The star and Newark advertiser., 1908-02-14

"And you can come up tomorrow
evening at and let me know how you
are getting on. Don't overwork your
self. A couple of hours at Days Music
Hall in the evening would do you no
harm after your labors." He laughed
as he spoke, and l saw with thrill
! that his second tooth upon the left
| hand side had been very badly stuffed
with gold"
Sherlock Holmes rubbed his hands
with delight. and l stared with aston
ishment at our client.
You may well look surprised, DIR.
Watson, but 1t is this way" said he;
when 1 was speaking to the other
chap in London, at the time that he
laughed at my not going to Mawson's.
happened to notice that his tooth was
stuffed in this very identical fashion.
The CLINT of the gold in each case
caught my eye, you see. When put
that with the voice and figure being
the same. and only those things altered
which might be changed by razor or
wig, I could not doubt that it was
the same man. OF course you expect
two brothers to be alike. but not that
they should have the same tooth
stuffed in the same way. He bowed
me out, and / found myself in the
street, hardly knowing whether l was
on my head or my heels. Back l went
TO my hotel, put my head in basin of
cold water. and tried to think it out.
Why had he sent me from London to
Birmingham? Why had he got there
before me? And why had he written
letter from himself to himself? 1t
was altogether too much for me. and
could make no sense of it, And then
suddenly it struck me that what was
dark to me might be very light to Mr..
Sherlock Holmes. 1 had just time TO
get up to town by the night train 10
see him this morning, and to bring you
both back with me to Birmingham
| There was a pause after the stock
brokers clerk had concluded his sur
prising experience. Then Sherlock
! Holmes cooked his eye at me, leaning
back on the cushions with a pleased
and yet critical face, like a connoisseur
who has just taken his first sip of a
comet vintage.
Rather fine, Watson, is it not?'
said he. "There are points in it which
please me. l think that you will agree
with me that an interview with Mr..
y
Offices of the Franco Midland Hard
ware Company. Limited. would be a
rather interesting experience for both
of u.s.
"But how can we do it?' / asked,
"Oh, easily enough said Hall Py
croft, cheerily. you are two friends of
mine who are in want of a billet, and
what could be more natural than that
eI,a fl,a
managing director"
quite so, of course" said Holmes.
I"T should like to have look at the
| gentleman, and see if I can make any
thing of his little game. What auali-
ties have you. my friend. which would
make your services so valuable? or is
it possible that" He began biting
his nails and staring blankly out of
the window. and we hardly drew an
other word from him until we were in
New street.
4 At o'clock that evening we were
walking, the three of us. down Cor
poration street to the company's offices.
ITS no use our being at all before
our time" said our client. "He only
/ comes there to see me. apparently, for
the place is deserted up to the very
i hour he names"
"That is suggestive, remarked
Holmes.
by Jove, told you SOL" cried tie
clerk. That's he walking ahead of us
there"
He pointed to a smallish, dark, we'll
dressed man who was bustling along
4 the other side of the road. AS we
watched him he looked across at a boy
who was bawling out the latest edition
of the evening paper, and running over
among the cabs and busses, he bought
one from him. Then, clutching it in
/ his hand. he vanished through door
way.
/ There he goes." cried Hall Pycroft.
"These are the company's offices into
which he has gone. Come with me,
and I'll fix it up as easily as possi-
i ble'
/ Following his lead we ascended five
i stories, until We found ourselves out
side half-opened door, at which our
! client tapped. A voice within bade
US enter. and we entered bare, ln-
furnished room such as Hall Pyeroft
had described. At the single table sat
the man whom we had seen in the
street. with his evening paper spread
out in front of him. and as he looked
up al us it seemed to me that | had
never looked upon q face which bore
such marks Of grief, and Of something
beyond grief--of horror such as comes
to few men in a lifetime. His brow
glistened with perspiration his cheeks
were of the dull, dead white of a fish s
belly, and his eyes were wild and star
/ ing. He looked at his clerk as though
he failed to recognize him. and / could
/ see by the astonishment depicted upon
our conductors face that this was by
no means the usual appearance of his
/ lemployer
You look i'll. Mr. Pinner!' he ex-
/ claimed.
yes. | am not very WELL" answered
| the other making obvious efforts TO
pull himself together, and licking his
dry lips before ne spoke Who are
these gentlemen whom you have
brought with your
"One is Mr.. Harris, Of Bermondsoy.
and tho other IS Mr. Price, OF this
| town. said our clerk, glihly. They
are friends of mine and gentlemen of
experience. but they have been out of
place for some little time, and they