The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-07-09
consider yourself definitely engaged.

flood of English crockery into the
shops of hundred and thirty-four
agents in France. The purchase will
be completed in a week, and mean
while you will remain in Birmingham
and make yourself useful
How
For answer, he took a big red book
out of a drawer.
This is a directory of Paris" said
he, with the trades after the names
of the people. / want you TO take 1t
home with you, and mark off all the
hardware sellers, with their addresses
1t would be of greatest use TO me to
have them
Surely there are classified lists?
suggested.
Not reliable one. Their system is
different from ours. Stick at it, and
let me have the lists by Monday, at II.
Good-day, Mr.. Pycroft. If you con-
tinue to show zeal and intelligence you
will find the company good master. :
/ went back to the hotel with the big
book under my arm; and with very
conflicting feelings in my breast. On
the one hand, was definitely engaged
and had a hundred pounds in my
pocket; on the other the look of the
offices, the absence of the name on
the wall and other points which would
strike a business man had left a bad
impression as to the position of my
employers. However come what might,
had my money, SO / settled down to
my task. All Sunday I was kept hard
at work, and yet by Monday / had only
got as far as H. i went round to my
employer, found him in the same dis
mantled kind of room, and was told to
keep at it until Wednesday, and then
come again. On Wednesday it was still
unfinished, and so / hammered away
until-that is, yesterday. Then
brought it round to Mr.. Harry Primer.
THANK you very much" said he;
Il fear that | moderated the difficulty
of the task. This list will be of mate
rial assistance to me-"
1T took some time" said I.
and now" said he, Il want you to
make list of the furniture shops for
they all sell crockery.'
VERY good"
"And you can come up tomorrow
evening. at Z, and let me know how
you are getting on. Don't overwork
yourself A couple of hours at Days
Music Hall in the evening would do
you no harm after your labors." He
thrill that his second tooth upon the
left-hand side had been very badly
stuffed with gold'
Sherlock Holmes rubbed his hands
with delight, and | stared with aston
ishment at our client. A
You may we'll look surprised, DR..
Watson; but it is this way" said he:
when / was talking to the other chap
I'm London at the time that he laughed
at my not going to Mawson's. | hap
pened to notice that this tooth was
stuffed i'm this very identical fashion.
The CLINT of the gold i'm each case
caught my eye, you see. When | put
that with the voice and figure being
the same. and only those things altered
which might be changed by razor Or
a wig, / could not doubt that 1t was
the same man.. OF course you expect
two brothers to be alike. but not that
they should have the same tooth stuff
ed in the same way. He bowed me out,
and / found myself in the street, hard
ly knowing whether | was on my head
or my heels. Back / went to my hotel,
put my head in basin of cold water,
and tried to think 1t out. Why had he
sent me from London to Birmingham
Why had he got there before me? And
why had he written a letter from him
self to himself? 1t was altogether too
much for me, and / could make no
sense of it. And then suddenly 1T struck
me that what was dark to me might
be very light to Mr.. Sherlock Holmes. |
had just time to get up to town by the
night train to see him this morning,
and to bring you both back with me to
Birmingham"
There was a pause after the stock
brokers' clerk had concluded his sur
prisng experience. Then Sherlock
Holmes cooked his eye at me, leaning
back on the cushions with a pleased
and yet critical face. like connoisseur
who had just taken his first sip of
comet vintage.
Rather fine, Watson. is it not?"
said he. There are points in it which
please me. l think that you will agree
with me that an interview with Mr..
Arthur Harry Primer in the temporary
offices of the Franco Midland Hard
ware Company, Limited, would be
a rather interesting experience for
both of us"
but how can we do it?'' / asked
"Oh, easily enough" said Hall Py-
croft, cheerily. You are two friends
and what could be more natural than
that | should bring you around to the
managing director?"
quite so, of course" said Holmes.
I should like to have a look at the
gentleman, and see if / can make any
thing of his little game. What quail
ties have you, my friend, which would
make your services SO valuable OF is
it possible that" He began biting
his nails and staring blankly out of the
window and We hardly drew another
word from him until we were in New
Street.
At o'clock that evening we were
walking, the three of us, down COrpo-
ration Street to the Companys offices.
1T is no use our being at all before
our time," said our client. He only
comes there to see me apparently, for
the place is deserted up to the very
hour he names
THAT is suggestive" remarked
Holmes.
by Jove, I told you SOL" cried the
clerk. That's he walking ahead of us
there
He pointed to a smallsh, dark, we'll
dressed man who was busting along
the other side of the road. AS we
watched him he looked across at boy
who was bawling out the latest edition
of the evning paper, and running over
among the cabs and busses, he bought
one from him. Then. clinching it in his
hand, he vanished through the door
way.
There he goes," cried Hall Pycroft.
These are the company's offices into