyes and
scrape carelessly at the fiddle, which
was thrown across his knee. Some
times the chords were sonorous and
melancholy. Occasionally they were
| fantastic and cheerful.
Clearly they reflected the thoughts
which possessed him, but whether the
music aided these thoughts, or whether
the playing was simply the result of a
| whim or fancy, was more than I could
determine.
I might have rebelled against these
exasperating solos had 1t not been
that he usually terminated them by
| playing in quick succession a whole Sc
ries of my favorite airs as a slight
| compensation for the trial upon my
| patience.
During the first week or SO we had
no callers, and I had begun to think
| that my companion was as friendless
man as myself.
Presently, however, found that he
had many acquaintances, and those in
the most different classes Of society.
| There was one little sallow, rat-faced,
dark-eyed fellow who was introduced
To Mr. nd
three or four times in a single week.
One morning a young girl called,
| fashionably dressed, and stayed for
half an hour or more. The same after
noon brought a gray-headed, seedy
visitor, looking like Jew peddler, and
who appeared to be much excited, and
who was closely followed by a slip
| shod elderly woman.
On another occasion an old white
haired gentleman had an interview
| with my companion; and On another a
railway porter in his velveteen uni
form: When any Of these nondescript
individuals put in an appearance Sher-
lock Holmes used to beg for the use of
the sitting room, and I would retire to
my bedroom. He always apologized to
me for putting me to this inconven-
ience.
81 have to use this room as a place
of business" he said, "and these peo-
pie are my clients"
Again I had an opportunity Of ask
ing him a point blank question, and
again my delicacy prevented me from
forcing another man to confide In me-
I imagined at the time that he had
some strong reason for not alluding to
it, but he soon dispelled the idea by
coming round to the subject of his own
accord.
1t was upon the 4th of March, as I
have good reason to remember, that I
rose somewhat earlier than usual, and
found that Sherlock Holmes had not
yet finished his breakfast.
The landlady had become so accus-
toned to my late habits that my place
had not been laid nor my coffee pre-
pared.
With the unreasonable petulance OF
mankind 1 rang the bell and gave a
curt intimation that I was ready.
Then I picked up a magazine from
the table and attempted to while away
the time with it, while my companion
munched silently at his toast.
One of the articles had pencil mark
at the heading, and I naturally began
to run my eye through it.
It's somewhat ambitious title was
''The Book of Life" and it attempted
to show how much an observant man
might learn by an accurate systematic
examination of all that came In his
way.
1t struck me as being remarkable
mixture of shrewdness and Of absurd
ity. The reasoning was close and in
tense, but the deductions appeared to
me to be far-fetched and exaggerated.
The writer claimed by momentary
expression, twitch of muscle, or a
glance of the eye, to fathom a mans
inmost thoughts.
Deceit, according to him, was an i'm
possibility in the case of one trained
to observation and analysis. His con-
clusions were as infallib1e as so many
propositions of Euclid.
So startling would his results ap-
pear to the uninitiated that, until they
learned the process by which he had
arrived at them, they might consider
him as a necromancer.