Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-09-07

"Sarasatc plays at the st. James
Hall this Afternoon" he remarked:
What do you think, Watson? Could
your patients spare you for a few hours?'
81 have nothing to do today. My
practice rs never very absorbing"
Then put on your hat and come.
| am going through the city first, and
we can have some lunch on the way.
observe that there is a good deal OF
German music on the program, which 10
rather more to my taste than Italian or
French. IL is interpretive, and / want
TO lntrospect. Come along!'
We travelled by the Underground as
far rs A~ldcr.gate; md a short walk took
US to ,Saxe-Coburg Square, tho scene Of
the singular story which we had listened
to in the morning. 1t was q pokey,
little, shabby-genteel place, where four
lines of dingy two-storied brick houses
looked out into n small railed-in en-
closure, where a lawn of weedv grass
and n few clumps Of faded laurel bushes
made a hard tight against n smoke
laden and uncongenial atmosphere.
Three gilt balls and a brown board with
"Jabez Wilson in white letters, upon
- ''tbNl iAphSts hllliOAltNCN NHC BlhNS
where our red-hcaded client carried on
in front Of it with his head on one side,
and looked it all over, with his eyes
shining brightly between puckered lids.
Then he walked slowly up the street,
and then down again to the corner, still
looking keenly at the houses. Finally
he returned to the pawnbroker's, and,
having thumpcd vigorously upon the
pavement with his stick two or three
times, he went up to the door and knock
cd. II was instantly opened by a bright
looking, clean-shavcn young fellow, who
asked him TO step IN.
Thank YOU" said Holmes. Il only
wished to ask you how you would
go from here to the Strand
Third right, fourth left" answered
the assistant, promptly, closing the door.
Smart fellow, that" observed Holmes
as We walked away. "He is, in my
Judgment, the fourth smsrtest man in
London, and4for daring am not sure that
he has not a claim to be third. l have
known something Of him before"
Evidently" said /, "Mr. Wilson's
assistant counts for q good deal in this
mystery Of the Red-headed League. I
I'm sure that you inquired your way
merely in order that you might see
him"
Not HIM"
What them"
The knees of his trousers"
And what did you see?"
What | expected to see"
Why did you beat the pavement"
MY dear doctor, this is a time for
observation. not for tnlk. We are spies
in an cnemy's country, We know some
thing Of Saxe-Coburg Square. Let us
now explore the parts which lie behind
it."
The road in which We found our
selves as VIC turned round the corner
from the retired Saxe-Coburg Square
presented IS great a contrast to 1t as the
front Of a picture does to the hack. 1t
was n OF the main arteries which con-
vey the traffic OF the city to the north
and west. The roadway was blocked
with the immense stream of commerce
flowing in a double tide inward and out
ward, while the footpaths were black with
the hurrying swarm OF pedestrians. 1t
was difficult TO realize as We looked a,
the line OF fine shops and stately busi.
ness premises that they really abutted
on the other side upon the faded ano
stagnant square which We had just quit
ted.
Let me Sec" said Holmes, stand
ing at the corner, and glancing alon(
the line, II should like Just to rcmembel
the order Of the houses here. 1t is {
hobby Of mine 10 have an exact knowleds
of London. There is Mortimer's, tn,
tobacconist, the little newspaper shop
the Coburg branch of the City ant
Suburban Bank, the Vegetarian Res
taurant, and McFarlane's earriage-build
ing depot. That carries us right on Il
, the other block. And now, doctor, we've
! done our work, so its time we had som,
play. A sandwich and a cup Of coffee
and then off 10 violin-land, where Ill j
sweetness and delicacy and harmony
, and there are no red-headed clients 4
; veX us with their conundrums."
My friend was an enthusiastic mu
stefan, being himself not only a Yer,
capable performer, but a composer Q
S no ordinary merit. All the afternoon h
sat In the stalls wrapped in the mos
c perfect happiness, gently waving hi
{ long, thin fingers in time TO the music
a NAhiN la eSLNN Cunning loSS LIN Al
V languid, dreamy eyes were as unlik
s those Of Holmes, the sleuth-houno
I Holmes the relentless, k~een-wittee
ready-handed criminal agent, as it wa
+? possible 70 conceive. In his singula
character the dual nature alternatel
asserted itself, and his extreme exac'
G ness and a~stuteness represented, As
have often thought, the reaction again,
the poetic and contemplative moo
o which occasionally predominated j
b him. The swing OF his nature took hi,
from extreme languor to devourin
e energy; aud, as ! knew well, he Wa
never SO truly formidable as when, fc
days on end, he had been lounging j
y his armchair amid his improvisation
e and his black-letter editions. Then
4 was that the lust OF the chase would sue
denly como upon him, and that his bri
liant reasoning power would rise to tn
level OF intuition, until those WHIT
were unacquninted with his method
would look askancc AT him us on
man whose knowledge vas not tina
OF other mortals. When ] saw hin
thnt afternoon 30 e~nwrnpped in the must
at ST. James Hall ] felt that IN evil tim,