The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-18
ADVENTURE T.
= "A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA

by the laSC posi-, Salu he. heau IL
aloud' . z
The note was undated and without
either signature or address.
"There will call upon you tonight,
at quarter to eight o'clock,' it said,
ga gentleman who desires to consult
you upon a matter Of the very deepest
moment. Your recent services to one
of the royal houses of Europe have
shown that you are one who may safely
be trusted with matters which are of
an Importance which can hardly be ex-
! aggerated. This account Of you we have
from all quarters received. Be in
your chamber then at that hour, and do
not take it amiss if your visitor wear
mask ..-
"This is indeed mystery" I re-
marked. "What do you imagine that 1T
meanS2'
II have no data yet. 1t is capital
mistake to theorize before one has data.
tInsensibly one begins to twist facts to
suit theories, instead of theories to suit
facts But the note itself. What do
you deduce from it9'
| I carefully examined the writing, and
the paper upon which it was written.
| "The man who wrote it was presum-
ably well to do,' I remarked, endeavor-
ing to initiate my companion g pro-
cesses. "Such paper could not be
bought under half a crown a packet.
It is peculiarly strong and stiff.
"Peculiar-that is the very word,'
said Holmes. cit is not an English
paper at all. Hold it up to the light. -
1 did so, and saw large 3 with
small g, P, and large G with a
small woven into the texture OF the
paIR .W,o+ - 1,or ma.e ~ +h.tsv asked
Holmes.
"The name of the maker, no doubt;
or his monogram, rather.'
"Not at all The G. with the small
t stands for 'Gesellschaft. which is
the German for Company It is
customary contraction like our co.
P. of course, stands for 'Papier.' Now
for the Egg. Let us glance at our Con-
tinental Gazetteer.' He took down a
heavy brown volume from his shelves.
EgIow, Eglonitz-here we are, Egrla.
1t is in a German-speaking country--ln
Bohemia, not far from Carlsbad. Re
markable as being the scene of the
death Of Wallenstein, and for its numer.
GUS glass factories and paper mills. :.
Ha, Ia, my boy, what do you make of
that7' His eyes sparkled, and ne sent
up great blue triumphant cloud from
his cigarette. -.
'The paper was made in Bohemia, -
I said
"Precisely. And the man who wrote
the note is a German. Do you note the
peculiar construction of the sentence
This account of you we have from all
quarters received A Frenchman or
Russian could not have written that. 1t
is the German who is so uncourteous to
his verbs. It only remains, therefore,
to discover what is wanted by this
German who writes upon Bohemian pa
showing his face. And here he comes,
if I am not mistaken, to resolve all our
doubts.'
! AS he spoke there. was the sharp
sound of horses hoofs and grating
wheels against the curb, followed by a
short pull at the bell. Holmes whistled.
"a pair, by the sound,'.' said he;
"Yes,' he continued, glancing out of
the window. GA nice little brougham
and pair of beauties: A hundred and
fifty guineas apiece. There money in
this. case, Watson, if there is nothing
II think that I had better 60
Holmes.'
"Not a bit, doctor. Stay where you
J are. I am lost without my Boswell
; And this promises to be interesting. II
would be pity to miss it,
"But your CLIENT
, "Never mind him. I may want youl
help, and so may he. Here he comes
Sit down in that arm chair, doctor, ant
give us your best attention.
A slow and heavy step, which ha6
been heard upon the stairs and in the
the door. Then there was loud ant
> authoritative tap.
, "Come inl' said Holmes.
A man entered who could hardly hav,
been less than six feet in height, will
T the chest and limbs Of a Hercules. Hi
: dress was rich with richness which
Q would, in England, be looked upon a
t akin to bad taste. Heavy bands O.
Astrakhan were slashed across tn
8 sleeves and fronts Of his double breast
9 ed coat, while the deep blue cloak whicl
/ was thrown over his shoulders wa
l. lined with lame-colored silk, and Sc
Q consisted Of single flaming berry,
9 Boots which extended halfway up hi
,, calves, and which were trimmed a
: the tops with rich brown fur, com
1 pleted the impression of barbara
i opulence, which was suggested by hi
whole appearance. He carried broad
=. brimmed hat in his hand, while he wor
/ across the upper part Of his face, eS
= tending. down past the cheekbones,
" OlaSh 'tLalu Ildoh, Wu1Cu ue udu dppdl
" emily adjusted that very moment, TO
y his hand was still raised to it as he Ell
20 tered. From the lower part of the fac
Il he appeared to be a man of stron
- character, with thick, hanging lip, an
20 a long, straight chin, su ggestive O
- resolution pushed to the length Of oil
# stinacy.
e. "You bad my notes' he asked, wit
"a deep, harsh voice and a strongl
T. T. marked German accent. HI told vo
+ that would CALI He looked frol
,f one to the other Of us, as if uncertai
o. which to address.
Il mPray take, a seat,'' said Holme
" This is my friend and colleague, D
o. Watson, who is occasionally good enoug
to help me in my cases. Whom have
,e the honor to address9'
IF "You may address me as the Cou1
7e Won Kramm, a Bohemian nobleman.
10 understand that this gentleman, YOU
n friend, is man of honor and discr
it ton, whom I may trust with ma
&c ter of the most extreme Importance.
ii not, should much prefer to commun
T cate with you alone.' s..
as I rose to go, but Holmes caught n
by the wrist and pushed me back int
a my chair. cit is both. or none,' sal
ou man anything which you may say
II, me.'
IN The count shrugged his broad shor
Iii ders. "Then must begin,' said h
"by binding you both to absolu
secrecy for two years; at the end
that time the matter will be of no il
portance. At present it not too much
say that it is Of such weight it ms
have an influence upon European hi