Omaha daily bee., 1905-10-01
Sherlock HOImes---A Case of Identity
BY A Conan Doyle.
II by A. Conan Doyle an

dare 20 conceive the things which are
:eally mere commonplace Of existence. II
we could ny out Of that window hand in
hand, hover over this great city, gently
remove the roofs, and peep in at the queer
things which are going on, the strange
condolences, the plannings, the cross-pur-
poses. the wonderful chain Of events. work.
ing through generations, and leading to
the most outre results, It would make all
fiction with its conventionalities and fore
seen conclusions most stale and unprofit-
able"
And yet 1 am not convinced Of IT," I
answered. THE cases which come to light
in the papers are, as a rule. bald enough
and vulgar enough. We have in our po-
lice reports realism pushed to its extreme
limits, and yet the result is. It must be
confessed, neither fascinating nor artistic"
"A certain selection and discretion must
be used in producing realistic effect" re-
marked Holmes. This is wanting in the
police report, where more stress is laid,
perhaps upon the platitudes Of the mag
istrate than upon the details, which 70 an
observer contain the vital essence of the
whole matter. Depend upon It there is
nothing so unnatural as the commonplace"
1 smiled and shook my head. IT can
quite understand your thinking So" said /,
"Of course, in your position of unofficial
adviser and helper to everybody who is
absolutely puzzled throughout three con-
tinents. you are brought in contact with
all that is strange and bizarre. But here"
i picked up the morning paper from the
ground-'let US put It to a practical test.
Here is the first heading upon which I
come. "A Husbands Cruelty to His Wife
There is half a column of print, but 1
know without reading 1t that II is all per-
fectly familiar to me. There is, of course
the, other woman, the drink, the push the
blow the bruise, the sympathetic sister or
landlady. The crudest of writer's could in
vent nothing more crude"
Indeed your example is an unfortunate
one for your argument" said Holmes,
taking the paper and gancing his eye
down it. This is the Dundas separation
case and, as it happens was engaged in
clearing up some small points in connection
with it, The husband was a teetotaler,
there was no other woman and the con-
duct complained of was that he had drifted
into the habit OF winding up every meal
by taking out his false teeth and hurting
them at his wife, which, you will allow,
is not an action likely to occur to the imag-
nation of the average story-teller. Take
a pinch OF snuff, doctor. and acknowledge
that I have scored over you in your ex-
ample"
He held out his snutfbox of old gold
with great amethyst in the center Of the
lid. It's splendor was in such contrast
TO his homely ways and simple life and
could not help commenting upon II.
"Ah," said he. 81 forgot that 1 had not
seen you for some weeks 1t is a little
souvenir from the king Of Bohemia in re-
turn for my assistance in the case Of the
Irene Adler papers"
And the ring?" 1 asked glanclng at a
remarkable brilliant which sparkled upon
his finger
''It was from the reigning family in
Holland, though the matter in which I
served them was OF such delicacy that I
cannot confide It even to you, who have
been good enough to chronicle one or two
of my little problems"
And have you any on hand just now %
/ asked, with interest.
Some ten or twelve, but none which
present any feature of interest They are
important you understand, without being
interesting. Indeed, have found that It
Is usually in unimportant matters that
there is field for the observation, and
for the quick analysis Of cause and effect
which gives the charm to an investigation.
The larger crimes are apt to be the sim
pier, for the bigger the crime. the more
obvious as a rule, is the motive. In these
cases, save for one rather intricate mat
ter which has been referred to me from
Marseiles, there is nothing which presents
any features Of interest. 1t is possible
however, that may have something better
before very many minutes are over. for
this is one of my clients, or am much
mistaken"
He had risen from his chair and wa
standing between the parted blinds, gazing
down into the dull neutral-tinted London
street. Looking over his shoulder, I saw
that on the pavement opposite there stood
a large woman with a heavy fur boa round
her neck, and large curling red feather
in n PREDETERMINED hat which was tilted
in a coquettsh Duchess of Devonshirt
fashion over her ear. From under thii
great panoply she peeped up in a nervous
hesitating fashion at our windows, while
her body oscillated backward and forward
and her fingers fidgetted with her glow
buttons. Suddenly, with a plunge, as o.
the swimmer who leaves the bank, sh'
hurried across the road, and we heard tn,
sharp clang OF the bell
II have seen those symptoms before.
said Holmes, throwing his Cigarette into IN
ways means an affaire de occur. She woul,
like advice. but is not sure that the matte
is not too delicate for communication. Ant
yet even here we may discriminate. whel
a woman has been seriously wronged by
man she no longer oscillates, and the usua
symptom is broken bell wire. Here W
may take II that there is a love matter
but that the maiden is not so much angr
as perplexed, or grieved. But here sh
comes in person to resolve our doubts"
AS he spoke there was tap at the door
and the boy in buttons entered to announc
Miss Mary Sutherland, while the woma
herself doomed behind his small black hgur
like a full-sailed merchantmen behind
tiny pilot boat Sherlock Holmes welcome
her with the easy courtesy for which h
was remarkable, and having closed tn
door and bowed her into an armchair, h
looked her over in minute, and yet at
straeted fashion, which was peculiar {
him.
DO you not ind" he said, that wit