DarqueDante/test2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 74
yourself that the League has a vacancy, and there is the address
where you should apply for particulars. As far as I can make out, the
League was founded by an American millionaire, Ezekiah Hopkins, who
was very peculiar in his ways. He was himself red-headed, and he had
a great sympathy for all red-headed men; so when he died it was found
that he had left his enormous fortune in the hands of trustees, with
instructions to apply the interest to the providing of easy berths to
men whose hair is of that colour. From all I hear it is splendid pay
and very little to do.'

"'But,' said I, 'there would be millions of red-headed men who would
apply.'

"'Not so many as you might think,' he answered. 'You see it is really
confined to Londoners, and to grown men. This American had started
from London when he was young, and he wanted to do the old town a
good turn. Then, again, I have heard it is no use your applying if
your hair is light red, or dark red, or anything but real bright,
blazing, fiery red. Now, if you cared to apply, Mr. Wilson, you would
just walk in; but perhaps it would hardly be worth your while to put
yourself out of the way for the sake of a few hundred pounds.'

"Now, it is a fact, gentlemen, as you may see for yourselves, that my
hair is of a very full and rich tint, so that it seemed to me that if
there was to be any competition in the matter I stood as good a
chance as any man that I had ever met. Vincent Spaulding seemed to
know so much about it that I thought he might prove useful, so I just
ordered him to put up the shutters for the day and to come right away
with me. He was very willing to have a holiday, so we shut the
business up and started off for the address that was given us in the
advertisement.

"I never hope to see such a sight as that again, Mr. Holmes. From
north, south, east, and west every man who had a shade of red in his
hair had tramped into the city to answer the advertisement. Fleet
Street was choked with red-headed folk, and Pope's Court looked like
a coster's orange barrow. I should not have thought there were so
many in the whole country as were brought together by that single
advertisement. Every shade of colour they were--straw, lemon, orange,
brick, Irish-setter, liver, clay; but, as Spaulding said, there were
not many who had the real vivid flame-coloured tint. When I saw how
many were waiting, I would have given it up in despair; but Spaulding
would not hear of it. How he did it I could not imagine, but he
pushed and pulled and butted until he got me through the crowd, and
right up to the steps which led to the office. There was a double
stream upon the stair, some going up in hope, and some coming back
dejected; but we wedged in as well as we could and soon found
ourselves in the office."

"Your experience has been a most entertaining one," remarked Holmes
as his client paused and refreshed his memory with a huge pinch of
snuff. "Pray continue your very interesting statement."

"There was nothing in the office but a couple of wooden chairs and a
deal table, behind which sat a small man with a head that was even
redder than mine. He said a few words to each candidate as he came
up, and then he always managed to find some fault in them which would
disqualify them. Getting a vacancy did not seem to be such a very
easy matter, after all. However, when our turn came the little man
was much more favourable to me than to any of the others, and he
closed the door as we entered, so that he might have a private word
with us.

"'This is Mr. Jabez Wilson,' said my assistant, 'and he is willing to
fill a vacancy in the League.'

"'And he is admirably suited for it,' the other answered. 'He has
every requirement. I cannot recall when I have seen anything so
fine.' He took a step backward, cocked his head on one side, and
gazed at my hair until I felt quite bashful. Then suddenly he plunged
forward, wrung my hand, and congratulated me warmly on my success.

"'It would be injustice to hesitate,' said he. 'You will, however, I
am sure, excuse me for taking an obvious precaution.' With that he
seized my hair in both his hands, and tugged until I yelled with the
pain. 'There is water in your eyes,' said he as he released me. 'I
perceive that all is as it should be. But we have to be careful, for
we have twice been deceived by wigs and once by paint. I could tell
you tales of cobbler's wax which would disgust you with human
nature.' He stepped over to the window and shouted through it at the
top of his voice that the vacancy was filled. A groan of
disappointment came up from below, and the folk all trooped away in
different directions until there was not a red-head to be seen except
my own and that of the manager.

"'My name,' said he, 'is Mr. Duncan Ross, and I am myself one of the
pensioners upon the fund left by our noble benefactor. Are you a
married man, Mr. Wilson? Have you a family?'

"I answered that I had not.

"His face fell immediately.

"'Dear me!' he said gravely, 'that is very serious indeed! I am sorry
to hear you say that. The fund was, of course, for the propagation
and spread of the red-heads as well as for their maintenance. It is
exceedingly unfortunate that you should be a bachelor.'

"My face lengthened at this, Mr. Holmes, for I thought that I was not
to have the vacancy after all; but after thinking it over for a few

yourself that the League has a vacancy, and there is the address

where you should apply for particulars. As far as I can make out, the

League was founded by an American millionaire, Ezekiah Hopkins, who

was very peculiar in his ways. He was himself red-headed, and he had

a great sympathy for all red-headed men; so when he died it was found

that he had left his enormous fortune in the hands of trustees, with

instructions to apply the interest to the providing of easy berths to

men whose hair is of that colour. From all I hear it is splendid pay

and very little to do.'

"'But,' said I, 'there would be millions of red-headed men who would

apply.'

"'Not so many as you might think,' he answered. 'You see it is really

confined to Londoners, and to grown men. This American had started

from London when he was young, and he wanted to do the old town a

good turn. Then, again, I have heard it is no use your applying if

your hair is light red, or dark red, or anything but real bright,

blazing, fiery red. Now, if you cared to apply, Mr. Wilson, you would

just walk in; but perhaps it would hardly be worth your while to put

yourself out of the way for the sake of a few hundred pounds.'

"Now, it is a fact, gentlemen, as you may see for yourselves, that my

hair is of a very full and rich tint, so that it seemed to me that if

there was to be any competition in the matter I stood as good a

chance as any man that I had ever met. Vincent Spaulding seemed to

know so much about it that I thought he might prove useful, so I just

ordered him to put up the shutters for the day and to come right away

with me. He was very willing to have a holiday, so we shut the

business up and started off for the address that was given us in the

advertisement.

"I never hope to see such a sight as that again, Mr. Holmes. From

north, south, east, and west every man who had a shade of red in his

hair had tramped into the city to answer the advertisement. Fleet

Street was choked with red-headed folk, and Pope's Court looked like

a coster's orange barrow. I should not have thought there were so

many in the whole country as were brought together by that single

advertisement. Every shade of colour they were--straw, lemon, orange,

brick, Irish-setter, liver, clay; but, as Spaulding said, there were

not many who had the real vivid flame-coloured tint. When I saw how

many were waiting, I would have given it up in despair; but Spaulding

would not hear of it. How he did it I could not imagine, but he

pushed and pulled and butted until he got me through the crowd, and

right up to the steps which led to the office. There was a double

stream upon the stair, some going up in hope, and some coming back

dejected; but we wedged in as well as we could and soon found

ourselves in the office."

"Your experience has been a most entertaining one," remarked Holmes

as his client paused and refreshed his memory with a huge pinch of

snuff. "Pray continue your very interesting statement."

"There was nothing in the office but a couple of wooden chairs and a

deal table, behind which sat a small man with a head that was even

redder than mine. He said a few words to each candidate as he came

up, and then he always managed to find some fault in them which would

disqualify them. Getting a vacancy did not seem to be such a very

easy matter, after all. However, when our turn came the little man

was much more favourable to me than to any of the others, and he

closed the door as we entered, so that he might have a private word

with us.

"'This is Mr. Jabez Wilson,' said my assistant, 'and he is willing to

fill a vacancy in the League.'

"'And he is admirably suited for it,' the other answered. 'He has

every requirement. I cannot recall when I have seen anything so

fine.' He took a step backward, cocked his head on one side, and

gazed at my hair until I felt quite bashful. Then suddenly he plunged

forward, wrung my hand, and congratulated me warmly on my success.

"'It would be injustice to hesitate,' said he. 'You will, however, I

am sure, excuse me for taking an obvious precaution.' With that he

seized my hair in both his hands, and tugged until I yelled with the

pain. 'There is water in your eyes,' said he as he released me. 'I

perceive that all is as it should be. But we have to be careful, for

we have twice been deceived by wigs and once by paint. I could tell

you tales of cobbler's wax which would disgust you with human

nature.' He stepped over to the window and shouted through it at the

top of his voice that the vacancy was filled. A groan of

disappointment came up from below, and the folk all trooped away in

different directions until there was not a red-head to be seen except

my own and that of the manager.

"'My name,' said he, 'is Mr. Duncan Ross, and I am myself one of the

pensioners upon the fund left by our noble benefactor. Are you a

married man, Mr. Wilson? Have you a family?'

"I answered that I had not.

"His face fell immediately.

"'Dear me!' he said gravely, 'that is very serious indeed! I am sorry

to hear you say that. The fund was, of course, for the propagation

and spread of the red-heads as well as for their maintenance. It is

exceedingly unfortunate that you should be a bachelor.'

"My face lengthened at this, Mr. Holmes, for I thought that I was not

to have the vacancy after all; but after thinking it over for a few