The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-01

dare 10 conceive the things which ere
really mere commonplace of existence
If We could fly out of that window
hand in hand, hover over this great
city, gently remove the roofs. and peep
In at the queer things which are going
on. the strange condolences, the plan
nings. the cross purposes. the wonder
ful chain Of events. working through
generations. and leading TO the most
outre results. it would make ali hct.on
with its conventionalities and foresren
conclusions most stale and unproiit-
able"
''And yet I am not convinced of il,
/ answered. The cases which come TO
light in the papers are. as a rule. bald
enough and vulgar enough. We have
in our police reports realism pushed TO
its extreme limits, and yet the result
is, 1t must be confessed, neither tdscin-
ating nor artistic
a certain selection and discretion
must be used i'm producing a realistic
effect" remarked Holmes. This is
wanting in the police reuOrt, where
more stress is laid. perhaps, upon the
platitudes of the magistrate than upon
the details, which to an observer con-
tain the vital essence of the whole
matter. Depend upon il, there is moth
ing 80 unnatural as the commonplace"
! smiled and shook my head. Il can
quite understand you thinking 50.
said I. LOT course, in your position of
unofficial adviser and helper TO every
body who is absolutely puzzled,
throughout three continents. you are
brought ia contact with all that is
strange and bizarre. But here
picked up the morning paper from the
grounded US put it to a practical
test. Here is the first heading upOn
which I come. "A Husbands Cruelty 10
His Wife There is half a column of
print but / know without reading il
that it is all perfectly familiar To me.
There is, Of course, the other woman,
the drink. the push the blow. the
bruise, the sympathetic sister or land
lady. The crudest of writer's could in
vent nothing more crude
Indeed, your example is an unfor-
tunate one for your argument said
Holmes, taking the paper and gl9ncing
his eye down il. This is the Dundas
separation case, and, as it happens, l
was engaged in clearing up some small
points i'm connection with it. The hus-
band was teetOtaler. there was no
other woman, and the conduct COM
planned of was that he had drifted into
AtfT iihbaA VI W lti44i6 w FNNAN AANnA -
taking out his false teeth and hurting
them at his wife. which, you Will al
low, is not an action likely 10 occur TO
the imagination of the average story
teller. Take a pinch of snuff. doctor.
and acknowledge that l have scored
over you in your example"
He held out his SNUFF box Of old gold.
with a great amethyst i'm the center OF
the lid It's splendOr was in such con-
tn his hnTg1AlNr. aud sinFntG
NE that ! could not help commenting
upon a..
"Ah," said he. II forgot that I had
not seen YOU for some weeks. it Is Cd
little souvenir from the king Of Bo-
hernia i'm return for nay assistance -in
the case Of the Irene Adler papers.
And the ring o.. l asked, glancing at
a remarkable brilliant which spanked
upon his finger.
1t was from the reigning family in
Holland, though the matter in which I
served them was of such delicaCy that
I cannot conhde it even To YOU. Who
have been good enough To chronicle one
on two of my little problems"
And have you any ON hand just
ROW." j asked with interest.
Some ten or twelve. but none which
present any feature of interest. They
are important. YOU understand. With
out being interesting. Indeed. / have
found that il Is usually Hl uuimpOrtaut
matters that there is a field for the
observation, and for the quick analy-
sis of cause and effect which gives the
charm 10 an investigation. The larger
crimes are apt TO be the simpler, for
the bigger the crime the more obvious,
as a rule is the motive. In these cases. |
save for one rather intricate matter
which has been referred TO me from
Marseilles, there is nothing which pre-
sents any features of interest ii is
possible, however. that l may have
something better before very many
minutes are over, for this is one %
my clients, or ! am much mistaken"
He mad risen from his chair and was
standing between the parted blinds, /
gazing down into the duh. neutral
tinted London street. Looking over his
shoulder, I saw that on the pavement
opposite there stood large woman
with a heavy fur boa around her neck 4
an da large curling red feather i'm q :
broad brimmed hat which was tilted in I
"A cOquettish Duchess of DeVonShiTe I
fashion over her ear. From under this
great panoply she peeped up i'm q uerv-
Gus. hesitating fashion at our windows, /
while her body Oscillated backward and /
forward, and her fingers ddsetted with I
her glove buttons Suddenly with a (
plunge. as of the swimmer who leaves I
the bank, she hurried across the road. !
and we heard the sharp clang of the I
bell.
81 have seen those symptoms before" /
said Holmes, throwing his cigaretta /
into the fire. Oscillation anon the /
pavement always means an affaire de |
occur. She would like advice, but is I
not sure that the matter is not too /
delicate for communication And Yet 1
even here We may discriminate. When /
a woman ha9 been seriously Wronged /
by a man she no longer oscillates. and /
the usual symptom is a broken bell 4
wire. Here we may take il that there /
is a love matter. but that the maiden /
is not so muGh angry as perpleXed, or
grieyed. But here she comes in person /
10 resolve our doubts
As he spoke there was tap at the /
door, and the boy in buttons entered /
TO announce Miss Mary Sutherland. /
while the lady herself doomed behind /
his small black figure like Il full-sl allied 4
merchantmen behind a TINY pilot boat.
Sherlock Holmes welcomed her with
the easy courtesy for which he ives re-
and bowed her into an arm chair. he
looked her over IN a minute and yet
abstracted fashion which was peculiar
TO him.
''Dou YOU not find" he said. that
with your short sight il is "a little try
ing 10 do so much typewriung
81 did at first" she answered. but
now I know where the letters are with
ont looking" Then, suddenly realiz-
ing the full puIport of his words, she
gave a violent start and looked 40,
with fear and establishment uDon her
broad, good humOred face. You've
heard about me, Mr.. Holmes" she
cried "else how could YOU know all
that?"
Never mind. said Holmes. laughing:
"it is nv business TO know things Per-
haps / have trained myself TO see what