Fun_People Archive
8 May
Sherlock Rides Again

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Fri,  8 May 98 12:51:17 -0700
To: Fun_People
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Subject: Sherlock Rides Again

X-Lib-of-Cong-ISSN: 1098-7649
Forwarded-by: "Jack D. Doyle" <doylej@PEAK.ORG>
Forwarded-by: Kevin Johnsrude <kevinj@roguewave.com>

Elementary!

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the world-famous detective, Sherlock
Holmes, was not above telling tales about himself in which he was the
laughing-stock. Here is one of those stories. As he tells it, he was waiting
at a taxi- stand outside the railway station in Paris. When a taxi pulled
up, he put his suitcase in it and got in himself. As he was about to tell
the taxi-driver where he wanted to go, the driver asked him: "Where can I
take you, Mr. Doyle?" Doyle was flabbergasted. He asked the driver whether
he knew him by sight. The driver said: "No Sir, I have never seen you
before." The puzzled Doyle asked him what made him think that he was Conan
Doyle. The driver replied: "This morning's paper had a story about you being
on vacation in Marseilles. This is the taxi-stand where people who return
from Marseilles always come to. Your skin colour tells me you have been on
vacation. The ink-spot on your right index finger suggests to me that you
are a writer. Your clothing is very English, and not French. Adding up all
those pieces of information, I deduce that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."
Doyle said: "This is truly amazing.  You are a real-life counter-part to my
fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes. "There is one other thing," the driver
said. "What is that?" "Your name is on your suitcase."

© 1998 Peter Langston