The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-25

.suGuehly tHe WHole ouSAness ealHe 70 all
end. -
essTo an send?'
eyes, sir. And no later than this
morning. I went to my work as usual
at 10 O'Clock, but the door was shut
and locked, with a little square ofacard-
board hammered on to the middle panel
with a tack. Here it is, and you can
read for yourself.''
He held up a piece Of white card
board about the size Of a sheet of note
paper. 1t read in hisfashion:
"THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE
IS y
DISSOLVED. e
Sherlock Holmes and Igsurveyed this
curt announcement and5the rueful face
behind it, until the comical side Of the
affair so completely overtopped every
other consideration that we both burst
out into a roar of laughter. 81. M
II Fcanot see that there is anything
very funny" cried our client, flushing
uptto the roots Of his flaming head eff
you can do nothing better than laugh
at me, can 60 elsewhere
mo, NO" cried Holmes, showing him
back into the chair from which he had
your casefor the world. It is the most
refreshingly unusual But there is, if
you will excuse my saying so, some
thing just little funny about it. Pray
what steps did you take when YOU
found the card upon the door9''
'l was staggered, sir. did not know
what to do. Then 1 called at the offices
round, but mono of them seemed to
Know anything about it. Finally, L
went to- the landlord, who is an account
ant Lying on the ,ground-hoor, and L
asked him If he could tell me what had
become OF the Red-headed League. He
said that he had never sleardi|of any
such body. Then I asked him who MI.
Duncan Ross was. He answered that
the name was new to him.
No. a. =, '1'o so - 81 a. :,
""W Wat, the red-headedmana'
Oh said he, This name was Will
liam Morris. He was solicitor, and
was using my room as a temporary con-
Ven1ence until his new premises were
ready: He moved out yesterday.
~ Where could find HING
Oh, at his new offices. He did tell
street, near st. Paul IS.
=" started off, Mr.. Holmes, but when
/ got to that address it was a manufac-
tory Of artificial knee-caps, and no one
N IN ltr.had eyer heard of either William
Morris or Duncan Ross.'' = -
"And what did you do thenq', asked
Holmes. ~
:, Invent home to Saxe-Coburg Square
and | took the advice of my assistant
But he could not help me in any way
He could only say that if I waited /
should hear by post. But that was not
quite good enough, Mr.. Holmes. Ibid
not wish to lose such a place without a
StrnUUIa T bo1 .El,oorJ 4l,oI
were good enough to give advice tospSool
right away to you.', ~EF
sHAnd you did very wisely,'' sale
Holmes. ''Your case is an exceedingly
remarkable one, and I shall be happy te
look into it. From what you have tolG
: me, l think that it is possible that
at first sight appear.'' s
"Grave enough!' said Jabez VIII
son., ....Why, have lost four pounds E
: week.
Gas far as you are personally con
cerned,' remarked Holmes, CT do no
) see that you have any grievance agains
3, this extraordinary league. On the con
trary, .yoqs Lar are, as I understand, richie
minute knowledge which You hav,
' gained on every subject which come
under the letter A. You have los
t nothing by them.' <.~z
"No, sir. But want to find on
about them, and who they are, and wha
their object was in playing this prank
If it was a prank--upon me. It wa
a pretty expensive joke for them, for i
cost them two and thirty pounds" T.
: eve shall endeavor to clear up thes
points for you. And, first, one or tw
}, questions, Mr.. Wilson. This assistan
Q of yours who first called your attention
r to the advertisse,m9ent- how long has h
t "About a month them
Q GLOW did he come?'
4 Nv. answer s 4 to a an adysFtissmept
'HNo, I had a dozen.' .
r. "Why did you pick him9'
r "Beeause he was handy, and woul
u come cheap
~ ~ .h;3;lf-wages' in faet'''
q 1Spaulding7' ;. . =.
i his ways, no hair TAI on his face, tho b
I Of acid upon his forehead.'
Holmes sat up in his chair in consit
g m m ach. ), said he. "Have you ever oil
y served that his ears are pierced &c
T earrings?'
l. -"Yes, sir. He told me that a gyps
y had done it for him when he was
~ 1ad.' e..
!, WHum!" said Holmes, sinkin
Il back into deep thought. "He is sti
Il with you?'
,ee ooh yes, sir; I have only just lei
- him.
= = ssAnd has your business been a
~ tended to in your absence?"
y. "Nothing to complain Of, sir. There
= never very much to do Of a morning.
Y HThat will do, Mr.. Wilson. I shall
4 happy to give you an opinion upon tf
l. subject in the course of day or tw
P, Today is Saturday, and p hope that +
1t Monday we may come to a. conclusion.
in @WWell, Watson, ;, said Holmes, whe
a our visitor had left us, s"what do ye
" make Of it all9"
ID III make nothing Of it." eanswere
ID frankly. It is most mysterious bus
ness.V
t. GAS rule said Holmes, the mo
e. bizarre a. thing is the less mysterio
q it. proves to be. Tt is your commo
"a place, featureless crimes which "a
~ really puzzling, just as a commonpla
~ face is the most difficult to identif
10 But I must be prompt over this ma
- ter - de-
NJ "What are you going to do, then'
~ I. asked.
ne quite a threepipe problem, and b
that YOU won't speak to me for fit
II. minutes. ., He curled himself up
er his chair. with his thin knees drawn
en- to his hawk-like nose, and there he 8