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--- the_mystery_of_several_stupid_anonymous_letters [2017/11/25 17:43]
lverona [The Mystery of Several Stupid Anonymous Letters]
+++ the_mystery_of_several_stupid_anonymous_letters [2025/02/21 09:06] (current)
lverona
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-**The Mystery of Several Stupid Anonymous Letters** is a short story that was published in [[wnp_press|Cheap Newspaper]].
+**Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson: The Mystery of Several Stupid Anonymous Letters** is a short story that was penned by Louigi Verona and published in [[wnp_press|Cheap Newspaper]].
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-Dr. Watson hated the bakery. For one thing, he had to stand in line. The other thing, even more frustrating, was that the bakery was right in front of their house, so Holmes peered through the binoculars at it and then greeted Watson with observations. For example, last week he told Watson all about the people he was standing in line with and based it on Watson's dirty shoes.
+Dr. Watson hated the bakery. For one, he had to stand in line. The other thing, even more frustrating, was that the bakery was right in front of their house, so Holmes peered through the binoculars at it and then greeted Watson with observations. For example, last week he told Watson all about the people he was standing in line with and based it all on Watson's dirty shoes.
-However, this time Sherlock was preoccupied with a visitor and when Watson entered their sitting-room, he saw a good looking young man sitting in an armchair opposite Holmes. His face was anxious, in his hands he was nervously torturing a small piece of paper.
+However, this time Sherlock was preoccupied with a visitor, and when Watson entered their sitting-room, he saw a good-looking young man sitting in an armchair opposite Holmes. His face was anxious, in his hands he was nervously torturing a small piece of paper. "I am a business man," he said. "I work in the bank for more then 7 years now. But lately I've been getting these damn anonymous letters. All of them are odd and seem like a joke, but then... it all happens!"
--I am a business man, - he said. - I work in a bank for more then 7 years now. But lately I've been getting those damn anonymous letters. All of them are odd and seem like a joke, but then... it all happens!
+"Be more precise," Holmes said, "otherwise I feel myself an imbecile, and we've got Watson for that."
--Be more precise, - said Holmes crossly, - otherwise I feel myself a fool and we've got Watson for that.
+"Well, look. Last weekend I got a letter, 'Dear Mr. Stapple, you will loose an apple.'"
--Well, look. Last weekend I got a letter: "Dear Mr. Stapple, you will loose an apple."
+"Yeah. And?"
--Yeah. And?
+"And I lost it! Yesterday I opened my lunch box, and the apple was gone! Can you believe it? Or here's another one, arrived just last month, 'Dear Mr. Berry, you will loose a cherry.' And I lost it too! A couple of days later I was robbed - one of the cherries from my cake was gone!"
--And I lost it! Yesterday someone stole my apple! Can you believe it? Or here's another one, arrived last month: "Dear Mr. Berry, you will loose a cherry." And I lost it too! A couple of days later I was robbed - one of the cherries from my pie was gone!
+"What a disaster!" Holmes said.
--What a disaster! - concluded Holmes.
+Young man pulled out a big heap of small papers from his pocket. "Here are the rest of them: 'Dear Mr. Dorange, you will loose an orange', 'Dear Mr. Stumm, you will loose some plum', 'Dear Mr. Dwine, you will loose a lime'..."
-Young man pulled out a big heap of small papers from his pocket.
+"I get the idea," Holmes said. "Let me see those letters." The famous detective took one of the papers and carefully examined it with a magnifying glass. While doing that, he was significantly humming to himself. Watson and the young man patiently waited. At last, Holmes said, "That helped a lot. Now we can make certain conclusions. A logical chain reaction will lead us straight to the criminal."
--Here are the rest of them: "Dear Mr. Dorange, you will loose an orange", "Dear Mr. Stumm, you will loose some plum", "Dear Mr. Dwine, you will loose a lime"...
+"How is that possible?" the young man exclaimed.
--That's enough, - said Holmes. - Let me see those letters.
+"Elementary! For example, the letters are written on a piece of paper, so clearly we can state that the author is NOT an Egyptian."
-The famous detective took one of the papers and carefully examined it with a magnifying glass. While doing that, he was significantly humming to himself. Watson and the young man patiently waited and at last Holmes said:
+"Not an Egyptian? Why?"
--That helped a lot. Now we can make certain conclusions. A logical chain reaction will lead us straight to the criminal.
--How is that possible? - excaimed the young man.
+"An Egyptian would have used parchment instead of paper."
--Elementary! For example, the letters are written on a piece of paper, so clearly we can state that the author is NOT an Egyptian.
+"Oh..."
--Not an Egyptian? Why?
+"Do you have any non-Egyptian colleagues?"
--An Egyptian would have used parchment instead of paper.
+The young man seemed to be puzzled. "Yeah, most of them, actually."
--Oh...
+"Good," Holmes said. "Let's go further."
--Do you have any non-Egyptian colleagues?
+Watson rolled his eyes and sighed.
-The young man seemed to be puzzled:
+"You probably haven't noticed that the lines of every letter are rhymed," Holmes said. "That gives us strong evidence as to the profession of the criminal."
--Yeah, most of them, actually.
--Good, - said Holmes. - Let's go further.
+"Really?" the young man said.
-As he continued, Watson rolled up his eyes and sighed.
+"Sure. If the lines are rhymed, it is obvious that the author of the letters is a poet."
--You probably haven't noticed that the lines of every letter are rhymed, - said Holmes. - That gives us strong evidence of the profession of the criminal.
+"Oh..."
--Really? - said the young man with hope.
+"Do you have any non-Egyptian poet friends?"
--Sure. If the lines are rhymed, it is obvious that the author of the letters is a poet.
+"Um... I'm not really sure. I know a couple of guys who like writing poems on special occasions..."
--Oh...
+"Well, you have to find that out," Holmes said. "But we can go even further. If you noticed, in every letter the criminal addresses you with a different name. So he most definitely suffers from bad memory. Usually this happens to older people. He also pathologically loves fruit. Do you know any old non-Egyptian poets who love fruit?"
--Do you have any non-Egyptian poet friends?
+The young man focused and thought about it for some time. "Well, my boss is far from being young, he likes an orange now and then, he reads Shakespeare and he is not from Egypt."
--Um... I'm not really sure. I know a couple of guys who like writing poems on special occasions...
+"There you go!" said Holmes, with a sense of well-deserved accomplishment.
--Well, you have to find that out, - assured him Holmes. - But we can go even further. If you noticed, in every letter the criminal addresses you with a different name. So he most definitely suffers from bad memory. Usually this happens with older people. He also pathologically loves fruit. Do you know any old non-Egyptian poets who love fruit?
+The young man smiled, but didn't seem satisfied. He turned to Watson and whispered, "I'm not sure it's my boss - he is pretty wealthy and can buy lots of fruit himself."
-The young man concentrated and thought for some time.
+Watson shook his head and said, "Holmes, the description is too general. Can you provide us with a bit more detail?"
--Well, my boss is far from being young, he likes an orange now and then, he reads Shakespeare and he is not from Egypt.
--There you go! - said Holmes solemnly.
+Holmes stopped puffing with his smoking pipe and grinned, "Everyone wants the impossible... But let's try..."
-The young man smiled, but didn't seem satisfied. He confusedly turned to Watson and whispered:
+The legendary detective took another glance at the letters and after some thinking said, "This guy used a lot of paper. And lots of ink too. He must be pretty wealthy."
--I'm not sure it's my boss - he is rich and can buy lots of fruit himself.
-Watson shook his head and said:
+* * *
--Holmes, the description is too general. Can you give more detail?
-Holmes stopped puffing with his smoking pipe and grinned:
+Afterwards Watson often wondered whether it was luck or loud whisper.
--Everyone wants the impossible... Well, let's try...
-The legendary detective took another glance at the letters and after some thinking said:
--This guy used a lot of paper. And lots of ink too. He must be very rich.
-***
-Afterwards Watson often wondered whether it was luck or loud whisper, but the only evidence he had was that 'whisper' has an 'h', hence it can be 'h'eard.
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