The news & observer., 1905-12-17

and the other a plain one. One was
buttoned only in the two lower but
tons out of five, and the other at the
first, third, and fifth Now, when you
see that young lady, otherwise neat
ly dressed, has come away from home
with odd boots, half-buttoned, it is
no great deduction TO say that she
came away in a hurry"
"And what else 2" I asked, keenly
interested. as | always was. by my
friends incisive reasoning.
Il noticed. in passing, that she had
written a note before leaving home,
but after being fully dressed. You
observed that her right glove was torn
at the forefnger, but you did not
apparently see that both glove and
finger were stained with violet ink. she
had written in q hurry, and dipped
her pen too deep. 1T must have been
this morning, or the mark would not
remain clear upon the finger. All this
is amusing. though rather elemen-
tary, but / must go back to business.
Watson. Would you mind reading me
the advertised description of Mr.. Hos
mer Angelo"
/ held the little printed slip to the
light. Missing" it said, ION the
morning of the 14th. a gentleman
named EOSInof anger. ABDUL . II.
in. in height; strongly built, salow
complexion. black hair, a little bald in
the center bushy, black side-whiskers
and mutache; tinted glasses, slight in
frmity Of speech. Was dressed, when
last seen, in black frock-coat faced
with silk, black WaistcOat. gold Albert
chain, and gray Harris tweed trousers.
with brown CATERS over elastc-sided
shoes Known to have been employed
n an office in Leadenhall street. Any
body bringing" etc. etc.
THAT will do" said Holmes. AS
to the letters, he continued, glancinS
over them, they are very common
place Absolutely no clew in them
10 Mr.. Angel save that he quotes bal
zac once There is one remarkable
point, however. which will no doubt
strike you
"They are typewriter, / remarked.
mot only that, but the signature
is typewritten. Look at the neat ut
tie IIosmer Angel at the bottom.
There is a date, you see, but no su-
Prescription except Leadenhall street,
which is rather vague. The point about
the signature is very suggestive
fact. we may call it conclusive"
"Of what?"
NV dear fellow. is 1t possible you
30 not see how strongly it bears upon
the casc?"
II cannot say that I do, unless it
we're that he wished to be able to deny
this signature if an action for breach
Of promise were instituted
mo that was not the point. How
ever. I shall write two letters. which
should settle the matter One is to
= firm in the city. the other is to the
Young lady's stepfather. Mr. Windi-
bank, asking him whether he could
meet us here at six o'clock tomorrow
evening 1t is just as well that ne
should do business with the male rel-
atives. And now, doctor, we can 90
nothing until the answers to those let
ters come, so we may put our niue
problem upon the shelf for the IN
tertm."
had had too many reasons TO be-
l'evc i'm my friends subtle powers OF
reasoning, and extraordinary energy in
acton that / felt that he must have
some solid grounds for the assured
and easy demeanor with which he
treated the singular mystery which
he had been called upon to fathom.
Once only had l known him to faii,
in the case of the King of Bohemia
and of the Irene Adler photograph;
but when ! looked back to the weird
business of the Sign of the Four, and
the extra ordinary circumstances con-
nected with the Study in Scarlet,
felt that ii would be a strange tangle
indeed which he could not unraVel.
I left him then, still putting at his
black clay pipe, with the conviction
that when I came again on the next
evening l would find that he held in
his hands all the clews which would
lead up to the identity of the disap-
pearing bridegroom of Miss Mary
Switzerland.
A professional case of great gravity
was engaging my own attention at
the time. and the whole of next day
l was busy at the bedside of the suf-
ferer 1t was not until close upon
six o'clock that l found myself free.
and was able to spring into nam
som and drive to Baker street. half
afraid that / might be too late to
assist at the denouement of the lit
tie mystery. / found Sherlock
Holmes alone, however, half asleep.
with his long, thin form curled up
in the receSses of his armchair.
formida BILE array of bottles and test
tubes, with the pungent cleanly smell
of hydrochloric acid, told me that he
had spent his day in the chemical
work which was so dear TO him.
"Well, have you solved it," l asked.
as / entered.
"Y eS. 1t was the DlSulpndle oL
barYta.
mo. no, the mystery" 1 cried.
"Oh that / thought of the salt
that I have been working upon.
There was never any mystery in the
matter, though, as / said yesterday,
some of the details are of interest.
The only drawback is that there is no
law, | fear, that can touch the scoun-
drel.'
''Who was he then, and what was
his object in deserting Miss Souther-
land? ?"
The question was hardly out of my
mouth, and Holmes had not yet
opened his lips TO reply, when he