THE SUN-DAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, AUGUST
20, 1905.
Adventure of the
Blue Carbuncle
I HAD called upon my friend Sherlock
Holmes upon the second " morning
after Christmas with the Intention of
wishing him the compliments of the sca-f-n.
He was lounging upon the sofa In
a purple dressing-gown, a pipe-rack with
in his reach upon the right and a pile
of crumpled morning papers, 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
eireputablc hard-felt hat, much the
worse for wear and cracked in several
r lares. A lone and a forceps, lying upon
th seat of the chair, suggested that the
hat had been suspended In this manner
for the purpose of examination.
"You aro engaged," said I; "perhaps I
Interrupt you."
"Not at all. I am glad to have a friend
with whom I can discuss my results. The.
matter Is a perfectly trivial one" (he
jrrked his thumb in the direction of the
old hat), "but there are points in connec
tion with It which are not entirely devoid
f Interest and even of Instruction."
I seated myself In his arm-chair and
warmed my hands before bis crackling
'fire, for a sharp frost had sot in and the
windows were thick with the Ice crystals.
"I suppose," I remarked, "that, homely
as It looks, this thing has somfe deadly
story linked on to It that It Is. the clue
which will guide you in the solution of
some mystery and the punlshmont of
Enmc crime."
No. no. No crime," said Sherlock
Holmes, laughing. "Only one of those
whimsical little incidents which will hap
pen whne you have 4,000,000 human boings
nil jostling each other within the space
cf a few square miles. Amid the action
cr.d reaction of so donee a swarm of hu
manity every possible combination of
events may be expected to take place,
and many a little problem will be pre
rrnted which may be striking and bizarre
wi'hout being criminal. We have already
hid experience of such."
So much so," I remarked, "that of the
!?si six cases which I have added to my
r -s three have been entirely free of any
Irjral crime."
' Precisely. You allude to my attempt
t ) recover the Irene Adler papers, to
the singular case of Miss Mary Suthcr
la 1 and to the adventure of the man
with the twisted Hp. "Well, I have no
dubt that this small matter will fall
1 1 the w Innocent category. You
know Peterson, the commissionaire?"
"Yes."
"It is to him that this trophy belongs."
"It Is his hat?"
"No, no; he found It. Its owner Is un
known. I beg that you will look upon
It iiot as a battered billycock, but as
an Intellectual problem. And first, as to
how it came here. It arrived upon Chrlst
m?s morning, in company with a good
fat goose, which is, I have no doubt,
roasting at this moment In front of Pe
terson's Are. The facts are these: About
4 c't lock on Christmas morning Peterson,
w ho, as you know. Is a very honest fellow,
was returning from some small jollifica
tion and was making his way howeward
down Tottenham Court road. In front of
lum he saw, In the gaslight, a talllsh
man, walking with a slight stagger and
carrying a white goose slung over his
shoulder. As be reached the corner of
Goodge street a row broke out between
's stranger and a little knot of roughs.
One of the latter knocked off the man's
hat, on which he raised his stick to de
fend himself, and swinging It over his
head, smashed the shop window behind
him. Peterson bad rushed forward to
protect the stranger from his assailants,
but the man, whocked at having broken
the window and seeing an official-looking
person in uniform rushing toward him,
Cropped his goose, took to his heels and
vanished amid the labyrinth of small
streets which He at the back of Totten
ham Court road. Tho roughs had also
f d at the appearance of Peterson, so
that he was left In possession of the field
cf battle and also of the spoils of victory
in. the shape of this battered hat and a
most unimpeachable Christmas goose."
'"A hich surely he rostored to their
owner?"
"My dear fellow, there lies the prob
lem. It Is true that 'For Mrs. Henry
Baker' was printed upon a small card
which was tied to the bird's left leg, and
it is also true that the Initials 'H. B.'
are legible upon the lining of this hat;
but as there are some thousands of Ba
kers and some hundreds of Henry Ba
kers In this city of ours, it Is not easy
to restore lost property to any one of
them."
"What, then, did Peterson do?"
"He brought round both hat and goose
to me on Christmas morning, knowing
that even the smallest problems are of
Interest to me. The goose wo retained
until this morning, when there wore
signs that, in spite of tho slight frost. It
would be well that It should be oaten
without unnecessary delay. Its finder has
carried It off. therefore, to fulfill the ul
timate destiny of a goose, while I con
t'rue to retain the hat of tho unknown
gentleman who lost his Christmas
dinner."
"Did he not advertise?" x
No."
"Then, what clue could you have as to
h!s identity?"
"Only as much as wc can deduce."
"From his hat?"
"Precisely."
"But you are joking. "What can you
gather from this pld battered felt?"
"Here Is my lena You know my meth
ods. "What can you gather yourself as to
the Individuality of the man who has
vvrn this article?"
I took the tattered object In my hands
and turned it over rather ruefully. It
was a very ordinary black hat, of the
usual round shape, hard, and much tho
worse for wear. The lining had been of
red silk, but was a good deal discolored.
There was no maker's name; but as
Holmes had remarked, the initials "H.
B " wore scrawled upon one side. It was
rlerced In the brim for a hat-securer, but
the elastic was missing. For the rest, it
was cracked, exceedingly dusty, and spot
ted In several placos, although thore
seemed to have been some attempt to hide
the discolored patches by smearing them
w!th ink.
I can see nothing," said I, handing It
bak to my friend.
'On tho contrary, Watson, you can see
everything. You fall, however, to reason
from what you see. You are too timid in
drawing your Inferences."
"Then, pray tell mo what It Is that you
can infer from this hat?"
He picked it up and gazed at it in the
peculiar introspective fashion which was
characteristic of him. "It Is perhaps less
suggestive than it might have been," he
remarked, "and yet there are a few Infer
ences which are very distinct and a few
ethers which represent at least a strong
balance of probability. That the man was
highly intellectual is, of course, obvious
upon tho face of it. and also that he wan
fairly well-tp-do within the last three
jar, although he has now fallen upon
evil days. He had foresight, but has
less now than formerly, pointing to a
moral retrogression which, when taken
jAtia, tho flecUgo pf Jbis forties, yecflg to
indicate some evil Infiuonce. probably
drink, at work upon him. This may ac
count also for the obvious fact that his
wife has ceased to love him."
"My dear Holmes!"
"He has, however, retained some de
gree of self-respect," he continued, dis
regarding my remonstrance. "Ho Is a
man who leads a sedentary life, goes
out little, is out of training ontirely,.
is middle-aged, has grizzled hair which
he has had cut within the last fow
days, and which he annoints with lime
cream. These are the more patent
facts which are to bo deduced from his
hat. Also, by the way, that It is ex
tremely Improbable that he has gas
laid on in his house."
"You are certainly Joking, Holmes."
"Not in the least. Is It possible that
even now, when I give you these re
sults, you arc. unable to see how they
are attained?'
"I have no doubt that I am very
stupid, but I must confess that I ant
unable to follow you. For example, how
did you deduce that this man was in
tellectual?" For answer Holmes clapped the hat up
on his head. It came right over the fore
head and settled upon the bridge of his
nose. "It Is a question of cubic capacity,"
said he; "a man with so large a brain
must have something in it."
"The decline of his fortunes, then?"
"This hat Is three years old. Those
fiat brims curled at the edge came in
then. Jt Is a hat of the vers best qual
ity. Look at the band of rlbbd silk
and the excellent lining. If this man
could afford to buy so expensive a hat
three years ago, and has had no hat
since, then he has assuredly gone down
In the world."
"Well, that is clear enough, certainly.
But how about the foresight and the
moral retrogression?"
Sherlock Holmos laughed. "Here is the
foresight," said he, putting his finger
upon the little disk and loop of the hat
securer. "They are never sold upon' hats.
If this man ordered one. It is a sign of
a certain amount of foresight, since he
wont out of his way to take this pro
caution against the wind. But since we
see that he has broken the elastic, and
has not troubled to replace it. Jt is ob
vious that he has less foresight now than
formerly, which is a distinct proof of a
weakening nature. On the other hand,
he has endeavored to conceal some of
these stains upon the felt by daubing
them with ink. which is a sign that he
has not entirely lost his self-respect."
"Your reasoning Is certainly plausible."
"The further points, that he is middle
aged, and that bis hair is grizzled, that
It has been recently cut, and he uses lime
cream, aro all to be gathered from a
close examination of the lower part of
the lining. The lens discloses a large
number of hairends, clean cut by the
scissors of tho barber. They all appear
to be adhesive, and thero is a distinct
ordor of lime cream. This dust, you will
observe. Is not the gritty, gray dust of
the street, but the fluffy brown dust of
the house, showing that it has been hung
up indoors most of the time; while the
marks of moisture upon the inside arc
proof positive that the wearer perspired
very freely, and could, therefore, hardly
be in the best of training."
"But his wife you said that she had
ceased to love him?"
"This hat has not been brushed for
weeks. "When I see you, my dear Watson,
with a week's accumulation of dust upon
your hat, and when your wife allows you
to go out in such a state, I shall foar
that you also have been unfortunate
enough to lose your wife's affection."
"But he might be a bachelor."
"Nay. he was bringing home the goose
as a peace-offering to his wife. Remem
ber the card upon the bird's leg."
"You have an answer to everything.
But how on earth do you deduce that
the gas Is not laid on In his house?"
"One tallow stain, or even two, might
come by, chance, but when I see no less
than five. I think that thero can be little
doubt that the Individual must b.e brought
into frequent contact with burning tal
lowwalks upstairs at night probably
with his hat In one hand and a gutter
ing candle in the other. Anyhow, he
never got tallow-stains from a gas Jet.
Aro you satisfied?"
"Well, it is vory Ingenious." said T.
laughing, "but since, as you said just
now, there has been no crime committed,
and no harm done, save the loss of a
goose, all this seems to be rather a
waste of enorgy."
Sherlock Holmes had oponed bis mouth
to reply when the door flew open, and Pe
terson, the commissionaire, rushed Into
tho apartment with flushed cheeks and
tho face of a man who is dazed with
astonishment.
"The goose, Mr. Holmes! The goose,
sir!" ho gasped.
"Eh? "What of it, then? Has it returned
to life and flapped off through tho kitchen
window?" Holmes twisted himself round
upon the sofa to get a fairer "view of the
man's excited face.
"Sec here, sir! Seo what my wife found
In Its crop!" He heia out his hand and dis
played upon tho center of the palm a
brilliantly scintillating blue stone, rather
smaller than a bean in size, hut of such
purity and radiance that It twinkled like
an electric point in the dark hollow of
his hand.
Sherlock Holmes sat up with a whistle.
"By Jove, Peterson!" ald he, "this Is
treasure trove indeed. I suppose you
know what you have got?"
"A. diamond, sir? A prod our stone. It
cuts Into glass as though It were putty."
"It's more than a precious stone. It is
the precious stone."
"Not the Countess of Morcar's blue car
buncle!" I ejaculated.
"Precisely so. I ought to know Its size
and shape, seeing that I have read the
advertisement about It in the Times every
day latelyl It is absolutely unique, and
its value can only be conjectured, but the
reward offered of 1000 is certainly not
within a twentieth jart of the market
price."
"A thousand pounds! Good Lord of
mercy!" The commissionaire plumped
down into a chair, and stared from one
to the other of us.
"That is the reward, and I have reason
to know that thero are sentimental con
siderations in the background which
would Induce the Countess to part with
half her fortune if she could but recover
the gem."
"It was lost, if I remember aright, at
the Hotel Cosmopolitan," I remarked.
"Precisely so. "on December 22. Just Ave
days ago. John Horner, a plumber, was
accused PfJmvlng Abstract ;t; Xrorfljtho
lady's Jewel case. The evidenco against
him was so strong that the case has been
referred to the Assizes. J have soma ac
count of the matter here, I believe." He
rummaged amid his newspapers, glancing
over the dates, until at last he smoothed
one out doubled it over, and read the
following paragraph:
'"Hotel Cosmopolitan Jewel Bob
bery. John Horner, 26, plumber, was
brought up upon the charge of having
upon the 22d Instant abstracted from
tho Jewel case-of the Countess of Mor
car the valuable gem known as the
blue carbuncle. James Ryder, upper
attondant at the hotel, gave his evi
dence to tho effect that he had shown
Horner up to the dressing-room of
the Countess of Morcar upon the Jay
of the robbery. In order that ho might
solder the second bar of tho grate,
which was loose. He had remained
with Horner some little time, but had
finally been -called away. On return
ing, he found tnat Horner had disap
peared, that tho bureau had been
forced open, and that tho small mo
rocco casket in which, as it afterward
transpired, the Countess was accus
tomed to keep her jewel, was lying
empty upon the dressing-table. Ryder
instantly gave the alarm, and Horner
was arrested tne same evening; but
the stone could not be found either
upon his person or in his rooms. Cath
erine Cusack, maid to the Countess,
deposed to having heard Ryder's cry of
dismay on discovering the robbery, and
to having rushed into the room, where
she found masters as described by the
last wltnoss. Inspector Bradstreet, B
Division, gave evidence as to the ar
rest of Horner, who struggled fran
tically and pretested his Innocence la
the strongest terms. Evidence of a
previous conviction for robbery having
been given against the prisoner, the
Magistrate refused to deal summarily
with the offense, but roforred it to the
Asslzos. Horner, who had shown signs
of intense emotion during the pro
ceedings, fainted away at the conclu
sion, and was carried out of court,
"Hum! So much for the Police
Court," said Holmes, thoughtfully,
tossing- aside the paper. "The ques
tion, for us now to solve is the se
quence of events leading from a rifled
Jewel case at one end to the crop of
a goose In Tottenham Court Road at
tho other. You see, Watson, our little
deductions have suddenly assumed a
much more Important and less Inno
cent aspect. Here is the stone; the
Rtoiio came from tho goose, and tne
goose came from Mr. Henry Baker, the
gentleman with the bad hat and all
the other characteristics with which I
have bored me. So now we must set
ourselves very seriously to finding this
gentleman, and ascertaining what part
he has played In this little mystery.
Tq do this, we must try the slmplost
means first, and these lie undoubtedly
In an advertisement in all the evening
papers. If this fail, I shall have re
course to other methods."
"What will you say?"
"Give me a pencil and that slip of
paper. Now, then: 'Found at the cor
ner of Goodge streot, a goose and a
black folt hat. Mr. Henry Baker can
have the same by applying at 6:36 this
evening at 221B Baker street. That
is clear and concise."
"Vory. But will he seo it?"
"Well, he le sure to keep an eye on
the papers, since, to a poor man, the
loss was a heavy one. He was clearly
so scared by his mischance in break
ing the window and by the approach
of Petorson, that ho thought of noth
ing but flight; but since them he must
have bitterly regretted the Impulse
which causod him to drop his bird.
Then. ngalnf the introduction of his
name will cause him tq see It, for
every one who knows him will direct
his attontion to it. Here you arc.
Peterson: run down to the advertising
agency, and have this put In the even
ing papers."
"In which, sir?"
"Oh. in the Globe, Star. Pall Mall,
Si. Jamos's, Evening News. Standard.
Echo and any others that occur to
you."
"Vory well, sir. And this stone?"
"Ah, yos. I shall keep the stone.
Thank you. And, I say, Peterson. Just
bH7 a goose on your way back and
leave It here with me. for we must
have cne to give to this gentleman
In place of the one which your, family
is now devouring."
When the commissionaire bad gone.
Holmes took up the stone and held it
against the light. "It's a bonny thing."
said he. "Just see how it glints and
sparkles. Of course it is a nucleus and
focus of crime. Every good stone Is.
They are the devil's et baits.- In the
large and older Jewels every facet may
stand for a bloody deed. This stone is
not yet 20 years old. It was found In
the banks of the Amoy River, in Southern
China, and is romarkable for having ev
ory characteristic of the carbuncle save
that it is blue in shade instead of ruby
red. In spite of Its youth It has already
a sinister history- There have been
two murders, a vitriol-throwing, a sulctdo
and several robberies brought about for
the sake of this 40-graIn weight of crystal
lized charcoal. Who would think that so
pretty a toy would be a purveyor to the
gallows and the prison? I'll lock it up In
my strong box now, and drop a line to
the Countess to say that we have it."
"Do you think that this man Horner is
innocent?"
"I cannot toll."
"Well, then, do you imagine that this
other one. Honrs Baker, had anything
to do with the matter?"
"It is, I think; much more likely that
Henry Baker is an absolutely Innocont
man, who had no idea that the bird which
he was carrying " of considerably more
value than If it were made of solid gold.
That, howevor, I shall determine by a
very simple tost, if we have an answer
to our advcrtlsomont."
"And you can do nothing until then?"
"Nothing."
"In that case I shall continue my pro
fessional round. But I shall come back
In the evening at the hour you have
mentioned, for I should like to see the
solution of so tangled a business."
"Very glad to see you. I dine at 7.
There is a woodcock, I believe. By the
way, in view of recent occurrences, per
haps X ought to ask Mrs. Hudson to ex
amine its crop."
I had beon delayed at a case, and it
was a little after half past 6 when I
found myself" in Baker street once more.
As I approached the house I saw a tall
man in a Scotch bonnet, with a coat
which was buttoned up po his chin, wait
ing outside in tho bright semi-circle which
was thrown from the fan light. Just as
I arrived the door was opened, and we
were shown up together to Holmes' room.
"Mr. Henry Baker, I believe," said he,
rising from his armchair, and greeting
his visitor with the easy air of geniality
which he could so readily assume. "Pray
take this chair by the Are, Mr. Baker.
It is a cold night, and I observe that
your circulation Is more adapted for Sum
mer than for Winter. Ah. Watson, you
have Just come at the right time. Is
that your hat, Mr. Baker?"
"Yes, sir; that is undoubtedly my hat."
He was a large man. with rounded
shoulders, a massive head, and a broad,
intelligent face, sloping down to a pointed
beard of grizzled brown. A touch of red
In nose and cheeks, with a slight tremor
of his extended hand, recalled Holmes'
surmise as to his habits. His rusty black
,fxckga&t yaa button r!gM.ii'jg Jxs&s,.
with the collar turned up, and his lank
wrist protruded from his sleeves without
a sign of cuff or shirt. He spoko in a
slow staccato fashion, choosing his words
with care, and gave. the impression gen
erally of a man of learning and letters
who had bad ill-usage at the hands of
fortune.
"We have retained these things for
some days," said Holmes, "because we
expected to see an advertisement from
you giving your address. I am at a
loss to know now why you did not ad
vertise." Our visitor gave a rather shamefaced
laugh. "Shillings have not been so plen
tiful with me as they once were," ho
remarked. "I had no doubt that the
gang of roughs who assaulted me had
carried off both my hat and tho bird. I
did not care to spcAd more money in a
hopeless attempt at recovering them.
"Very naturally. By tho way, about
the bird we were compelled to eat It."
"To eat it!" Our visitor half rose from
his chair in his excitement.
"Yes; it would have been of np use to
anyone had we not done so. But I pre
sume that this other goose upon the side
board, which Is about the same weight
and perfectly fresh, will answer your pur
pose equally well?"
"Oh. certainly, certainly!" answered
Mr. Baker, with a sigh of relief.
"Of course, we still have the feathers.
"THE BIRD
legs, crop, and so oa, of youi own bird,
so If you wish"
The man burst Into a hearty laugh.
"They might be useful to me as relics of
my adventure," said he, "but beyond that
I can hardly see what use the disjecta
membra of my late acquaintance are go
ing to be to me. No, sir; I think that,
with your permission, I will confine my
attentions to the excellent bird which I
perceive upon the sideboard." '
Sherlock Holmes glanced sharply across
at me with a slight shrug of his shoul
ders. "There Is your hat. then, and there
your bird." said he. "By the way, would
It bore you to tell me where you got the
other one from? I am somewhat of a
fowl fancier, and I have seldom seen a
better grown goose."
"Cortainly, sir." sold Baker, who had
risen and tucked his newly-gained prop
erty undor his arm. "There are a few
of us who frequent the 'Alpha Inn.
near the Museum we are to be found
In the museum itself during the day, you
understand. This year ourgood host,
Windlgate by name, instituted a goose
club, by which, on consideration of some
few pence evory week, we were each to
receive a bird at Christmas. -My pence
was duly paid, and the rest Is familiar to
you, sir, for a Scotch bonnet Is fitted
neither to my years nor my gravity,"
With a comical pomposity of manner he
bowed solemnly to both of us and strode
off upon his way.
"So much for Mr. Henry Baker," said
Holmes when he had closed the door
behind him. "It Is quite certain that
he knows nothing whatever about the
matter. Aro you hungry, Watson?"
"Not particularly."
"Then I suggest that we turn our
dinner into a supper, and follow up this
clew while it is still hot."
"By all means."
It was a bitter night, so we drew on
our ulsters and wrapped cravats about
our thrqats. Outsldo the stars were
shining coldly in a cloudless sky, and
the breath of tho passers-by blew out
into smoke liko so many pistol shots.
Our footfalls rang out crisply and loud
ly as we swung through tho doctors
quarter, WImpole street, Harley street,
and so through WIgmore street Into
Oxford street. In a quarter of an hour
we were in Bloomsbury at the "Alpha
Inn," which is a small public house at
the corner of one of the streets which
runs down into Holborn. Holmes
pushed, open the door of the private
bar and ordered two glasses of beer
from the ruddy-faced, white-aproned
landlord.
"Your beer should bo excellent if it
is as good as your geese." said he.
"My geese!' Tho man seemed sur
prised. "Yes. I was speaking only half nn
hour ago to Mr. Henry Baker, who was
a member of your goose club."
"Ah! yes, I see. But, you see, sir,
them's not our geese."
"Indeed! Whose, then?"
"Well. I got the two dozen from a
salesman In tho Covent Garden."
"Ilndeed? 'I know some of them. Which
was It?"
"Brecklnrlrge is his name."
"Ah! I don't know him. Well, here's
your good health, landlord, and prosperity
to your house. Good night"
"Now for Mr. Breckinridge," he con
tinued, buttoning up his coat, as we came
out Into the frosty air. "Remember, Wat
son, that though we have so homely a
thing as a goose at one end of this chain,
we have at the other a man who will cer
tainly get seven years' penal servitude
unless we can establish his innocence. It
is possible that our Inquiry may but con
firm his .guilt; but, in any case, we have
a lino of investigation which has been
missed by tho police, and which a singu
lar chance has placed in our hands. Let
us follow it out to the bitter end. Faces
tnth jyh,t;-,F'' '; Tnarch.I,
We passed across Holborn, down Endell
street, and so through a zigzag of slums
to Covcnt Garden Market. One of tho
largest stalls bore the name of Breckln
rldgo upon It, and the proprietor, a
horsey-looking man. with a sharp face
and trim side whiskers, way helping a
boy to put up the shutters.
"Good evening. It's a cold night," said
Holmes.
The salesman nodded and shot a ques-.
tloning glance at my companion.
"Sold out of geese, I see," continued
Holmes, pointing at the bare slabs of
marble.
"Let you have SCO tomorrow morning."
"That's no good."
"Well, there arc some on the stall with
the gasflare."
"Ah. but I was recommended to you."
"Who by?"
"The landlord of the 'Alpha.' "
"Oh, yes; I sent him a couple' of dozen."
"Fine birds they were. too. Now, where
did you get them from?"
To my surprise tho question provoked
a burst of anger from the salesman.
"Now, then, mister," said he, with his
head cocked and his arms akimbo, "what
are you driving .at? Let's have it straight,
now."
"Itiis straight enough. I should like to
know who sold you the geese which you
supplied to the 'Alpha.' "
"Well, then, I shan't tell you. So now!"
!
k i
GAVE A GULP."
"Oh. it Is a matter of no Importance;
but I don't know why you should be so
warm over such a trifle."
"Warm! You'd be as warm, may be. It
you were as estered as I am. When 1
pay good money for a good article there
should be an end of the business; but It's,
'Where are the geese?" and 'Who did you
sell the geese to?' and 'What will you take
for the geese? One would think they were
the only geese In the world, to hear the
fuss that Is made over them."
"Well. I have no connection with any
other people who have been making in
quiries." said Holmes carelessly. "If you
won't tell us the bet Is off. that is all.
But I'm always ready to back my opin
ion on a matter of fowls, and I have a
fiver on It that the bird I ate is country
bred." 1
"Well, then, you've lost your fiver, for
It's town bred." snapped the salesman.
"It's nothing of the kind."
"I say It is."
"I don't believe It."
"D'you - think you know more about
fowls than I, who have handled them
ever since I was a nipper? I tell you. all
those birds that went to the 'Alpha were
town bred."
"You'll never persuade me to believe
that."
"Will you bet. then?"
"It's merely taking your money; for I
know that I am right. But I'll have a
sovereign- on with you Just to teach you
not to be obstinate."
The salesman .chuckled grimly. "Bring
mo the books. Bill." said he. '
The small boy brought round a small,
thin volume and a great greasy-backed
one, laying them out together beneath
,tho hanging lamp.
"Now. then. Mr. Cocksure." said the
salesman. "I thought that I was out of
geese, but before I finish gou'll find that
there Is still one left In my shop. You
see this, little book "
"Well?"
"That's the list of the folk from whom
I buy. D'ye see? Well, then, here on
this pago arc the country folk, and the
numbers after their namos , arc where
their accounts are in the big ledger.
Now, then! You see this other page in
red Ink? Well, that Is a list of my town
suppliers. Now, look at that third name.
Just read it out to me."
"Mrs. Oakshott, 117 Brixton road 249,"
read Holmes.
"Quite so. Now, turn that up in tho
ledger."
Holmes turned to the pago indicated.
"Here you are, 'Mrs. Oakshott, 117 Brixton
road, egg and poultry supplier."
"Now, then, what's the last entry?"
" 'Dec. 22. Twenty-four geese at 7s 6d."
"Quite so. There you are. And under
neath?" " 'Sold to Mr. Windlgate, of the Alpha,
at 12s."
"What have you to say now?"
Sherlock Holmes looked deeply cha
grined. He drew a sovereign from his
pocket and threw It down upon tho slab,
turning away with an air of a man whoso
disgust Is too deep for words. A few
yards off he stopped under a lamp-post
and laughed in the hearty, noiseless
fashion which was peculiar to him.
"When you seo a man with whiskers of
that cut and the 'pink un protruding out
of his pocket, you can always draw him
by a bet," said he. "I dare say that if 1
had put 100 down in front of him. that
man would not have given me such com
plete information as was drawn from him
by tho idea that he was doing me on a
wager. Well. Watson, we are, I fancy,
nearing the end of our quest, and the only
point which remains to be determined Is
whether we should go on to this Mrs.
Oakshott's tonight or whether we should
reserve It for tomorrow. It is clear from
what that surly fellow said that there are
others besides ourselves who are anxious
I abo
1 H,
about the matter, and I should "
a loud hubbub which broke out from the
stall which we had Just left. Turning
around, we saw a little, rat-faced fellow
standing in the center of the circle of
yellow light which was thrown by the
swinging lamp, while Breckinridge, the
salesman, framed In the door of his stall.
wa3 shaking his fists fiercely at the cring
ing figure.
"I've had enough of you and your
geese," he shouted. "I wish you were
all at the devil together. If you come
pestering me any more with your silly
talk I'll set the dog at you. You bring
Mrs. Oakshott here and I'll answer her;
but what have you to do with It? Did I
buy the geese oft you?"
"No; but one of them was mine, all the
same." whined the little man.
"Well then, ask Mrs. Oakshott for It."
"She told me to ask you."
"Well, you can ask the 'King of Proosia,
for all 1 care. I've had enough of It.
Get out of this!" He rushed fiercely for
ward, and the Inquirer flitted away Into
the darkness.
"Ha, tljis may save us a visit to Brixton
road," whispered Holmes. "Come with
me, and we will see what Is to be mndo
of this fellow." Striding through the
scattered knots of people who lounged
round the flaring stalls, my companion
speedily overtook the little man and
touched him upon the shoulder. He
sprang round, and I could see In the gas
light that every vestige of color had been
driven from his face.
"Who are you, then? What do you
want?" he asked. In a quavering voice.
"You will excuse me," said Holmes,
blandly, "but I could not help overhear
ing the questions which you put to the
salesman Just now. I think that I could
be of assistance to you."
"You? Who are you? How could you
know anything of this matter?"
"My name Is Sherlock Holmes. It is
my business to know wiiat other people
don't know."
"But you can know nothing of this."
"Excuse me, I know everything of It.
You are endeavoring to trace some geese
which were sold by Mrs. Oakshott, of
Brixton road, to a salesman named Breck
inridge. JOy him In turn to Mr. Windlgate,
of the Alpha, and by him to his club, of
which Mr. Henry Baker Is a member."
"Oh. sir, you are the very man whom T
have longed to meet," cried the little fel
low, with outstretched hands and quiver
ing fingers. "I can hardly explain to you
how Interested I am In this matter."
Sherlock Holmes hailed a four-wheeler
which was passing. "In that case we had
better discuss it In a cozy room rather
than In this wlnd-swlpt market place,"
said he. "But. pray tell me, before we go
further, who It Is that I have the pleasure
of afislstlng?"
The man hesitated for an Instant. "My
name Is John Robinson," he answered,
with a sidelong glance.
"No, no; the real name," said Holmes,
sweetly. "It Is always awkward doing
business with an alias."
A flush sprang to the white cheeks of
the stranger.
"Well, then." said he, "my real name is
James Ryder."
"Precisely so. Head attendant at tho
Hotel Cosmopolitan. Pray step Into the
cab, and I shall soon be able to tell you
everything which you would wish to
know."
The little man stood glancing from .one
to the other of us with half-frightened,
half-hopeful eyes, as one who Is not sdre
whether he Is on the verge of a windfall
or of a catastrophe. Then he stepped Into
the cab, and in half an hour we were
back In the sitting-room at Baker street.
Nothing had been said during our drive,
but the high, thin breathing of our new
compnnlon and the clasplngs and unclasp
Ings of his hands spoke of the nervous
tension within him.
"Here we are." said Holmes, cheerily,
as we filed Into the room. "The fire
looks very seasonable In this weather.
You look cold, Mr. Ryder. Pray take the
basket-chair. I will Just put on my slip
pers before wo settle this little matter
of yours. Now, then, you want to know
what became of those geese?"
"Yes, sir."
"Or, rather. I fancy, of that goose. It
was one bird, I Imagine, In which you
were Interested white, wltfi. a black bar
across the tall."
Ryder quivered with, emotion. "Oh. sir,"
he cried. "Can you tell me where it
went to?"
"It came here."
'"Here?"
"Yes; and a most remarkable bird It
proved. I don't wonder that you should
take an Interest In It. It laid an egg
after It was dead the bonniest, brightest
little blue egg that ever was seen. I have
It here In my museum."
Our visitor staggered to his feet and
clutched the mantelpiece with his right
hand. Holmes unlocked his strong box
and held up the blue carbuncle, which
shone out like n star, with a cold, bril
liant, many-pointed radiance. Ryder stood
glaring with a drawn face, uncertain
whether to claim or to disown It.
"The game's up. Ryder," said Holmes,
quietly. "Hold up. man. or you'll bo
Into the fire! Give him an arm back
into his chair. Watson. He's not got
blood enough to go in for felony with
Impunity. Give him a dash of brandy.
Soli Now he looks a little more human.
Whnt a shrimp it Is, to be sure!"
For a moment he had staggered and
nearly fallen, but tho brandy brought a
tingle of color Into his cheeks, and he sat
staring with frightened eyes at his ac
cuser. "I have almost every link In my hands
and all the proofs which I could possibly
need, so there is little which you need
tell me. Still, that little may as well
bo cleared up to make the case complete.
You had heard, Ryder, of this blue stone
of tho Countess of Morcar's?"
"It was Catherine Cusack who told
me of It." said he. In a crackling voice.
I see her. ladyship's waltlng-mald.
Well the temptation of sudden wealth
so easily acquired was too much for you.
as It has been for better men before you;
but you were not very scrupulous In the
means you used. It seems to me. Ryder,
that there Is the making of a very pretty
villain In you. You know that this man
Horner, the plumber, had been concerned
In some such matter before, and that sus
picion would rest the more readily upon
him. What did you do, then? You made
some small Job In my lady's room you
and your confederate Cusack and you
managed that he should be the man sent
for. Then, when he had left, you rifled
tho Jewel case, raised the alarm and had
this unfortunato man arrested. You
then"
Ryder threw himself down suddenly
upon the rug and clutched at my com
panion's knee. "Fod God's sake, have
mercy!" she shrieked. "Think of my
father! of my mother! It would break
their hearts. I never went wrong before!
I never will again. I swear It. I'll swear
it on a Bible. Oh, don't bring It into
court! For Christ's sake, don't!"
"Get back Into your chair!" said
Holmes, sternly. ''It Is very well to
crlngo and crawl now, but you thought
little enough of this poor Horner In the
dock for a crime of which he knew noth
ing." "I will fly, Mr. Holmes. I will leave the
country, sir. Then the charge against
him will break down."
"Hum! We will talk about that. And
now let us hear a true account of tho
next act. How camo the stone Into the
goose, and how came the goose Into the
open market? Tell us the truth, for there
lies your only hope of safety."
Ryder passed his tongue over his
parched Hps. "I will tell you It Just as
It happened, sir," said he. "When Horner
had been .arrested it seemed to me that
It would be best for me to get away with
the stono at once, for I did not know at
what moment the police might not take
It Into their heads to search me and my
room. There was no place about the hotel
where It would be safe. I went out, as If
on some commission, and I made for my
sister's house. She had married a man
named Oakshott, and lived in Brixton
road, where she fattened fowls for the
market. All the way there every man I
met seemed to be a policeman or a detec
tive; and for all that it was a cold night
the sweat was pouring down my face be
tors I carog tq the Brixton road. Mjjjg-
ter asked me what was tho matter, and
why I was so pale; but I told her that I
had been upset by the .Jewel robbery at
the hotel. Then I went Into the backyard
and smoked a pipe and wondered what It
would be best to do.
"I had a friend once called Maudsley.
who went to tho bad, and has Just been
serving his time In Pentonvllle. One day
he had met me and fell Into talk about
the ways of thieves, and how they could
get rid of what they stole. I knew- that
ho would bo true to me, for I knew one
or two things about him; so I made up
my mind to go right on to Kllburn. where
he lived, and take him Into my confi
dence. He would show me how "to turn
the stone Into money. But how to get to
him In safety? I thought of the agonies
I had gone through In coming from the
hotel. I might at any moment be seized
and searched, and there would be the
stone In my waistcoat pocket. I was lean
ing against the wall at the time and look
ing at the geese which were waddling
about round my feet, and suddenly an
idea came into my head which showed
me how I could beat the best detective
that ever lived.
"My sister had told me some weeks be
fore that I might have the pick of her
geese for a Christmas present, and I
knew that she was always as good as
her word. I would take my goose . now.
and In It I would carry my stone to Kll
burn. There was a little shed In tho
yard, and behind this I drove one of the
birds a fine, big one. white, with a barred
tall. I caught It and prying Its bill open
I thrust the stone down Its throat as far
as my finger could reach. The bird gave a
gulp and I felt the stone pass along Its
gullet and down Into Its crop. But the
creature flapped and struggled, and out
came my sister to know what was the
matter. As I turned to speak to her thf
brute broke loose and fluttered oft among
the others.
" 'Whatever were you doing with that
bird. Jem?' says she.
" 'Well,' said I, 'you said you'd give me
one for Christmas, and I was feeling
which was the fattest."
" 'Oh,' says she. 'we've set yours aside
for you Jem's bird, we call It. It's the
big white one over yonder. There's 26 of
them, which makes one for you. one for us
and two dozen for the market."
" Thank you, Maggie.' says I; 'but If It
Is all the same to you. I'd rather have
that one I was handling Just now.'
" 'The other Is a good three pound heav
ier,' said she. 'and we fattened It ex
pressly for you."
" 'Never mind. I'll have the other, and
I'll take It now.' said I.
" 'Oh, Just as you like.' said she. a little
huffed. 'Which Is It you want, then?
" 'That white one with the bnrred tail,
right in the middle of the flock.
" 'Oh. very well. Kill it and take It with
you.'
"Well. I did what she said. Mr. Holmes,
and I carried the bird all the way to Kll
burn. I told my pal what I had done, for
he was a man that It was easy to tell a
thing like that to. He laughed until he
choked, and we got a knife and opened the
goose. My heart turned to water, for
there was no sign of the stone, and I
knew that some terrible mistake had oc
curred. I left the bird, rushed back to
my sister's and hurried Into the back
yard. There was not a bird to be seen
there.
" 'Where are they all. Maggie?' I cried.
" 'Gone to the dealer's, Jem.'
" 'Which dealer's?'
" 'Breckinridge, of Covent Garden.
" 'But was there another with a
barred tall? I asked, 'the same as the
one I chose?
"'Yes, Jem; there were two bnrred
talled ones, and I could never tell them
apart.'
"Well, then, of course, I saw It all.
and I ran off as hard as my feet would
carry me to this man Breckinridge,
but he had sold the lot at once, and not
one word would he tell me as to where
they had gone. You heard him your
selves ton'ght. Well, he has always
answered me like that. My sister
thinks that I am going mnd. Some
times I think that I am myself. And
now and now I am myself a branded
thief, without ever having touched the
wealth for which I sold my character.
God help me! God help me!" He burst
into convulsive sobbing, with his face
burled in his hands.
There was a Ions sllenco. broken only
by his heavy breathing, and by the
measured tapping of Sherlock Holmes'
finger-tips upon the edge of the table.
Then my friend rose and threw open
tho door.
"Get out!" said he.
"What, sir! Oh. heaven bless you!"
"No more words. Get out!"
And no more words were needed.
There was a rush, a clatter upon the
stairs, the bang of a door and the crisp
rattle of running footfalls from the
street.
"After all. Watson." snld Holmes,
reaching up his hand for his clay pipe.
"I am not retained by tho police to sup
ply their deficiencies. If Horner were
In danger It would be nnother thing:
but this fellow will not appear against
him. and the case must collapse. I
suppose that I am commuting a fel
ony, but It Is just possible that I am
saving- a soul. This fellow will not go
wrong again; he Is too terribly frigh
tened. Send him to jnll now, and you
mako him a jnll bird for life. Besides.
It Is the season of forgiveness. Chance
has put In our way a most singular and
whlmslcai problem, and Its solution Is
Us own reward. If you will have the
goodness to touch the bell, doctor, we
will begin anothor Investigation, In
which, also, a bird will be the chief
feature." (Copyright by Harper &
Bros.)
FRENCH MAN'S BOAT SLIDES
Skims Along Surface of the "Water at
a Good Speed.
American Inventor
The fact that a stone can skim the
water If Its flat surface strikes squarely
has recently been put In practice In the
construction of a sliding boat by a French
Inventor, M. do Lambert. The friction
which Is present when the de Lambert
boat slides over the water Is very slight,
and the power which Is necessary In or
der to make the boat glide is not high.
When the boat Is at rest It Is supported
by floats.
The boat constructed by M. de Lambert
has a total length of 20 feet, with a
width of ten feet between the Inclined
planes upon which it slides. The boat
has parallel floats resembling certain
Asiatic canoes. The two floats are very
narrow and are united by cross-pieces,
partly of wood and partly of aluminum, a
metal which has been used to a large ex
tent In the construction of the boat be
cause of Its slight weight.
The motor used Is a 12 horsepower, but
the essential parts of the boat are fixed
sliding planes, adjusted under the boat
at carefully regulated distances from each
other. These planes, which are made of
wood, are Immersed to a depth of several
centimeters when the boat Is at rest,
and they are Inclined at an angle which
has been decided upon after wide ex
perimentation. The total weight of the
boat Is about 1200 pounds, but In order
to move this weight It requires a motor
of only 12 horsepower, while In the case
of automobile boats the motors required
are 60. SO and even 100 horsepower.
M. Bellet says that M. de Lambert's
boat has been timed by official chrono
meters, and that the results have been
surprising. When the motor Is started
the boat commences to move with the
planes still submerged, cutting the water
horizontally. But this lasts only a short
time; the planes show an Instantaneous
tendency to rise, and they are practically
on the water at the end of a few meters.
Then the speed quickly Increases because
of the Immense diminution in resistance,
and soon the boat is sliding on the water,
or, more exactly, on a layer of air rest
ing between tho planes and the water
.at a aaeed of 115 or 25 miles an hour