The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-07-16
PART THREE.

A professional case of great gravity
| was engaging my own attention at the
time, and the whole of next day l was
busy at the bedside Of the sufferer. 1t
was not until close upon six O'Clock
that ] found myself free and was able
to spring into a hanson and drive to
Baker Street, half afraid that / might
be too late to assist at the denouement
OF the little mystery. ! found Sher-
lock Holmes alone, however, half
asleep, with his long, thin form curled
up in the recesses of his armchair. A
formidable array of bottles and test
tubes, with the pungent Clearly smell
of hydrochloric acid. told me that
he had spent his day in the chemical
work which was so dear to him.
We'll, have you solved it," | asked
as / entered.
Yes. 1t was the bisulphate of
baryta"
mo, no, the mystery!"I cried.
"Oh, that! l thought of the salt
that have been working upon. There
| was never any mystery In the matter,
| though, as l said yesterday, some of
the details are of interest. The only
drawback is that there is no law,
fear, that can touch the scoundrel."
Who was he, then, and what was
| his object in deserving Miss Suther-
| land?"
The question was hardly out of my
| mouth. and Holmes had not yet open
| ed his lips to reply, when we heard a
/ heavy football in the passage, and a
! tap at the door.
This is the girls stepfather, Mr..
James Windibank," said Holmes. HE
has written to me to say that he
would be here at six. Come in!"
The man who entered was a sturdy,
! middle-sized fellow, some thirty years
of age, clean shaver and sallow
skinned, with bland, insinuating
| manner, and a pair of wonderfully
sharp and penetrating gray eyes. He
| shot questioning glance at each OF
us, placed his shiny top hat upon the
| sideboard. and with a slight bow
/ sidled down into the nearest chair.
| Good evening, Mr.. James Windi-
| bank" said Holmes. Il think that
! this typewriter letter is from you, in
which you made an appointment with
me for six o'clock?'
Yes, sir ! am afraid that I am
little late, but ] am not quite my
own master, you know. / am sorry
/ that Miss Sutherland has troubled you
| about this little matter, for | think II
, is far better not to wash linen of the
! sort in public. 1t was quite against
my wishes that she came, but she is
a very excitable, impulsive girl, as you
! may have noticed, and she is not cas-
! lily controlled when she has made up
her mind on a point. Of course, !
did not mind you so much, as you are
connected with the ocial police, but
| it is not pleasant to have family mis-
fortune like this noised abroad. Be-
sides, it is a useless expense, for how
could you possibly find this Hosmer
| Angelo"
"On the contrary" said Holmes,
| quietly; II have every reason to be-
lieve that l will succeed in discover
i ing Mr.. Hosmer Angel"
Mr.. Windibank gave a violent start,
and dropped his gloves. 81 am de-
| lighted to hear it." he said.
1T is curious thing" remarked
Holmes, that typewriter has really
| quite as much individuality as a mans
new, no two of them write exactly
/ oOIHc ltlt6IS get UlOIe "OIu
! than others. and some wear only on
one side. Now, you remark in this
note of yours, Mr.. Windibank, that in
| every case there is some little slurring
over of the e. and a slight defect in
the tail of the r. There are fourteen
other characteristics, but those are
! the more obvious"
I'VE do all our correspondence with
this machine at the office, and no doubt
| it is little worm" our visitor ans
wered, glancing keenly at Holmes
with his bright little eyes.
| And now | will show you what is
really a very interesting study, Mr..
/ Windibank." Holmes continued. 81
| think of writing another little mono
graph some of these days on the type
writer and it's relation to crime. It is
a subject to which l have devoted
some little attention. have here four
letters which purport to come from
! the missing man. They are all type
written. In each case, not only are
the 'e's' slurred and the RS tailless,
but you will observe, if you care to
use my magnifying lens, that the four
! teen other characteristics to which /
have alluded are there. as WE'LL
| Mr.. Windibank sprang cut of his
| chair, and picked I'D his hat 81 can.