The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-20
THE HOUND OF
THE BASKERVILLES
ANOTHER ADVENTURE OF
SHERLOCK HOLMES
BY A. CONAN DOYLE


the Leeds Mercury with the Western
Morning News. But a Times leader
is entirely distinctive, and these words
could have been taken from nothing
else. AS il was done yesterday the
strong probability was that we should
find the words in yesterdays issue"
so far as 1 can follow you. then,
Mr.. Holmes" said Sir Henry Basker-
vile, someone cut out this message
with a scissors"
Nail scissors" said Holmes. You
can see that it was a very short bladed
scissors, since the cutter had to take
two nips over keep away"
That is so. Someone, then, cut out
the message with pair of short blad-
ed scissors. pasted it with paste"
Cum" said Holmes.
With gum on to the paper. But l
want to know why the word moor"
should have been written"
Because he could not find 1t in
print. The other words were all sim
pie and might be found in any issue,
but moor would be less common.
why, of course, that would explain
it. Have you read anything else in
this message, Mr.. Holiness"
There are one or two indications.
and yet the utmost pains have been
taken to remove all clues The adj
characters. But the Times is a paper
which is seldom found in any hands
but those of the highly educated. We
may take it, therefore, that the letter
was composed by an educated man who
wished to pose as an uneducated one,
and his effort to conceal
his own writing suggests that
that writing might be known.
or come to .be known, by you. Again,
will nhSarUa that the words
not gummed on in an accurate line,
but that some are much higher than
others. Life for example. is quite
out of it's proper place. That may
point to carelessness or it may point
to agitation and hurry upon the part
of the cutter. On the while, l incline
to the latter view, since the matter
was evidently important, and it is un-
likely that the composer of such let
ter would be careless. If he were in
a hurry it opens up the interesting
question why he should be in hurry.
since any letter posted up to early
morning would reach Sir Henry be-
fore he would leave his hotel. Did
the composer fear an Interruption
and from whom?"
I'VE are coming out rather into the
region of guess work." said DIR. Morti-
mer.
Say, rather into the region where
we balance probabilities and choose
the most likely. 1t is the scientific use
of the imagination, but we have al
ways some material basis on which
to start our speculations. Now, you
would call it guess. no doubt, but
am almost certain that this address
has been written in an hotel"
How in the world can you say
that?"
IF you examine it carefully you
will see that both the pen and the
ink have given the writer trouble. The
pen has spluttered twice in a single
word. and has run dry three times in
a short address, showing that there
was very little ink in the bottle. Now,
private pen or ink bottle is seldom
allowed to be In such a state, and the
combination of the two must be quite
rare. But you know the hotel ink and
the hotel pen, where 1t is rare to get
anything else. Yes, / have very little
hesitation in saying that could we ex-
anime the waste paper baskets of the
hotels round Charing Cross until we
found the remains of the mutilated
Times leader we could lay our hands
straight upon the person who sent
this singular message. Halloa! Hal
LOAF What's this?"
He was carefully examining the
foolscap, upon which the words were
pasted. holding it only an inch or two
from his eyes.
"Wen?"
Nothing" said he, throwing it
down. 1T is a blank half-sheet of
paper, without even a watermark upon
it. l think we have drawn as much
as we can from this curious letter:
and now, Sir Henry has anything else
Nf i,afn nSf hav Nad 70 civ
have been in London?'
why, no. Mr.. Holmes. think
not"
You have not observed any one fol-
low or watch your"
Il seem to have walked right into
the thick of a dime novel," said our
visitor. why in thunder should any
one follow or watch me?"
We are coming to that. You have
nothing else to report to us before
we go into this matter?"
We'll, it depends upon what you
think worth reporting"
II think anything out of the ordi-
nary routine of life well worth re-
porting
Sir Henry smiled.
Il don't know much of British life
yet, for l have spent nearly ~elI my
time in the States and in Canada. But
/ hope that to lose one of your boots
is not part of the ordinary routine of
life over here"
You have lost one of your boots %
MY dear SIR cried DR.. Mortimer,
sit is only mislaid. You will find it
when you return to the hotel. What
is the use of troubling Mr.. Holmes
with trihes of this kind?"
well. he asked me for anything out
side the ordinary routine"
Exactly" said Holmes, however
foolish the incident may seem. You
have lost one of your boots, you say p
We'll, mislaid it, anyhow. l put
them both outside my door last night,
and there was only one in the morn
ing. l could get no sense out of the
il is that l only bought the pair last
night in the Strand. and have never
had them on"
IF you have never worn them, why
did you put them out to the cleaned ~
They were tan boots and had never
been vanished. That was why 1 put
them out"
Then 1 understand that on your ar
rival IN London yesterday you went
out at once and bought a pair of
boots?"
Il did a good deal of shopping. DR..
Mortimer here went round with me.
You see. If 1 am TO be squire down
| there I must dress the part, and il
may be that I have got little care
less in my ways out West Among
other things l bought these brown
boots-gave six dollars for them-and
had one stolen before ever l had them
on my feet"