Pittston Gazette

              JESTABT-.T«TTEI) 18RO. » VOL. XLIII. NO. OH. f Oldest Newspaper in the Wyoming Vi lley. PITTSTON, LUZERNE CO., PA., FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 18!H. A Weekly Local and Family Journal. 1*'«IS«S3P* as ne spoice, ne inrew into the vessel tt few white crystals, and then added some drops of a transparent fluid. In an instant the contents assumed a dull mahogany color, and a brownish dust was precipitated to the bottom of the glass jar. I have noticed such a dreamy, vacant expression in his eyes that I might have suspected him of being addicted to the use of some narcotic had not the temperance and cleanliness of his whole life forbidden such a notion. Lieder and other favorites. V\ hen left to himself, however, he would seldom produce any music or attempt any recognized air. Leaning back in his arm chair of an evening he would close his eyes ami scrape carelessly at the fiddle which was thrown across his knee. Sometimes the chords were sonorous and melancholy Occasionally they were fantastic and cheerful. Clearly they reflected the thoughts which possessed him, but whether the music aided those thoughts, or whether the playing was simply the result of a whim or fancy was more than I could determine. I might have rebelled against these exasperating solos had it not been that he usually terminated them by playing in quick succession a whole series of my favorite airs as a slight compensation (or the trial upon my patience. right scent. They lay all the evidence before me, and I am generally able, by the help of my knowledge of the history of crime, to set them straight. There is a strong family reseinblahce about misdeeds, and if you have all the details of a thousand at your fingerends, it is odd if you can't unravel the thousand and first. Lestrade is a wellknown detective. He got himself into a fog recently over a forgery case, and that was what brought him here." s?JS me in was past my comprehension. When I looked at him he had finished reading the note and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-luster expression which showed mental abstraction. IN HAMPTON COURT. pictures and some Biblical scene*, among them being a graphic chief-doover representing Joseph excusing him•elf to Potiphar's wife in order to catch the last boat for Staten Island. BILL NYE AND CLARENCE VISIT THE As the weeks went by, my interest in him and my curiosity as to his aims in life gradually deepened and increased. Mis very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual observer. In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. ilis eyes were sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to which I have alluded; and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision. His chin, too, had the prominence and squareness wl.k-h mark the man of determination 1 lis hands were invariably blotted v/ith ink and stained with chemicals, yet he was possessed of extraordinary delicacy of touch, as I frequently had occasion to observe when I watched him manipulating bis fragile philosophical instruments. "How in the world did you deduce that?" I asked. PALACE, Another picture, enlarged from a kodak, I judge, represents Adam and Evs in the Garden of Eden. The figure on the right in this group is Eve, as I learned from an attendant. Adam is on the left—one cannot tell by the clothes which is which. One has just peeled a large 20 ounce pippin and has thrown the peeling over her shoulder to se« what letter it makes. "Ha! ha!" he cried, clapping his hands, and looking as delighted as a child with a new toy. "What do you think of that?" "Deduce what?" said he, petulantly. "Why, that he was a retired sergeant of marines." An Adventure on the Way With a Government Deer—H Istory of the Palace From the Time It Was Built—Some of tha Pic- "It seems to be a very delicate test," I remarked. "I have no time for trifles," he replied, brusquely. Then, with a smile: "Excuse my rudeness. You broke the thread of my thoughts; but perhaps it is as well. So you actually were' not able to see that that man was a sergeant of marines?" "And these other people?" tures Iu the Galleries. "Beautiful! beautiful! The old guaiacum test was very clumsy and uncertain. So is the microscopic examination for blood-ocrpuscles. The latter is valueless if the stains are a few hours old. Now, this appears to act as well whether the blood is old or new. Had this test been invented, there are hundreds of men now walking the earth who would long ago have paid the penalty of their crimes." "They are mostly sent out by private inquiry agencies. They are all people who are in trouble about something, and want a little enlightening. I listen to their story, they listen to my comments, and then I pocket my fee." [Copyright, 1894, by Edgar W. Nye.l Loxdon, Dec. 28, 1898. Saturday I had promised to take Clarence down to Hampton Court with the understanding that I was to pay the bills and Clarence to tell me what train to go upon and when to get off. Wo traveled third class in order to conceal the fact that I was an American. Also in order that we might smoke our black and malignant pipes. There are several ways by which one may go to Hampton Court and a good many more by which one cannot go there. Some go by coach, 'as I did some time ago and to which reference was then made. .Mr DOTZiK. "Xo, indeed." Adam seems worried about the serpent, which hangs near him in a tree, and one can see that our ancestor is trying to remember where his serpent antidote is ao that he can go and lay his hand right on it if anything should happen."It was easier to know it than to explain why I know it. If you were asked to prove that two and two made four, you might find some difficulty, and yet you are quite sure of the fact. Even across the street I could see a great blue anchor tattooed on the back of the fellow's hand. That smacked of the sea. He had a military carriage, however, and regulation side-whiskers. There we have the marine, ne was a man with some amount of self-importance and a certain air of command. You must have observed the way in which he held his head and his cane. A steady, respectable, middleaged man, too. on the face of him—all facts which led me to believe that ho had been a^prtreant." "Wonderfvi!" I ejaculated. MIT Z. thing against him. He !s a little queer in his ideas—an enthusiast in some branches of science. As far as 1 know, he is a decent fellow enough." "But do you mean to say," I said, "that without leaving your room you can unravel some knot which other men can make nothing of, although they have seen every detail for themselves?"Being a reprint from the reminitcencet of JOH!t H. Watson, M. D.. late of the Army Medical Department. During the first week or so we bad no callers, and [ had begun to think that my companion was as friendless a man as I was myself. Presently, however, [ found that he bad many acquaint ances, and those in most different classes of societjL Th«r. -e was one little, sallow, rat-faced, dark-eyed fellow who was introduced to me as Mr. Lestrade, and who came three or four times in a single week- One morning a young girl called, fashionably dressed, and stayed for half an hour or more. The same afternoon brought a gray-headed, seedy visitor, looking like a Jew peddler, who appeared to me to be much excited, and who was closely followed by a slip-shod elderly woman. On another occasion an old whitehaired gentleman had an Interview with my companion; and on another a railway porter in his velveteen uniform. When any of these nondescript individuals put in an appearance, Sherlock Holmes used to beg for the use of the sitting-room, and I would retire to my bedroom. He always apologized to me for putting me to this inconvenience. "I have to use this room as a place of businesa," he said, "and these CHAPTER t "A medical student, I suppose?" said One cannot but be impressed by this picture, the picture of those two single hs ide'I parents of the human race. With no experience at all, green and countrified as all get out, raw and unlettered, yet called suddenly forward and asked to become the parents of all mankind, white, black, red and yellow. Think of it! Who could not shuddev at the very idea? It is a mighty solemn thing to be a parent even where one's child is of same color as one's self; but, ah, stop and think over for a moment what it must be to have the doctof bring with him a Mongolian baby, or » little brother, or a fifteenth amend* mentt MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES. "No—I have no idea what he intends to go in for. I believe he is well up in anatomy, and he is a tirst-class chemist; but, as fap as I know, he has never taken out any systematic medical classes. His studies are very desultory and eccentric, but he haS amassed a lot of out-of-the-way knowledge which would astonish his professors." "Indeed!" 1 murmured. "Criminal cases are continually hinging upon that one point. A man is suspected of a crime months perhaps after it has been committed. His linen or clothes are examined, and brownish stains discovered upon them, jtre they blood-stains, or mud-stains, or rust-stains, or fruit-stains, or yehat are they? That is a question which has puzzled many an expert, and why? Because there was no reliable -test. Now we have the Sherlock Holmes test, and there will no longer be any difficulty." "Quite so. I have a kind of intuition that way. Now and again a case turns up whiph is a little more complex. Then I have to bustle about and see things with my own eyes. You see, I have a lot of special knowledge which I apply to the problem, and which facilitates matters wonderfully. Those rules of deduction laid down in that article which aroused your scorn are invaluable to me in practical work. Observation with me is second nature. You appeared to be surprised when I told you, on our first meeting, that yon had come from Afghanistan." the year 1878 I took my degree of doctor of medicine of the u n i y e r sity of London, and p c e •» ded to Net ley to go hrough the ourse prescribed for surgeons in the army. Having M The reader may set me down as a hopeless busybody, when I confess how much this man stimulated my curiosity and how often I endeavored to break through the reticence which he showed on all that concerned himself. Befc- re pronouncing judgment, how* :tr, I ! it remembered how objectles« 1* life and how little there Hampton Court is not a new subject upon which to write, but it is a very interesting place indeed. It is open free every day except Friday, and so far I have not missed anything that was free, from salvation down. "Did you never ask him what he was going in for?" I asked. Riding from the station up to Hampton in a hired drag, Clarence raked up an old yarn regarding the horses of England and the neglect of the letter h, "Xo; he is not a man that it is easy to draw out, though he can be communicative enough when the fancy seizes him." WM rage my attention. My "Commonplace," said Holme®, though I thought from his expression that he was pleased at my evident sur« prise and admiration. "I Baid just now that there were no criminals. It appears that I am wrong—look at this!" He threw me over the note which the commissionaire had brought. ""Why," I cried, as I cast my ey« over it, "this is terrible!" completed m y His eyes fairly glittered as he spoke, and he put his hand over his heart and bowed as if applauding crowd conjured up by his imagination. heft i i «or» ide me from venturing out nJfc; weather was exceptionally J*. I had no friends who would "You were told, no doubt." studies there I was duly attached to the Fifth Northumberland fusiliers as assistant surgeon. The regiment was stationed in India at the time, and before I could join it the second Afghan war had broken out. On landing at Bombay I learned that my corps had advanced through the passes and was already deep in the enemy's country.- 1 followed, however, with many other officers who were in the same situation as myself, and succeeded in reaching Candahar in safety, where I found my regiment, and at once entered upon my new duties. "Nothing of the sort. I knew yon came from Afghanistan. From long habit the train of thought ran so swiftly through my mind that I arrived at the conclusion without being conscious of intermediate steps. There were such steps, however. The train of reasoning ran: 'Here is a gentleman of a medical type, but with the air of a military man. Clearly an army doctor, then. He has just come from the tropics, for his face is dark, and that is not the natural tint of his skin, for his wrists are faif. He has undergone hardship and sickness, as his haggard face says clearly. His left arm has been injured. He holds it in a stiff and unnatural manner. Where in the tropics could an English army doctor have seen much hardship and got his arm 'wounded? Cloarly in Afghanistan.' The whole train of thought did not occupy a second. I then remarked that you came from Afghanistan, and you were astonished." I do not wonder that Adam stroke* his whiskers thoughtfully and wishes that as a forefather he might be allowed a vacation. Eve's face is not so easily read, as she has partially tamed to see about the apple peeling on the ground. Both Adam and Eve have a fine complexion and considerable of it. "I should like to meet him," I said. "If I am to lodge with anyone, 1 should prefer a man with studious and quiet habits. Iam not strong enough yet to stand much noise or excitement. I had enough of both in Afghanistan to last me for the remainder of my natural existence. How could I meet this friend of yours?" a e and break the monotony "You are to be congratulated," I remarked. considerably surprised at his enthusiasm. v Ju. r existence. Under these ckw D tes 1 eagerly hailed the little a r which hung around my and spent mneh of my timu ,a 'avoring to unravel it. "There was the case of Von Bischoff at Frankfort last year. He would certainly have been hung had this test been in existence. Then there was Mason, of Bradford, and the notorious Muller and Lefevre, of Montpelier. and Samson, of New Orleans. I could name a score of cases in which it would have been decisive." Hi MS k it studying medicine. He hrid f, in reply to a question. Stamford's opinion upon Neither did he appear to blUti jftsr*®- id any course of reading B&i lit fit him for a degree in (tuience or any other recognized portal which would give him an en trance into the learned world. Yet bis zeal for certain studies was remarkable, and within eccentric limits his knowledge was so extraordinarily ample ant. minute that his observations ha* o fairly astounded me. Surely no man would work so hard to attain such precise information unless tan bwi some definite end in view. Traders are seldom remarkable for the exactness of their learning. No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so. "It does seem to be a little ont of the common," he remarked, calmly. "Would you mind reading it to me aloud?" I would say Hampton Court palace ia now occupied only by a number of the very poor of the nobility who are unable to pay rent and are by the kindness of the queen quartered here. Left with nothing bnt their empty titles now, these noble paupers boldly put on their door plates the only possession they have, and ever and anon one sees a bell pull or a knocker under which is engraved in big letters the Earl of Barleycorn, the Duke of Lower Sandusky or Lady Eleanor Malloy-Tidd. "He is sure to be at the laboratory. He either avoids the place for weeks, or else he works there from morning to night. If you like, we shall drive round together after luncheon." This is the letter which I read to him: "You seem to be a walking calendar of crime," said Stamford, with a laugh. "Yau might start a paper on those lines. Call it the Police News of the "My Deaii Mb. Sherlock Holmes: There has been a bad business during the night at ft Lauriston gardens, off the Brixton road. Our man on the beat saw a light there about two in The morning, and, as the house was aa mpty one, suspected that Something was amiss. He found the door open, and !n the front room, which is bare of rurniture, discovered the body of a gentleman, well dressed, and having cards In his pocket hearing the name of -Enoch J. Drebber, Cleveland, O., USA.' There had been no rob•jerv, nor 'n 'hore any evidence as to how the nan met his death. There are marks of blood ti the room, but there is no wound upon his erson. iVe are at a loss as to how he came a to the empty house, indeed, the whole affair ' h puzzler. If you can come round to the ouse any time before twelve, you will find me 1 have loft everything In statu quo until The campaign brought honors and promotion to many, but for me it had nothing but misfortune and disaster. I was removed from my brigade and attached to the Berkshires, with whom I served at the fatal battle of Maiwand. There I was struck on the shoulder by a Jezail bullet, which shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I should have fallen into the hands of the murderous Ghazis had it not been for the devotion and courage shown by Murray, my orderly, who threw me across a pack-horse and succeeded in bringing me safely to the British lines. "Certainly," I answered, and the 30nversation drifted away into other As we made our way to the hospital after leaving the Holborn, Stamford gave me,a few more particulars about the gentleman whom I proposed to take as a fellow lodger. channels. "Very interesting reading it might be made, too," remarked Sherlock Holmes, sticking a small piece of plaster over the prick on his finger. "1 Fast." "You mustn't blame me if you don't get on with him," he said; "I know nothing more of him than I have learned from meeting him occasionally in the laboratory. You proposed this arrangement, so you must not hold me responsible." Here, where for centuries the king and his retinue dwelt in magnificence and these sunny courts echoed with silvery laughter, where -the table of the royal master could be heard even at night, groaning under its weight of good things to eat, including paste and sweets, porridge, joints, toad-in-the-'ole, shandygaff and everything that heart could wish, now at dawn one sees the Duke of Lower Sandusky light up his gasoline stove and with raspberry tea and a smoked herring begin the long, long, weary day. Or he sees Lady Eleanor Malloy-Tidd come down stairs furtive- have to be careful." he continued, turning to me with a smile, "for I dabble with poisons a good deal." He held out his hand as he spoke, and I noticed that it was all mottled over with simi lar pieces of plaster and discolored vvitl strong acids. "It is simple enough as you explain It," I said, smiling. "You remind me of Edgar Allan Poe's 'Dupin.' I had no idea that such individuals did exist outside of stories." ON THE DEEH. here. at the same time calling to mind the sage remark of the old horse doctor who defended hunting. He said: "Hit his not the 'unting that 'urts the 'ones. Hits the 'ammer, 'ammer, 'ammer on the 'ard 'ighway." Worn witb pain, and weak from the prolonged hardships which I had undergone, I was removed, with a great train of wounded sufferers, to the base hospital at Peshawur. Here I rallied, and had already improved so far as to be able to walk about the wards, and even to bask a little upon the veranda, when I was struck down by enteric fever, that curse of our Indian possessions. For months my life was de- "If we don't get on it will be easy to part company," I answered. "It seems to me, Stamford," I added, looking hard at my companion, "that you have some reason for washing .your hands of the matter Is this fellow's temper so formidable, or what is it? Don't be mealv-mouthed about it." "We came here on business," saiC Stamford, sitting down on a three legged stool and pushing another om in my direction with his foot. "M\ friend here wants to take diggings and as you were complaining that yoi could get no one to go halves witl you, I thought that I had better bring you together." Ilis ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature. philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican theory and of the composition of the solar system. That any civilized human being In this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth traveled round the sun appeared to be to me such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it. Sherlock Holmes rose and lit his pipe. "No doubt you think that you are complimenting me in comparing me to Dupin," he observed. "Now, in my opinion, Dupin was a very inferior fellow. That trick of his of breaking In on his friends' thoughts with an apropos remark after a quarter of an hour's silence is really very showy and superficial. He had some analytical genius, no doubt; but he was by no means such a phenomenon as Poe appeared to imagine." he;ir from you. If you are un ible to come I bail i?ive you fuller details, - id would esteem a great kindness If you wo-iid fivor me with our opinion. ONE MORNING A. YOUNG 6INL CALLED FASHIONABLY DBESSED. "Oregson is the smartest of the Scotand Yarders," my friend remarked; •he and Lestrade are the pick 4i a bad dt. They are both quick and enerretic, but conventional—shockingly so. They have their knives into one mother, too. They are as jealous as a Dair of professional beauties. There •vill be some fun over this case if they ire both put upon the scent." 'Yoursfaithfully. Tobias Uregson." people are my clients." Again I had an opportunity of asking him a point* blank question, and again my delicacy prevented me from forcing another man to confide In me. I imagined at the time that he had some strong reason for not alluding to It, but he soon dispelled the Idea by coming round to the subject of his own accord. The approach through the park along a beautiful drive of over a mile between double rows of enormous horse chestnut trees is most beautiful, while under these trees the hundreds of tame deer, in droves like sheep, eat the falling nuts without fear. Even my lond, explosive, checkered clothes did not frighten them away. "It is not easy to express the inexpressible," he answered, with a laugh. "Holmes is a little too scientific for my tastes—it approaches to cold-bloodedness. I could imagine his giving a friend a little pinch of the latest vegetable alkaloid not out of malevolence, you understand, but simply out of a spirit of inquiry in order to have an accurate idea of the effects. To do hiin justice. I think that he would take it himself with the same readiness. He appears to have a passion for definite and exact knowledge." Sherlock Holmes seemed delighted at the idea of sharing his rooms witl me. "I have my eye on a suite ii Itaker street," he said, "which woulC suit us down to the ground. You don't mind the smell of strong tobacco. 1 hope?" "Have you read Gaboriau's works?" I asked. "Does Lecoq come up to your idea of a detective?" My! how beautiful they are and how I would have liked to pop one over with ray faithful little revolver, voted to me years ago for being the most popular man in Tie Siding, Wy.! It was upon the 4th of March, as I have good reason to remember, that I rose somewhat earlier than usual, and found that Sherlock Holmes had not yet finished his breakfast. landlady had become so accustomed to my late habits that my place had not been laid nor my coffee prepared. With the unreasonable petulance of mankind I rang the bell ana gave a curt Intimation that I was ready. Then I picked up a magazine from tha table and attempted to while away the time with It, while my companion munched silently at his toast One of the article* had a pencil mark at the heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it. I was amazed at the calm way in which he rippled on. "Surely there i6 aot a moment to be lost," I cried. 'Shall I go and order you a cab?" "1 always smoke 'ship's' myself," 1 answered. "You appear to be astonished," he said, smiling at my expression of surprise. "Now that I do know it I shaU do my best to forget it." Sherlock Holmes sniffed sardonically. "Lecoq was a miserable bungler," he •aid, in an angry voice; "he had only one thing to recommend him, and that was his energy. That book made me positively 111. The question was how to identify an unknown prisoner. 1 Could have done It in twenty-four hours. Lecoq took six months or so. tt might be made a text-book for detectives to teach them what to avoid." "That's good enough. I generally have chemicals about, and occasional ly do experiments. Would that aunoj you?" . "I am not sure about whether I shall To. I am the most incurably lazy levil that ever stood in shoe leatherthat is, when the fit is on me, for I can be spry enough at times." These deer are protected by the government, however, though the stag I tried to feed with a hot cross bun really does not need the protection of the government. Dear reader, did you ever suddenly find an armful of horns belonging to a gentleman deer in the pit of your stomach? I have. Of coarse it was only play and all the eyed children and nurses laughed ha, ha, but I wore out a Martin umbrella on the beast and haven't used that scarlet necktie since. Red has been quite a popular color for the scarf this autumn, even among the elderly gentry, and I wore one that actually interrupted con- "You see," lie explained, "l consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brainattic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it, there conies a tijpe when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones." "To forget it!" Very right, too. "Cy no means." 'Yes: but it may be pushed to excess When it comes to beating the subjects in the dissecting-rooms with a stick it is certainly taking rather a "Let me 6ee—what are my other shortcomings? I get in the dumps at times and don't open my mouth for days on end. You must not think I am sulky when I do that. Just let me alone and I'll soon be all right. What have you to confess, now? It's just as well for two fellows to know the worst of one another before they begin to live together." "Why, it is just such a chance as you have been longing for." "My dear fellow, what does it matter to me? Supposing I unravel the whole matter, you may be sure that '■regson, Lestrade & Co. will pocket all the credit. That comes of being an •-inofficial personage." bizarre Rha I felt rather indignant at having two characters whom I had admired treated in this cavalier style. I walked over J I I "Yes. to verify how far bruises may be produced after death I saw him at it with my own eyes." Beating the subjects!" FOB MONTHS MT LIFE WAS DE- "But he begs you to halp him." SPAIRED or. "And yet you say he is not a medical student?'" Its somewhat ambitious title was "The Book of Life," and it attempted to show how much an observant man mignt learn oy an accurate ana systematic examination of all that came in his way. It struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and absurdity. The reasoning was close and intense, but the deductions appeared to be far-fetched and exaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man's inmost thoughts. Deceit, according to him, was an impossibility in the case of one trained to observation and analysis. His conclusions were as infallible as so many propositions of Euclid. 80 startling would his results appear to the uninitiated that, until they learned the processes by which he had arrived at tbem, they might well consider him a necromancer. "Yes. He knows that I am his superior, and acknowledges it to me: but he would cut his tongue out before 'ie would own it to any third person However, we may as well go and have a look. I shall work it out on my own hook. I may hare a laugh at them, il I have nothing else. Come on!" •paired of, and when at last I came to myself and became convalescent I was bo weak and emaciated that a medical board determined that not a day should be lost in sending me back to England. I was dispatched, accordingly, in the troop-ship Orontes. and landed a month later on Portsmouth Jetty, with my health irretrievably ruined, but with permission from a paternal government to spend the next nine months in attempting to im- "Xo rieaven knows what the objects of his studies are! But here we are. and you must form your own impressions about liiia." As he spoke we turned down a narrow lane and passed through a small side door which opened into a wing of the great hos iDital. It was familiar ground to me :nd 1 needed no guiding as we as •ended the bleak stone staircase and I laughed at this cross-examination. "I keep a bull-pup," I said, "and object to rows, because my nerves are shaken, and I get up at all sorts of ungodly hours, and I am extremely lazy. I have another set of vices when I'm well, but those are the principal ones at present." versation The palace of Hampton Court was built by Cardinal Wolsey in 1515, though it has been repaired once since that and one can see where the mortar is a shade lighter between the deep red bricks. It is about the plainest building I have ever seen, considering its cost. It haa a facade, but no lift. The walls are of old fashioned handmade brick placed one upon another. TBS KARL'S WASH. Ijr, chop up an old dry goods box in the aalon, carry the slivers up stairs to her massive but bleak apartments and then return for the tin dipper of milk left os the royal stoop by the milkman. "Do you include violin-playing in your category of rows?" he asked, anxiously. He hustled on his overcoat, and bustled about in a way that showed that an energetic fit had supersedec the apathetic one. nde our way down the long corridor with its vista of whitewashed wall and dun-colored doors. Near the farther end a low, arched passage branched away from it and led to the ehemical laboratory. "It depends on the player," I answered. "A well-played violin is a treat for the gods; a badly played one—" "Get your hat," he said. Then at evening when the old palace was all alight and the swish and rattle of heavily starched petticoats was heard on the king's staircase, what a contrast it was with the present when, in the ghastly and deserted court, we see the Earl of Assafsetida swooping back from the King's Arms with a growler full of bitters and a sardine on toast. prove it. "You wish me to come?" I had neither kith nor kin in Eng land, and was therefore as free as air —or as free as an income of eleven shillings sixpence a day will permit a man to be. Under such circumstances I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the empire are irresistibly drained. There I stayed for some time at a private hotel in the Strand, leading a comfortless, meaningless existence, and spending such money as 1 had considerably more freely than I ought. So alarming did the state of my finances become that 1 soon realized that I must either leave the metropolis and rusticate somewhere in the country, or that 1 must make a complete alteration in my style of living Choosing the latter alternative. I began by making up my mind to leave the hotel, and to take up my quarters in some less pre tentious and less expensive domicile "Oh, that's all right," he cried, with a merry laugh. "I think we may consider the thing as settled—that is, if the roomB are agreeable to you." "But the solar system!" I protested. "Yes, if you have nothing better tc do." A minute later we were both in a hansom, driving furiously for the Brixton road. Cardinal Wolsey presented the palace to Henry VIII on his birthday, and the king occupied it for some time. Henry VIII added to the palace a new iron mud scraper at the door, as a delicate hint to his retainers not to retain the mud on their mammoth feet when calling on the king. The scraper ia still pointed out to visitors, having been brought from Paris in the sixteenth century. "What the deuce is it to me?" he interrupted impatiently; "you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon It would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work." This was a lofty chamber, lined and littered with countless bottles. Broad low tables were scattered about, which bristled with retorts, test-tubes and little Ilunsen lamps, with their blue flickering flames. There was only one student in the room, who was bending over a distant table absorbed in his work At the sound of our steps he glanced round arlu -f.rang to his feet A-ith a cry of pleasure. "I've found it! I've found it!" he shouted to my companion. running toward us with a testtube iD his hand. "I have found a reagent which is precipitated by haemoglobin, and by nothing else." Dad he discovered a gold mine, greater delight could not have shone upon his features. "When shall we see them?" It wa« a very foggy, cloudy morning, and a dun-colored veil hung over the house tops, looking like the reflection of the mud-colored streets beneath. My companion was in the best of spirits, and prattled away about Cremona fiddles, and the difference between a Stradivarius and an Amati. As for myself, I was silent, for the dull weather and the melancholy business upon which vye were engaged depressed my spirits. "Call for me here at noon to-morrow, and we'll go together and settle everything," he answered. HK HAD A LAROE BLUE ENVELOPE IN HIS HAND. 1 I was on the point of asking him what that work might be, but something in his manner showed me that the question would be an unwelcome one. I pondered over our short conversation, however, and endeavored to draw my deductions from it. He said that he would acquire no knowledge which did not bear upon his object. Therefore all the knowledge which he possessed was such as would be useful to him. I enumerated in my own mind all the various points upon which he had shown me that he was exceptionally well informed. I even took a pencil and jotted them down. I could not help smiling at the document when I had completed it. It ran in this way: to the window, and stood looking out into the busy street. "This fellow may be very clever," I said to myself, "but he is certainly very conceited." I have seen nothing in all my plaid career which so impressed me with the transitory nature of all earthly glory aa this. Even my valet Clarence was Impressed with it and spoke of it in pity. D "All right—noon exactly," 6aid I, shaking his hand. "From a drop of water," aaid the writer, "a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of one or the other. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, the science of deduction and analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study, nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it. Before turning to those moral and mental aspects of the matter which present the greatest difficulties, let the inquirer begin by mastering more elementary problems. Let him, on meeting a fellow-mortal, learn at a glance to distinguish the history cf the man, and the trade or profession to which he belongs. Puerile as such an exercise may seem, it sharpens the faculties of observation and teaches one where to look and what to look for. By a man's finger-nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boot, by his trouserknees, by the callosities of his fore* finger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt-cuffs—by each of these things a man's calling is plainly revealed. That all united should fail to enlighten the competent inquirer in any case is almost inconceivable." We left him working among his chemicals, and we walked together toward my hotel. "There are no crimes and no criminals in these days," he said, querulously. "What is the use of having brains in our profession? I know well that I have it in me to make mv name Edward VI was born here, and here died his mother, Jane Seymour. Queen Elizabeth has lived here, also James I, Charles I, Cromwell—who will be remembered as an active partisan in English politics; Charles II, James II, also William and Mary. The last king to reside here was George II. During the reign of William and Mary the most of the palace, with the exception of the summer kitchen and leanto, was torn down and rebuilt from designs by Sir Christopher Wren and ie in the Dutch style. The front of the palace ia exceedingly plain and reminds one of the old Illinois Central railroad depot in Chicago. Over the entrance court are the arms of Cardinal Wolsey. I do not know where his legs are, though I inquired of the caretaker, an old party in a red calico uniform. "By the way," I asked suddenly, stopping and turning upon Stamford, "how the deuce did he know that I had come from Afghanistan?" While we stood at the gate which opens on the pathway leading to the vinery where the mammoth grape vine grows, laden with a carload of grapes each year for the exclusive use of the queen, the Earl of Plnkham hung hia washing out of his window on a tack. "You don't seem to give much thought to the matter in hand," I said at last, interrupting Holmes' musical disquisition. famous. No man lives or has ever lived who has brought the same amount of study and of natural talent U»*he detection of eriine which I have done. And what is the result? There is no crime to detect, or. at most, some bungling villainy with a motive stransparent that even a Scotland Yard itfii-ial can see through it." My companion smiled an enigmatical smile. "That's just his little peculiarity," he said. "A good many people hare wanted to know how he finds things out." "No data yet," he answered. "It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment." "Dr. Watson—Mr. Sherlock Holmes," said Stamford, introducing us. "Too bad," said Clarence, knocking the contents of his pipe out against the heel of his boot, for I allow him to be perfectly open and free with me. '' Poor chap! Very sad that. I've seen 'im decay even in me own time. Look at" the rum wash 'e 'as 'anging on the carpet tack against 'is winder. It's only a few years since 'e 'ad to 'ave two tacks for 'is washing." "Oh! a mystery, fs it?" I cried, robbing my hands. "This is very piquant. 1 am much obliged to you for bringing us together. 'The proper study of mankind is man/jfou know." On the very day that I hail come to this conclusion. I was standing at the Criterion bar when some one tapped dp or 'he shoulder and tin' "How are you?" he cordially, griping my hand with a strength for which I shovt'-i hardly have given him credit. "You have bee*D in Afghanistan, I perceive." [to bk continued ] Sheklock Holmes—bis limits. I was still annoyed at his bumptiou1- tyle of conversation. I thought it 'est to change the topic. 1. Knowledge oT Literature.—NIL 2. Knowledge of Philosophy.—NIL 8. Knowledge of Astronomy.—NIL "Book reviewers must have very heavj doctors' bills, I imagine." Ah! wtHMfni/nl vouifi •*You mu&tr study him, Stamford saiifT as lie b$de me  " You'll ' Bnanim a trtiotty prob'em, though. I'll wager he learns more about you than you about him. Goodby."who bad been a dresser under me a Bart's. The sight of a friendly faeC in the great wilderness of London is C pleasant thing indeed to a lonely man In old days Stamford had never been a particular crony of mine, but now 1 hailed him with enthusiasm, and he. in turn, appeared to be delighted to s«;e me. In the exuberance of my joy I CHAPTER IL asked him to lunch with me at the the science or deduction. Holborn. and we started off together in "Why. man. It is the most practical We met next day as he had ar A hansom. medico-legal discovery for years, ranged, and inspected the rooms ai "Whatever have you been doing Don't you see that it gives us an in- No. 221b Baker street, of which he har with yourself, Watson?" he asked, in fallible test for blood-stains? Come spoken at our meeting. They con undisguised wonder, as we rattled sis ted of a couple of comfortable bed through the crowded London streats. rooms and a single large, airy sitting"You are as thin as a lath and as brown room, cheerfully furnished, and il Ma nut.' luminated by two broad windows. So I gave him a short sketch of my ad- desirable in every way were the apart▼entures. and had hardly concluded it ments, and so moderate did the terms by the time that we reached our des- seem when divided between us, that tination. . ; the bargain was concluded upon the "Poor devil! he said, commiserating- spot, and we at once entered into posly, after he had listened to my misfor- session. That very evening I moved tunes. hat are you up to now? my things round from the hotel, and "Looking for lodgings,' I answered. on the following morning Sherlock "Trying to solve the problem as to Holmes followed me with several whether it is possible to get comforta- boxes and portmanteaus. For a day or ble rooms at a reasonable price. two we were busily employed in un"That's a strange thing," remarked packing and laying out our property my companion; "you are the second i to the best advantage. That done, we man to-day that has used that expres- gradually began to settle down and to •ion to me." accommodate ourselves to our new sur"And who was the first?" I asked. roundings. "A fellow who is working at the ... Holmes wa* certainly not a difficult chemical laboratory up at the hospitaL there was onlt OKI student the man to live with. He was quiet in his Be was bemoaning himself this morn- boom. i ways and his habits were regular. It lng because he could not get some one _ was rare for him to be up after ten at to go halves with him In some nice over here, now- seized me by the night, and he had invariably breakrooms which he had found, and which coat-sleeve in his eagerness, and drew fasted and gone out before I rose In were too much for his purse." me over to the table at which he had the morning. Sometimes he spent his "By Jove!" I cried; "if he really wants been working. Let us have some day at the chemical laboratory, somesome one to share the rooms and the fresh blood," he said, digging a long times in the dissecting-rooms and ocexpense. I am the very man for him. bodkin into his finger, and drawing off casionally In long walks, which ap- I should prefer having a partner to be- fh® resulting drop of blood in a chem- peared to take him into the lowest poring alone." 'ca' pipette. "Now, I add this small tions of the city Nothing could ex- Yonng Stanford looked rather quantity of blood to a litre of water. ceed his energy when the working fit atrangely at me over his wineglass. ou perceive that the resulting mix- was UpGn him, but now and again a re"You don't know Sherlock Holmes ture has the appearance of true water, action would seize him and for days yet," he said; "perhaps you would not The proportion of blood cannot be on en(j he would lie upon the sofa in ciapQ for him as a constant companion." more than one in a million. I have no the sitting-room, hardly uttering a . what is-tjiere against him?" j doubt, however, that we shall be able Word or moving a muscle from morn- V "CkTR~fH3n't NT there was any 1 to obtain the characteristic reaction." j lne to night. On these occasion. uoiv on eu.rin aia you Know tnatr I asked, in astonishment. i. Knowledge of Politics.—Feible. "1 wonder what that fellow is loolc% for?" I asked, pointing to a stal -f. plainly-dressed individual wh" valking slowly down the othei street, looking anxiously at "Why? Authors are rarely pugilists.' 5. Knowledge of Botany.—Variable. Well up in belladonna, opium and poisons generally. Knows nothing of practical gardening. "Oh, I don't mean that. But review ers are always in a critical condition you know."—Truth. "Never mind," w.id he, chuckling to himself. "The question now is about h®moglobin. No doubt you see the significance of this discovery of mine?" "Good-by," I answered, and strolled on to my hotel, considerably interested in my new acquaintance. 1 Knowledge of Geology — Practical, but limited. Tells at a glance different soils from ruth other After walks has shown me splashes upon his trousers, and told me by their color and consistence In what par*, of London he had received tbern. The great hall, over 100 feet long, 40 feet wide and 60 feet high, is a grand affair, bvit hard to heat in winter, I would think. At present it is heated by large steam coils, but in the days of Henry VIII, when his majesty felt chilly, he took another drink. the numbers. He had a large blue envelope in his hand, and was evidently the bearer of a message. The Slaking of Him, Little Johnny—Papa, did you ever make a snow man in the winter? "It is interesting, chemically, no doubt," I answered; "but practically 7 Knowledge of Chemistry —Profound. 8 Kriowledre of Anatomy —Accurate, butun- "You mean the retired sergeant of marines," said Sherlock Holmes. Wise Father (with a sigh)—No, my son, but I have helped to make a great big ice man in the summer.—Elmira Gazette.Next Thine to It. II Knowledge of Sensational Literature.— Immense. He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrate In tho century. 10, Plays the violin well B.'Stematlc. "Brag and bounce!" thought I to myself. "He knows that I cannot verify his guess." The eastern guest at the Wild West hotel wasn't satisfied quite with his dinner.The beautiful stained glass window shows the armorial' bearings of the king and his six wives, each of whom was the only woman he ever truly loved. "What ineffable twaddle!" I cried, slapping the magazine down on the table; "1 never read such rubbish in ciy life." The thought had hardly passed through my mind when the man whom we were watching caught sight of the number on our door, and ran rapidly across the roadway. We heard a loud knock, a deep voice below, and heavy steps ascending the stair. The Wrong Place. "Oan you bring me a Roman punch?" he asked the waiter. 11. Is an eipert siugle-sUck player, boxer and swordsman. Poet—I wrote this poem, sir, to keep the wolf from the door. 12. Has a good practical knowledge of British law. "A what?" exclaimed the startled wait-D w, dropping a plate. When I had got so far in my list I threw it into the fire in despair. "If I can only find what the fellow is driving at by reconciling all these accomplishments, and discovering a calling "Whatis it?" asked Sherlock Holmes. Editor—My dear sir, you are at the wrong place. There is no wolf at this door.—Life. This room has a lofty ceiling, beautifully decorated and carved by a man who was certainly more gifted as a carver than I am. The walls are hung with old tapestry representing the life of Abraham. It is not for sale. "Why, this article," I said, pointing at it with my egg spoon as I sat down to my breakfast. "I see that you have i cad it, since you have marked it. I ilon't deny that it is smartly writton. It irritate? me though. It is evidently the theory of some arm-chair lounger who evolves all these neat little paradoxes in the seclusion of his own study. It is not practical. I should like to see him clapped down in ■ third-class carriage on the Underground, and asked to give the trades of all his fellow travelers. I would lay a thousand to one against him." "A Roman punch—don't you know irhat a punch is?" "Oh, yes, sir; yes, sir," stammered tha waiter. "I'll go and see, sir." Infallible. "For Mr. Sherlock nolmes," he said, stepping into the room and handing my friend the letter. Checkerly—Baw Jove, Cholly, I wish I knew some polite and easy way to put off duns. I a moment he returned. /V lt;AWd!lllll.h ,11, The presence chamber, doubtless where Christinas presents were made, is also hung tapestry which should be taken down and wiped with a damp towel as soon as spring opens up. These tapestries are worked in allegorical designs, showing p£bple with peculiar enlargements for which I presume they are not to blame, and sweet little nude boys with piano legs. "Well?" asked the guest impatiently. "Hain't got no Roman punch, sir," he said, with pride, "but the cook says as how would a monkey wrench do?"—Detroit Free Press. Here was an opportunity of taking the conceit out of him. He little thought of this when he made that random shot. "May I ask, my lad," I said, blandly, "what your tradj may be?" Stripe*--Just pay cash.—Harper's Bazar.No Need of Them. Guest—I should think you would have electric bells put in the hotel. Nothing to Brag About. "Papa, did you ever see a king?' "Yes, my son." "Commissionaire, sir," he said gruffly. "Uniform away for repairs." Rural Landlord—What for? To have folks ringin of 'em all the time?—Truth. "Oh, did you, honestly? A real king?" "Yes." "My, how did you feel when you saw him? What did you do? Anything?" "I didn't do anything, my son—the other man had aces."—Boston Globe. "You would lose your money," Sherlock Holmes remarked, calmly. "As for the article, 1 wrote it myself." "And you were?" I asked, with a slightly malicious glanoe at my companion.Past the Stage of Piquing Him. Neddye—I'm afraid Ethel's affection for me is waning. Descending to the second court, one will see over the gateway on the west side a clock nearly 400 years old, though the works have been replaced by later ones. The king's staircase is on the southeast side of the colonnade and just west of the escapade. This stairway leads to the fctate apartments, the throneroom, the guardroom, the king's bed chambers, etc. There are also 29 picture galleries, I believe. A great many of the pictures are portraits and should have l«*en done by Landseer or some other good animal painter. Most of the men look as though they were suffering from hypernutrition, and the savage scowl of royalty shows ever and anon a tyrannical character utterly without compassion. "A sergeant, sir, Royal Marine light infantry, sir. No answer? Right, sir." Thomas—What makes you think so? "Yes, I have a turn both for observation and for deduction. The theories which 1 have expressed there, and which appear to you to be so chimerical, are really extremely practical—so practical that I depend upon them for my bread and cheese." "You!" Neddye—She doesn't pay attention to other feMows now when I'm around.— Chicago Record. .#SP He clicked his heels together, raised his hand in a salute, and was gone. A Dangerous Man. Humorist's Wife—You must not. trouble yonr pa just now, dear. In his present mood he is not to be trifled with. BE WOULD CLOSE HIS EYES AND SCKAPE carelessly at the fiddle CHAPTER IIL "How did Borsting Glubbins get his meager reputation for wit?" said the sarcastic man. How It Is Sometimes Done. THK LAURISTON GARDENS MYSTERY. Humorist's Child—What is he doing, ma? which needs them all," 1/ said to myself, "I may as well give up the attempt at once." "And how?" I asked, involuntarily, I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion's theories. My respect for his powers of analysis increased wondrously. There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a prearranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what •arthlv object he cottld have io takiiur "Well, I have a trade of my own. I suppose I am the only one in the world. I'm a consulting detective, if you can understand what that is. Here in London we have lots of government detectives and lots of private ones. When these fellows are at fault they come to me, and I manage to put them oo the "By telling his friends that all their best stories were chestnuts."—Washington Star. Humorist's Wife—He is writing things to make people laugh.—Tit-Bits. I see that I have alluded above toliis powers on tlie violin. These were very remarkable, but as eccentric as all his other accomplishments. That he Betall and Wholesale. Charley Stasal—I wish that we might sail forever down the stream of life. Necessary For Sailing. Young Lady—How much does it cost to have a tooth taken out? could play pieces, and difficult pieces. 1 knew well, because at my request he has played me some of Mendelssohn's Minnie Clipper—So we can, if you will raise the wind.—Puck. Dentist—One florin, miss, but by the dozen it comes cheaper.—Amsterdammer.Of course there are some historical