The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-07-18
PART ONE.

l had called upon my friend, Mr..
Sherlock Holmes, one day in the aut-
umn of last year, and found him in
deep conversation with a very stout.
florid-faced, elderly gentleman, with
fiery red hair. With an apology for
my intrusion, l was about to withdraw,
when Holmes pushed me abruptly into
the room and closed the door behind
me.
You could not possibly have come
at better time, my dear Watson" he
said cordially.
Il was afraid that you were en-
gagged"
80 | am. Very much So"
Then can wait in the next room"
mo, not at all. This gentleman.
Mr. Wilson, has been my partner and
helper in many of my most successful
cases, and | have no doubt that he
will be of the utmost use to me in
yours, also"
The stout gentleman half rose from
his chair and gave bob of greeting,
with a quick little questioning glance
from his small, fatencircled eyes.
TRY the settee,' said Holmes. re-
lapsing into his arm chair and putting
his finger tips together, as was his
custom when in judicial moods. Il
know, my dear Watson, that you share
my love of all that is bizzare and out
! side the conventions and humdrun
! routine of every day life. You have
shown your relish for it by the en-
! thusiasm which has prompted you to
chronicle, and if you will excuse my
| saying so, somewhat to embellish so
many of my own little adventures.
| Your cases have indeed been of the
! greatest interest to me-" | observed.
You will remember that | remarked
the other day, just before we went into
the very simple problem presented by
! Miss Mary Sutherland, that for strange
effects and extraordinary combina
tons We must go to life itself, which
is always far more daring than any
effort of the imagination"
"A proposition which l took the lib
erty of doubling"
You did, doctor, but none the less
you must come round to my view, fol-
otherwise l shall keep on piling fact
upon fact on you until your reason
breaks down under them and acknow
lodges me to be right. Now, Mr.. ia
bez Wilson here has been good enough
to call upon me this morning, and tC
begin narrative which promises tc
be one of the most singular which
have listened to for some time. You
have heard me remark that the strang
est and most unique things are very
often not connected with the larger
but with the smaller crimes, and oc
casionally, indeed where there is room
for doubt whether any positive crime
has been committed. AS far as
have heard, it is impossible for me II
say whether the present case is al
instance of crime or not, but the
course of events is certainly among
the most singular that l have evel
listened to. Perhaps, Mr.. Wilson, yol
, would have the great kindness to re
commence your narrative. I ask yol
not merely because my friend, DR.
. Watson. has not heard the openinf
part, but also because the peculia
nature of the story makes me anxious
, to have every possible detail from
| your lips. AS rule, when l hav,
heard some slight indication of tn,
= course of events, l am abe to guild
myself by the thousands of other sim
: liar cases which occur to my memory
I In the present instance l am force'
5 to admit that the facts are, to tn
I best of my belief, unique"
The portly client puffed out hi
chest with an appearance of some lii
. tie pride, and pulled a dirty an
, wrinkled newspaper from the insid
= pocket of his great-coat AS h