The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-09-06
PART ONE.


had called upon my friend Sher-
lock Holmes upon the second morning
after Christmas. with the intention of
wishing him the compliments of the
season. He was lounging upon the
sofa in purple dressing gown, pipe
rack within his reach upon the right.
and a pile of crumpled morning pa
pers, evidently newly studied, near at
hand Beside the couch was a wooden
chair, and on the angle of the back
hung a very seedy and disreputable
hardfelt hat, very much the worse
for wear. and cracked in several
places. A lens and a forceps lying
upon the seat of the chair suggested
that the hat had been suspended in
this manner for the purpose of exami-
nation
You are engaged" said I; perhaps
| interrupt you"
Not at all. am glad to have q
friend with whom I can discuss my
results. The matter is a perfectly
trivial one" Che jerked his thumb in
the direction of the old hat), but
there are points in connection with 1t
which are not entirely devoid of in
terest and even of instruction"
I seated myself in his armchair and
warmed my hands before his cracking
fire, for a sharp frost had set in, and
the windows were thick with ice crys-
tails. Il suppose" l remarked. that
homely as 1t looks, this thing has
some deadly story linked on to it
that 1t 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 all jostling each other
within the space of a few square
miles. Amid the action and reaction
of so dense swarm of humanity.
every possible combination of events
may be expected 10 take place, and
many little problem will be present
ed which may be striking and bizarre
without being criminal. We have al
ready had experience of such"
so much So" l remarked, that OF
the last six cases which | have added
TO my notes. three have been entirely
free of any legal crime"
Precisely. Wells | have no doub:
that this small matter will fall into
the same innocent category. You
know Peteson, the commissionalre
YES"
1T is to him that this trophy be-
longs"
rs ii his hat?"
mo. no: he found it Its onwer is UNI
known | beg that you will look upon
il, not as a battered billycock, but as
an intellectual problem. And, first
as TO how it came here. 1t arrived
upon Christmas morning, in company
with good, fat goose, which is, nave
no doubt, roasting at this moment III
front of Peterson's fire. The facts are
these: about four o'clock on Christ
mas morning. Peterson, who, as you
know. is a very honest fellow was re
turning from some small Jolllhcauon
and was making his way homeWaro
down Tottenham Court Road. In front
of him he saw, in the gaslight. TAI
ish man walking with slight staS'
ger, and carrying a white goose slunS
over his shoulder AS he reached the
corner of Goodge street, row broke
out between this stranger and a little
knot of roughs. One OF the latter
Knocked off the mans hat, on wnlcn
he raised his stick TO defend hlmself
and swinging it over his head, smash
ed the shop window behind him. Pc
terson had rushed forward to protect
the stranger from his assailants; pu'
the man, shocked at having broker
the window. and seeing an oHlcla'
looking person in uniform rushing to
ward him. dropped his goose and tool
10 his heels, and vanished amid tht
labyrinth of small streets which llt
at the back of Tottenham Court Road
The roughs also had fled at the ap
Dearance of Peterson, so that he wa:
left in possession of the field OF battle
and also of the spoils of victory IL
the shane of this battered hat and
most unimpeachable Christmas goose.
Which surely he returned TO thell
owner"
MY dear fellow, there lies the prob
lem 1t is true that For Mrs. Henry
Baker was printed upon small care
which was tied TO the birds left leg
and il is also true that the Initials
II b are legible upon he lining o
this hat; but rs there are some thous
ands OF Bakers, and some hundreds o
Henry Bakers in this city of ours, 1t i
not an easy task to restore lost prop
erty to any one of them"
What, then, did Peterson do?
He brought round both hat ant
roose 10 me on Christmas morning
knowing that even the smallest prob
leras are of interest to me- The sooS'
We retained until this morning, whel
there were slight signs that, in spit
Of the slight frost, it would be wei
that II should be eaten without unnec
essary delay. Is finder has carried /
of. therefore. to fulfill the ultimat
destiny of a goose, while l continue L
retain the hat of the unknown gentle
man who lost his Christmas dinner.
Did he not advertiser"
NO"
Then what clue can you have as u
his identify?
only as much as we can deduce
From his hat?'
Precisely"
But you are joking. What can yo'
gather from this old battered felt?
Here is my lens. You know m
methods. What can you gather youi
self as TO the individuality of the mai
who has worn this article?"
/ took the tattered object in m
hands and turned 1t over rather rue
IL