The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-24


nominal services. All red-headed men
who are sound in body and mind, and
/ above the age of z years, are eligible.
1 Apply in person on Monday, at II
! O'Clock, to Duncan Ross, at the offices
Of the league Z Pope's Court, Fleet
street"
What on earth does this mean?" 1
/ CALCULATED, after l had twice read over
/ the extraordinary announcement
Holmes chuckled and Wrggled in his
chair, as was his habit when in high
/ spirits. 1T is a little off the beaten
/ track, isn't it," said he. And now,
/ Mr.. Wilson, off you go at scratch, and
I tell us all about yourself, your house
/ hold, and the effect which this adVer
| tisement had upon your fortunes. You
| viii first make a note doctor, of the
paper and the date"
1t is The Morning Chronicle, of
! April 2I 1880. Just two months ago"
] Very good. Now, Mr.. wilson,
I well, ii is just as / have been telling
! you, Mr.. Sherlock Holmes" said Jabez
/ Wilson, hopping his forehead; 4 have
/ a small Dawnbroker's business at Co
/ burg Square near the city. It's not a
! very large affair. and of late years il
! has not done more than just give me
/ a living. / used 10 be able to keep
/ two assistants, but now l only keep
/ one, and l would have job TO pay
} him, but that he is willing to come for
/ half wages so as TO learn the bust
| ness"
What is the name of the obliging
! yOuth?" asked Sherlock Holmes.
His name is Vincent Spaulding, and
] he's not such a youth. either. It's hard
} TO say his age. l should not wish a
| smarter assistant, Mr., Holmes; and
/ know very well that he could better
/ himself, and earn twice what I am able
10 give him. But, after all, if he is
satisfied, why should L put ideas in his
head?"
why. indeed? You seem most for
tUnate in having an emplOye who comes
under the full market price. 1t is not
a common experience among employers
| in this age. / don't know that your as
sistant is not as remarkable as your
4 advertisement"
"Oh, he has his faults toe" said Mr..
! Wilson. Never was such a fellow for
photography. Swapping away with a
camera when he ought to be improving
his mind, and then diving down into
the cellar like a rabbit into its hole to
develop his pictures. That is his main
fault; but, on the whole, he's d good
worker. There's no vice in him."
He is still with YOU, ] presume?"
Yes, sir. He and a girl of IA, who
does a bit of simple cooking, and keeps
the place clean-thats all l have in the
house, for l am a widoWer, and never
had any family. We live very quietly,
sir, the three of US: and we keep a
roof over our heads, and pay our
debts, if we do nothing more.
The first thing that nut us out was
that advertisement. Spaulding, he came
down into the office just this day eight
weeks, with this very paper in his
hand, and he says:
~ ~ 1 n1~H
that l was a red-headed man.
What's that? l asks.
why says he, neres another
vacancy on the League of the Red
headed Men. It's worth quite d little
fortune to any man who gets it, and [
understand that there are more Vacan-
cies than there are men, so that the
trustees are at their wits end what to
Edo with the money. If my hair would
only change color. here's a nice little
| crib all ready for me TO step into
! "tWhy, what is it. then? l asked.
You see, Mr.. Holmes, / am a very
stay-at- home man, and as my business
came 10 me instead of my having to
go to it. ] was often weeks on end
without putting my foot over the door
mat. In that way l didn't know much
of what was going on outside, and 1
was always glad of a bit of news.
Have YOU never heard of the
League of the Red-headed Men?' he
asked, with his eyes open.
q" Never
why. / wonder at that, for you are
eligible yourself for one Of the vacan-
cies.'
land what are they WORTH I
asked
"'Oh, merely a couple of hundred a
year, but the work is slight, and it need
not interfere very much with ones
other occupations.
well, you can easily think that that
made me prick up my ears, for the
business has not been over good for
some years, and an extra couple of
hundred would have been very handy.
Tell me all about it, said /.
"'Well. said he, showing me the ad-
Vertisement, you can see for yourself
! that the league has a vacancy, and
there is the address where you should
apply for particulars. AS far as l can
make out. the league was founded by
an American millionaire, Ezekiah Hop
kins, who was very peculiar In his
ways He was himself Ted-headed, and
he had a great sympathy for all red
headed men. so when he died. it was
found that ne had left his enormous
fortune in the hands of trustees, with
instructions TO apply the interest to the
providing of easy berths TO men whose
hair is of that color From all l hear
it is splendid pay, and very little TO
do.
But said J. there would be mill
lions Of red-headed men who would ap-
ply
" Not so many Is you might think,
he answered. You see. il is really con-
fined to Londoners, and to grown men.
/ This American started from London
when he was young and he wanted TO
do the old town good turn. Then,
again. / have heard il is no use your ap-
plying if your hair is light red or dark
red, or anything but real bright, blaZ-
ing fiery red. Now, if you cared to ap-
ply, Mr.. Watson, YOU would just walk
in: but perhaps it would hardly be
worth your while TO put yourself out OF
the way for the sake of a few hundred
pounds.
Now, it is a fact. gentlemen, as you
may see for yourselves, that my hair is
of a very full and rich tint, so that il
seemed To me that if there was to be
any competition i'm the matter, / stood
as good a chance as any man that l
had ever met Vincent Spaulding
seemed TO know so much about il that
/ thought he might prove useful, so
just ordered him TO put up the shutters
for the day. and To come right away
with me- He was very willing TO have
. q holiday, so we shut the business up,
and started off for the address that
was given i'm the advertisement
/ Il never hope to see such sight as
that again, Mr.. Holmes. From north,
south, east and west every man who
had a shade of red i'm his hair had
tramped into the city 10 answer the
advertisement. Fleet street was
choked with red-headed folk and
Pope's court looked like a cOsters or
ange barrow / should not have