New-York tribune., 1922-05-28
A Strange Case
(Cont'nucd from page si1)

anything foreign, but it can't be possible that
Conan Doylc-Why, man, do you mean to say
that we've been talking to the very person
who created US and that we didn't know him
and he didn't know us,'
II don't say so right down flat" answered
cautiously, "but the evidence rather tends that
way Stoutish built man, rather grayish and
baldish, with eyes rather bluish'--
Quit all that ishing,'" snarled Holmes II
remember just how he looked"
/ fell silent and Holmes filed his pipe and
smoked desperately.
Suppose it should have been he" said
Holmes. Suppose it were true that this man,
that he really sat here with his mind on these
newer things that have filled it and never
recognized us at ALI And that we sat here,
neglected all these years and never realized
that here was the one man who could get us
back IN the magazines and on the bookgtands.
What jolly good talking to we could have
given him and how We could have made hin,
see the necessity Of putting US back into htcra
ture and giving us rights besides pleasing
the public
Even If it really were the man himself 7
doubt if we could have done it," said gloom
their minds back once they. have gone ON 70
new subject Look at II. G. Wells Hea
never think of writing any stories about scionca
his"
But how about Arnold Bennett? Hasn't he
what our American friends call CHANCE of
pace"
yes but he started doing it right from the
nrs'- Serious writing in the morning and
lr'vo' II the afternoon. or vice versa"
sherlock Holmes pulled some moro.
linen, you think that it's al up with ia
"atsonE he asked "lts your belief that
wei re bound to drag out our lives here in
Baker Street without another word being writ
ten about us?''
nodded
Apparently we've missed our one chance
81 coming back. Of course, this STRANGER
might not have been the man we have :,
mind but 1t happened 10 be so''-
lfue enough agreed Holmes "We might,
nave taken hs mind off spiritualisn1 and
''ies aho such things and snapped it back
'ii'o .iie ol' groove OF ratiocinaton. It would
nave been just chance but il was we'll ,,or.l
taking'' w
"hat Jolly thing it would have been,
'" = we could have had him writing up
us own case he Strange Case of Conan
10y. "oulo nave made ripping title But
we don't even know if this queer stranoo, ,,-.u
the man. and I suppose if we sent opr cards
'ioo'lo 20 the real person he wouldn't admit
US 10 you suppose that if we disguised
ourselves as splritualistic mediums or fairies
or something of that sort we could got on
audience with hn1?"
"No chanco II
knows all our DISCUSSES, seeing that he or;ci-
mated them. He knows the infections of mn,
voices and the peculiarties of our wavs Of
walking. There's no way of foolinc him, 1;Lo
that. But having him here in our own room
with good chance to hypnotic hin, into he,
ing friends with us again before he realized
what was coming otf-that would have been
different"
We'll, we still be fond Of him. even
though he's abandoned u.s." said l. cts rath-
or reversing the usual process. to he abap-
doned by a fond parent, isn't it, Lots If
cases the other way about--chldren forget
ting about their parents, you lnow-but it
hardly ever works out as it has with u.s.
Holmes walked to the window and stood
there a minute or two
''No use," he said finally turninrr .,ra, =;
'O'N~NA"A'' eiAoNSiiI pellldpS CQdC madman
Morlarlty might drill me, but he's stoned
shooting and probably won't take it up again ~
put my hands Holiness shoulder.
We've got to do better about facing this
thing out" l said. 'Its going to be lonely.
living here in Baker Street. with no police in
spectcTs coming to us for help and with no
smashing pictures of us appearing in the
weeklles on the newsstands, but we've got to
get through with it some way
How long do you suppose his interest in
splritualism will last?" asked Holmes.
mo telling" I said. "a good many people
have been dabbling around in it all their
lives There's nothing particularly new in
any of it, But the point is that, even when
something like that is dropped by person,
there's always something else to take up-
psycho-analysis and detetics and even poll
tics"
you're right" said Holmes. ssThere's
nothing for US to do but to kill time as best
we may. But we still have our music''
With that he reached for the violin. but a,
he did so I stepped out Of the apartment,
Holmes has rather Intellectual way of cross.
ing from the to the A string which always
rouses spirit of protest in me-