Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-03

FNalltt tEtstS III WHICH tIS ui'A'i ~
nate bridegroom moves. Fresh scam
GIls have eclipsed it, and their more piquant
details have drawn the gossips away from
this ur-year-oId drama. AS l have rea-
son to believe. however, that the full facts
have never been revealed to the general
public. and as my friend Sherlock Holmes
had a considerable share in clearing the
matter up. l feel that no memoir of him
would he complete without some little
sketch OF this remarkable episode.
. It was a few weeks before my own mar
rage. during the days when l still
sharing rooms with Sherlock Holmes in
Baker street, that he came home from an
afternoon stroll to find letter on the table
waiting for him. had remained indoors all
day. for the weather had taken a sudden
turn TO rain with high autumnal winds.
and the jezail bullet which l had brought
back In one of my limbs a relic of my
Afghan campaign throbbed with dull per
sistency. With my body In one easy chair
and my legs upon another, had surrounded
myself with a cloud of newspapers, until
~ last. saturated with the news of the day,
/ tossed them all aside and lay listless.
watching the huge crest and monogram
upon the envelope upon the table and won
Goring lazily who my friends noble CORE
slondent could be.
here Is a very idSIltHdbie tpISlIt'
remarked. as he entered Your morning
letters. II l remember right. were from
nsh monger and tide waiter"
Yes my correspondence has certainly the
charm Of variety" lie answered. smiling,
and the humber are usually the more in
tere<tiug This looks like one of those I'M
welcome social summOnses which call upon
a man either To- lc bored or to lie
He broke the seal and glanced over the
contents.
"oh. come il may prove to he something
Of interest af,cC all"
Net social tE,a|'
No. distinctly professional
And from noble client
zone of the highest in England
My dear fellow. / congratulate you.
II assure you. watson, without anecta-
t!on, that tie status OF my client is a mat
ter OF less moment 20 me tEin the interest
of his ease. 1t is just possible. however,
that that also may not be wanting In this
new investigation. You have been reading
the papers diligently of late. have you not?
Il, looks like it," said |. ruefully. point
Ing to a huge bundle in the corner. Il have
had nothing ese to do"
III is fortunate. for you will perhaps be
abe to post me up. ! read nothing except
the criminal rows ard the agony column.
Tho latter is always instructive But If
You have followed recent events so closely
you must have read about Lord st. Simon
ami his wedding"
"Oh yes. with tie deerest interest"
That is we'll The letter which l hold
III my ndiO Is from l1oTu 81 SiIuOU
will read 1t TO you. and in return you must
turn over these papers and let me have
whatever bears upon the matter. This is
what he says:
90 My Dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes-Lord
Backwater tells me that l may place i'm
p.icit reliance upon your judgment and dis
erection. i have determined therefore. to
call upon you. and to consult you in refer
enCe to the very painful event which has
occurred in connection with my wedding.
Mr.. Lestrade of Scotland Yard is acting
already in the matter, but he assures me
that he sees objection to your co-opera-
ton. and that he even thinks that 1t might
BE of some assistance. | will call at 4
clock in the afternoon. and should you
have any other engagement at that time.
l hope that you will postpone 1t. this
matter is Of paramount importance. Yours
faithfully, ST. SIMON"
1t is dated from Grosvenor Mansion.
written with a Quill pen. and the noble lord
has had the misfortune to get a smear of
ink upon the outer side of his right little
finger" remarked Holmes. he folded up
the epistle.
He says o clock 1t is 8 now. He will
be here In an hour"
Then ! have just time. with your assist
ance, to get clear upon the subject. Turn
over those papers, and arrange the extracts
in their order Of time. while take glance
It's TO who our client Is" He picked a red
covered volume from line of books of ref
erence beside the mantel-piece. Here he
Is, said he, sitting down and fiattening it
OUT upon his knee. LOru ROBERT W alSlNS-
ham de We're st. Simon, second son OF the
Duke OF Balmoral-Hum! Arms. Azure,
three caltrops in chief over a TESS sable
Born In 1916 He's forty-one years of age.
which is mature for marriage. Was under
secretary for the colonies in late admin
i5tration. The duke. his father, was at one
time secretary for foreign affairs They in
herit Plantagenet blood by direct descent.
and Tudor on the distaff side. Hal Well.
there Is nothing very instructive In all this.
I think that l must turn to you. Watson,
FOR something more solid"
Il have very little difficulty in finding
what ! want" said l. for the facts are
quite recent. and the matter struck me as
remarkable. l feared to refer them to YOU
however, as / knew that you had an in
quIry on hand. and that you disliked the
intrusion OF other matters"
oh. you mean the little problem of the
Grgsvenor Square furniture That Is
quite cleared up, now-though. indeed. 1t
was obvious from the first. Pray give the
results OF your newspaper selections
Here is the first notice which l can find.
1t is In the personal column of the Morning
Post. and dates, as you see, some weeks
back A marriage has been arranged il
says. and Will. II rumOr is correct, very
shortly take place. between Lord Robert ST.
Simon. second son OF the Duke Of Balmoral,
and Miss Hatty Doran. the only daughter OF
-Aloysius Doran esq. of San Francisco,
Cal. L. S A That Is all"
"Terse and TO the point" remarked
Holmes, stretching his long. thin legs to-
WdIG the Nlt.
There was paragraph simplifying this
IN one OF the society papers of the same
week. All! Here It Is. There will soon be
n call for protection In the marriage mar
kct. for the present free-trade principle APP
pears to tell heavily against our home prod
Uct. one by one the management of the
noble houses Of Great Britain Is passing into
the hands OF our fair cousins from across
the Atlantic. An important addition has
been made during the last week to the list
OF the prizes which have been borne away
By these charming invaders. Lord St. ST.
mon. who has shown himself for over TWEEN
" years proof against the little gods ar
rows, has now definitely announced his APP
preaching marriage with Miss Hatty Doran,
the fascinating daughter OF California
millionaire. Miss Doran whose graceful
figure and striking face attracted much at
tentIon at the Westbury House festivities.
IS an only child. and II is currently reported
that her dowry will run TO considerably
over the six figures. with expectances for
the future. AS It is an open secret that the
Duke Of Balmoral has been compelled to sell
his pictures within the last few years, and
as Lord St. Simon has no property OF his
own save the small estate at Brchmoor, IT
Is obvious that the California heress is not
the only gamer by alliance which VIII
enable her to make the easy and common
transition from republican lady to d Brit
isH peerless