The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-24
z1yENTURES oESHERLOCK HOLMES
THE FIVE ORANGE PIPS.


1T Is true lnat L nave Deen SeneT-
ally successful"
"Then you may be so with me"
Il beg that you will draw your chair
some details as to your case
1T is no ordinary one"
''None of those which come to me
are | am the last court Of appeal"
And yet l question, sir, whether,
in all your experience, you have ever
listened to a more mysterious and in
explicable chain of events than those
which have happened in my own fam
ily."
You fill me with interest" said
Holmes. Pray give us the essential
facts from the commencement, and ]
can afterwards question you as to
those details which seem to me to be
most important"
The young man pulled his chair up,
and pushed his wet feet out towards
the blaze.
MY name" said he. SIS John Open
shaw, but my own affairs have, as
far as l can understand it, little to
do With this awful business. 1t is an
hereditary matter; so In order to give
you an idea of the facts [ must go
back to the commencement oil the af-
fair
you must know that my grand
father had two sons--Iny uncle Elias
and my father Joseph. My father had
a small factory at Coventry, which
he enlarged at the time of the inven-
ton OF bicycling. He was the paten-
tee of the Openshaw unbreakable tire,
and his business met with such sue
cess that he was able to sell it, and to
retire upon a handsome competence.
MY uncle Elias emigrated to Amer
lea when he was young man, and
became a planter in Florida. where he
was reported to have done very we'll
At the time of the war he fought in
Jackson's army, and afterwards un-
der Hood where he rose to be a col
onel When Lee laid down his arms
my uncle returned to his plantation,
where he remained for three or four
years. About 1869 or 1870 he came
back to Europe, and took q small
estate in Sussex. Lear Horsham. He
had made a very coneiaerable fortune
in the States, and his, reason for leav-
ing them was his aversion to the ne
groes, and his dislike of the RepubH-
can policy i'm extending the franchise
to them. He was a singular man
fierce and quick k-tempered, very foul
mouthed when he was angry ana of
a most retiring disposition. During
all the years that he lived at Horsham
| doubt if ever he set foot III the
town. He had a garden and TWO or
three fields round his house, and there
he would take his exercise, though
very often for weeks on end he would
never leave his room. He drank L
great deal of brandy, and smoked very
heavily but he would see no society,
and did not want any friends, not
even his own brother.
He didn't mind me, in fact, he took
fancy to me, for at the time when
he saw me first l was a youngster of
twelve or so. This would be in the
year 1873, after he had been eight
or nine years in England. lie begged
my father to let me live with nim, and
he was very kind to me in his way.
When he was sober he used to be
fond of playing backgammon and
draughts with me, and he would make
me his representative both with the
servants and with the tradespeople, so
that by the time that / was sixteen l
was quite master of the house. I
kept all the keys, and could so where
liked and do what l liked, Su long
us l did not disturb him in his privacy.
There was one singular exception,
however, for he had a single room, a
lumber-rOOm up among the attlcS
which was invariably locked, and
which he would never permit either
me or any one else to enter. With a
boys curiosity / have peeped through
the key-hole, but l was never able
to see more than such a collection of
old trunks and bundles as would be
expected in such room.
"One day--it was in March, 1885,
a letter with a foreign stamp lay upon
~, Of fI,n &
plate 1t was not a common thing
for him to receive letters, for his bills
were all paid in ready money, and he
had no friends of any sort. From
India!' said he, as he took it up, Pom
dicherry postmark! What can this be-?
Opening it hurredly, out there jumped
five little dried orange pips, which pat
tered down upon his plate. | began
to laugh at this, but the laugh was
struck from my lips at the sight of
his face His lip had fallen, his eyes
were protruding, his skin the color
of putty, and he glared at the enVe-
lope which he still held in his trem-
bling hand. K. X. X! he shrieked.
and then, My God my God, my sins
have overtaken me!
"'What is it, uncle?' l cried.
Death said he, and rising from
the table he retired to his room, leav-
ing me palpitating with horror l
took up the envelope, and saw
scrawled in red ink upon the inner
flap. just above the gum, the letter
X three times repeated. There was
nothing else save the five dried pips.
What could be the reason of his over
powering terror? l left the breakfast
table. and as / ascended the stair |
met him coming down. with an old
rusty key which must nave belonged
to the attic. in one hand, and small
brass box. like a cash-box, in the
other
"'They may do what they like, but
I'll checkmate them still, said he,
with an oath. Tell Mary that l shall
want a fire in my room today, and
send down for Fordham, the Horsham
lawyer.
Il did as he ordered, and when the
lawyer arrived l was. asked to step up
to the room. The nre was burning
fha 70