The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-12-10

mot short of thirty. Has a white splash
of acid upon his forehead.
| Holmes sat up in his chair in consid-
cradle excitement Il thought as
much said he. Have you ever OBJ
served that his ears are pierced for
earrings?"
Yes sir He told me that a gypsy
had done it for him when he was
| lad"
"Hum!' said Holmes. sinking back
in deep thought. HE is still with
you?"
ooh yes, sir 1 have only just left
him"
"And has your businenss been at
tended to IN your absence?'
Nothing to complain of. sir.
There IS never very much to do of
morning"
'rhat will do. Mr. Wilson. 1 shall
| be happy to give you an opinion upoh
| the subject in the course of day or
two. Today is Saturday, and l hope
that by Monday We may come to
conclusion"
"Well, Watson" said Holmes. when
our visitor had left us, what do you
/ make of it all?"
Il make nothing of it." l answered
| frankly. ut IS most mysterious
business
"As a rule" said Holiness "the more
bizarre a thing is the less mysterious
1 it proves TO be- 1t is your common
place, featureIess crimes which arc
really puzzlng, just as a common
| place face is the most difficult to idenv
| tify. But l must be prompt over this
! matter"
What are you ~oing to do, them"
: / asked.
I "To smoke" he answered. 1T is
quite a three-pipc problem and beg
| ~, tn m
! minutes" He curlcd himself IN III
| his chair. with his thin knees drawn
up to his hawk-like nose, and there he
sat with his eyes closed and his black
clay pipe thrustinG out like the bill of
some strange bird. / had come to the
conclusion that he had dropped asleep,
and indeed was nodding myself, when
| he suddenly sprang out of his chair
with the gesture OF a man who has
made up his mind. and put his pipe
down upon the mantel-piece.
"Saraste plays at the st. James's
Hall this afternoon" he remarked.
What do you think, Watson? Could
your patients spare you for few
| hours?'
4 have nothinC> to do today Ms
| practice is never very absorbing.
"Then nut on your hat and come.
/ / am going throuPh the city first, and
we can have some lunch on the way.
I | observe that there is a good deal OF
! German music on the program which
/ is rather more to my taste than Italian
| or French. 1t is retrospective, and /
want to introspect. Come along!
We travelled by the Underground as
| far as Aldersgate; and ? short walk
took us to Sake Coburg Square. the
scene of the singular story which we
/ had listened to in the morning 1t
was a pokey little, shabby-genteei
place, where four lines of dingy tWo-
storied brick houses looked out into
small railed-in enclosure, where a lawn
of weedy grass and few clumps of
faded laurel bushes made a hard fight
against a smoke-laden and uncongen'
J jal atmosphere Three gilt balls and a
brown board with "Jabcz Wilson IN
: white letters, upon a corner mouse, an
4 nounced the place where oNr red
headed client carried on his business.
Sherlock Holmes stopped in front or
! il with his head on one SIDE and
looked it all over. with his eyes shin
ing brightly between puckercd lids,
Then he walked slowly IN the street,
! and then down AGAIN to the corner,
! still looking keenly at the house. RIM
aIIv he returned to the pawnbrokerS
and, having thumped vigorously upon
the pavement with his stick two or
three times. he went UP to the door
by a bright-looking. clean-shaven
young fellow, who asked him to
THANK YOU" said Holmes, 81 only
wished TO ask you how you would go
from here to the strand
Third right. fourth left" answered
the assistant promptly, closing the
door
"smart follow, that" observed
Holmes. as VIC walked away ''He is,
in nv opinion the fourth smartest
4 man in London. and for daring / am
not sure that he has not claim 10
be third. l have known something OF
him before
"Evidently" said I. "Mr. Wilson
assistant counts for a good deal IN
this mystery of the Red-headed
League. | am sure that you inquired
your way merely in order that you
might see him.
"Not him.
what them"
"The knees of his trousers.
/ "And what did YOU see?'
/ what I expected to see
"Why did you beat the pavement r.
MY dear doctor, this is q time for
observation, not for talk. We are spies
in an enemy's country. We know
| something of Saxe-Coburg Square.
Let us now explore the parts which
lie behind it"
| The road in which we found our
lselves as we turned round the cor
liner from the retired SaAe-CoburS
Square presented as great contrast
to it as the front of a picture does
to the back. 1t was one Of the main
arteries which convey the traffic Of
the city to the north and west. The
roadway was blockaded with the inn
mense stream of commerce flowing
in a double tide inward and outward,
while the foot-paths were black with
the hurrying swarm of pedestrians.
1t was difficult to realize as we looked
at the line of fine shops and stately
business premises that they really
abutted on the other side upon the
faded and stagnant square which we
had just quilted.
LET me see," said Holmes, stand
ing at the corner, and glancing along
the line, II should like just to re-
member the order of the houses here.
1t is a hobby of mine to have an exact
knowledge of London. There is Nor
timers, the tobacconist, the little
newspaper shop, the Coburg branch
of the City and Suburban Bank, the
| Vegetarian Restaurant, and McFar-