The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-06

lock Holmes upon the second morn
ing after Christmas, with the intention
of wishing him the compliments or
the season. He was lounging upon
The sofa in a purple dressing-gown,
a pipe-rack within his reach upon the
right and n pile of crumpled morning
papers, evidently newly studied near
at hand Beside the couch was
wooden chair, and on the angle of the
back hung "a very seedy and disrepu-
table hard-felt hat. much the worse
for wear, and cracked in severa.
places. A lens and a forcep- lying
upon the seat of the chair suggested
that the hat had been suspended i'll
this manner for the purpose of eX-
animation.
You are engaged" said I; perhaps
/ interrupt YOU"
Not at all / am glad to have a
friend with whom l can discuss my
results. The matter is a perfectly
trivial one" Che jerked his thumb iii
the direction of the old haD, "but
there are points in connection with
it which are not entirely devoid of in
terest and even of instruction"
1 seated myself in his arm chair and
warmed my hands before his cracking
fire, for a sharp frost had set in, and
the windows were thick with the ice
crystals. 81 suppose" l remarked,
that, homely as it looks, this thing
has some deadly story linked on TO 1t
that it is the cleW which will guide
you in the solution of some mystery
and the punishment of some crime
mo. no. No crime said Sherlock
Holmes, laughing. only one of those
whimsical little incidents which will
happen when you have four million
human beings jostling eacn othel
within the space of few square miles.
Amid the action and reaction of so
dense a swarm of humanity, every
possible combination of events may be
expected to take place, and many
little problem will be presented which
may be striking and bizarre without
being criminal. We have already had
experience of SUCH
$50 much So,' / remarked, that of
the last six cases which | have addeo
To my notes three have been entirely
free of any legal crime"
Precisely. You allude TO my at
: tempt to recover the Irene Aeler pa
pers to the singular case of Miss Mary
Sutherland, and to the adventure OF
the man with the twisted lip. Well. !
have no doubt that this small matter
will fall into the same innocent cate
CORY You know Peterson, tine COM
missionaire -
Yes"
TT is to him that this trophy be-
longs
1T is his hat?"
mo. no He found it. tt owner
is unknown. l beg that you viii lool
upon it, not as a battered billycock
but as an intellectual problem And.
first, as to low it came here. 1t arr
rived upon Christmas morning In
company with a good fat goose which
is, | have no doubt, roasting at this
moment in front of Peterson'S fire
The facts are there: About o'clock
on Christmas morning, Peterson. who.
as you know, is Il very honest Fellow,
was returning from some small Jolli-
fcation, and was making his way
homeward down Tottenham Court
Road. In front of him he saw, in the
gaslight, a tallish man, walking with
q slight stagger, and carrying white
goose slung over MS shoulder As
hc reacned the corner of Goode
Street, a row broke out between this
stranger and a little knot of roughs.
one of the latter Knocked OFF the
mans hat, on which he raised his
stick to defend himself, and, swinging
il over his head, smashed the shop
window behind him. Peterson had
rushed forward to protect the stranger
from his assailants; but tie r1an
shocked at havirg broken the window
and seeing an official-looklng person
in uniform rushing towards him.
dropped his goose, took to his heels
and vanished amid the labyrinth %
small streets which lie at the PACK
of TottenhaH Court Road. Tue rcugha
had also fed at the appearance of Pc
terson, so that he was left III posses
sion of the field of battle, and also
of the spoils of victory in the shape
of this battered hat and most unim-
leachable Christmas goose
(Which surely he restored to their
owner?"
INV dear fellow. there lies the pro-
blem. 1t is true that For Mrs. Henry
baker was printed upon small card
which was tied to the birds left leg,
and it is also true that the initials
H. b., are legible upon the lining or
this hat: but as there are some thou
sands of Bakers, and some hundreds
or Henry Bakers in this city of ours.
il is not easy to restore lost property
to any one of them"
What, then, did Peterson Go?"
He brought round both nat anc
goose to me on Christmas morning
knowing that even the smallest prob
lens are of interest to me. The goose
we retained until this morning, wheI
there were signs that in spite of the
slight frost, it would be we'll that il |
should be eaten without unnecessary
delay Its finder mas carried it oft
therefore. 10 fulfill the ultimate desti- |
ny of a goose, while / continue to re-
tain the hat of the unknown gentle |
man who lost his Christmas dinner
Did he not advertise?
mo"
"Then, what clue could YOU have
as to his IDENTIFY"
"Only as much as we can deduce."
From his hat?"
Precisely"
"But you are joking. What can YOU
gather from this old battered felt?
Here is my lens. You know nay
methods. What can you gather your
self as to the individuality Of the
man who has worn this article?"
/ took the tattered object in my
hands and turned it over rather rue
fully. 1t was a very ordinary black
hat of the Usual round share, hard,
and much the worse for wear. The
lining had been of red silk, but was a
GOOD deal dlscolored. There was no
makers name; but as Holmes had
remarked, the initials III. B." were