Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-24

BY SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.
THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE.
Copyright by a. Conan Doyle and Harper Bros,

rot such youth. either It's hard to say
his age. l should not wish smarter as
sistant. Mr.. Holmes: and | know very well
that he could better himself. and carr
twice what l am able to give him. But,
after all, If he is satisfied. why should l
put ideas in his head?
why. indeed2 You seem most fortunate
in having an employee who comes under the
fuli market price. 1t Is not common
experience among employers In this age.
| don't know that your assistant Is not az
remarkable as your advertisement"
-"Oh, he has his faults. too said Mr.. Will
son. Never was such fellow for Pho
Biography. Swapping away with camera
when he ought to be Improving his mind.
and then diving down into the cellar like
q rabbit into Its hole to develop his ptc-
lures. That Is his main fault; but, on the
whole, he's q good worker. There's no vice
in him.
He Is. still with you, presume?'
Yes, sir He and a gri of fourteen. who
place cleau-that's ali I have IN the house.
for l sm widower, and never had any
family We live very quietly. sir the three
of US; and we keep q roof over or heads.
and pay oar debts, II We do nothing more.
'"rhe FIRST thing that pat Us out was tina
advertiser ent. Spsulding he came down
into The office just this day eight weeks
With this very paper in his hand. and ne
says:
4 wish to the Lord, Mr.. Wilson. that
was a red-heaGed man
" EQtS that? ] asks.
Why sd IS he here's another vacancy
on the League of the Red-headed Men. IT.
worth quite little fortune to any man
who gets II, and l understand that there
are more vacancies than there are men, sc
that the trustees are at their wits END
what to do with the money. If my hair
would only change color. here's a nice ut
tie crib all ready for me to step into.
Why. what is 1t, them? 1 asked. You
see MIR. Holmes. I ara a very ztay-at-home
man, and as my business came to me IN
stead of my having to go to it, was often
weeks on END without putting my foot oven
the door-rnat. In that way | didn't know
much OF what was going outside, and
was always glad of 2 bit of news
' Have you never heard of the League of
the Red-headed Men? he asked, with his
eyes y s, open:
why I wonder at that. for you are
eligible yourself for one OF the vacaE-
cIes.
And what are they WORTH asked.
Oh, merely couple of hundred a year,
but the work is slight. and it need not in
terfere very much with ones other occu-
patlons'
We'll. 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 l.
Well said he. showing me the adver-
tisement, you can for yourself that
the league has vacancy. and there IS the
address where you should apply for par
ticulars. AS far as l can make out. the
league was founded by an American mil
lionaire, Ezekiah Hopkins who was very
peculiar in his ways. He was himself red
headed, and he had a great sympathy for
all red-headed men; so, when he died, It
was found that he had left his enormous
fortune in the hands of trustees, with in
structions to apply the interest to the pro-
viding of easy berths to men whose hair
is of that color. From all I hear it is
splendid pay, and very little to do
But. said I, there would be millions OF
red-headed men who would apply
Not so many as you might think re
answered. You see. 1t IS really confined
TO Londoners and to grown men. This
American had started from London when
he was young, and he wanted to do the
old town good turn Then, again, have
heard it is no use your applying If your
hair is light red, or dark red, anything
but real bright, blazing, fiery red. Now.
II you cared to apply. Mr.. Wilson, you
would just walk in; but perhaps it would
hardly be worth your while to put your
self out of the way for the sake of a few
hundred pounds
may see for yourselves, that my hair is of
q very full and rich tint, so lat it seemed
to me that If there was to be any competi-
ton in the matter, l stood as good d chance
as any man that / had ever met. Vincent
Spaulding seemed to know so much about
1t that l thought he might prove useful,
so l just ordered him to put up the shut
tiers for the day. and to come right away
with me. He was very willing to have
holiday. so We shut the business up and
started Off for the address that was given
US In the advertisement.
Il never hope to see such a sight as that
again, Mr. Holmes. From north south,
east and west every man wLo lad a shade
of red In his hair had tramDed into the
city to answer the advertisement. Fleet
street was cloked with red-headed folk
and PoD.' court lOOked like n
orange barrow. I should not have thought
there were so many IN the whore country as
were brought together by that single ad-
Vertlsement Every shade of color they
were-straw, lemon, orange brick Irish
setter, liver, clay; but, Spaulding said.
there were not many who had the real vivid
fame-colored tint. When 1 saw how many
were waiting / would have given 1t up in
despair but Spauiding would not hear of
1t. How he d. - l could not imagine but
he pushed and pulled and butted until he
got me through the crowd, and right up
to the steps which led to the office. There
was double stream upon the stair, some
going up in hope and some coming back de-
jected, but we wedged in as well as we
could, and soon found ourselves in the
office"
Your experience has been a most enter
tanning one remarked Holmes. as hts
client paused and refreshed his memory
with a hugh pinch of snuff pray con-
tI-Ue your very interesting statement
There was nothing in the office but a
couple OF wooden chairs and a deal table,
behind which sat small man. with a head
that was even redder than mine. He said
a few words to each candidate as he came
up. and then he always managed to find
some fault in them which would disqualify
them. Getting a vacancy did not seem
to be such very easy matter, after
all. However, when our turn came, the lit
tie man was much more favorable TO me
than to any OF the others, and he closed
the door as we entered, 50 that he might
have a private word with us.
This is Mr.. Jabez wilson, said my as
sistant. and he is willing to fill a vacancy
in the League.
And he is admirably suited for It, the
other answered. He has every require
ment. / cannot recall when 1 have seen
anything so fine He took a step back.
cooked his head on one side, and gazedzAt
my hair until | felt quite bashful. Then
suddenly he plunged forward. wrung my
hand and congratulated me warmly on my
success.
:" 1T would be injustice to hesitate said
he. You will, however, am sure. excuse
me for taking obvious precaution.' With
that he seized my hair in both his hands.
and tugged until l yelled with the pain.
There is water in your eyes. said he. as he
released me. I perceive that all Is as IL
should be. But we have to be careful. for
we have twice been deceived by wigs and