Evening star., 1944-01-26
This and That
By Charles Z. Traceueu.

We went over to see Templeton Jones
the other evening. We had not seen
him since Christmas and were pre-
pared to find him playing with an elec-
trio train, or perhaps testing out some
new symphony records.
Instead Of that, he was seated in
favorite easy chair, holding an over
sized red book.
That's . big book you have there.
Templeton," we said
Jones put down his tome, and looked
up with q smile.
"It is The Complete Sherlock
Holmes" he said. "It was among my
Christmas presents and have found
1t about the best one OF all.
'The type" Jones pointed out, "is
small, but black, very clear. and there is
enough white space between the lines.
Many books with larger type are much
more difficult to read.
II can recall reading most Of these
stories when was boy" he went on.
II borrowed them from the old Public
Library which was then, as I recall, on
New York avenue between Twelfth
and Thirteenth streets. may be wrong
about the exact location.
There is another thing that puzzles
me. am sure that one of the novels
about Sherlock Holmes was called The
Sign of the Four. 40 years ago. In
this book the second the is left out,
making the title The Sign OF Four
"It makes no difference, of course; the
phrase the sign OF the four and the
al, ha cie 4f
several times.
1T is a grand story, whatever 1t Is
called.
What great character Sherlock
Holmes was and is! And what a great
man A. Conan Doyle was-and still is.
I find 1t impossible to think of one
without the other. This Is because
they were both real men.
TN rereading these storieL fnd they
hold up remarkably WELL When Doyle
wrote them, the 'hard-boiled' school of
detective fiction was unknown.
He believed that q good detective
story had to have something to It
besides q hero who took a drink at the
top of every page.
80 Conan Doyle gave his stories real
plots and characters, with enough ad-
venture to satisfy any one. They wear
we'll.
II have always been particularly fond
OF the character of Dr. Watson. I
haven't yet come" smiled Jones, look
ing down at his big book, "to the famous
line Quick, Watson, the needle!' I
wonder If it is really here, or whether
that was just a line of some imitator
Some radio presentations of DR..
Watson have made him an intolerable
fuss-budget. His creator did not make
him SO. He had more sense. Watson
was a sensible, brave man who was
never afraid to mix himself up in any
of the adventures Of his friend Sherlock
Holmes. He was a perfect foil to the
great detective. If he could not always
see exactly how Holmes made his de-
ductions, 1t is no more than the rest of
us, and perhaps that is why have a
soft spot in my heart for DR.. Watson.
II had the pleasure of seeing and
listening to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
when he lectured here at the National
Theater many years ago. He was tall,
grave man with large head and wide
shoulders. He was interested then in
the possibility of reincarnation.
He made such convincing talk,
that when got home, I would not have
been surprised to have found a spirit
waiting for me in the hall of my little
apartment.
MY mind, you see, was attuned to
the next world through the conviction
of Sir Arthur.
"Just as I stepped into the hall, and
before I had the lights on, q mysterious
rapping came from directly overhead.
Since I lived on the top floor this seemed
impossible, and was very much
startled"
Templeton Jones juggled the 1900
page book. =.
1T wasn't until several weeks later
that learned that my mysterious rap
ping had been neighbor's small boy
throwing tennis ball against the wall
next to my halll You see what imagin-
alton will do for you"