A middle-aged man named Meeks, came from the West to New York. He came to find his sister Mrs. Mary Snyder. She was a widow, fifty-two years old, and she was a scrub-woman. When he came to her old address he did not find her there. Mary Snyder had moved away more than a month ago. No one could tell him her new address.
When he came out of the house Mr. Meeks went up to a policeman who was standing on the corner. He explained his difficulty to him.
“My sister is very poor,” he said, “and I must find her at once. This year I have made a lot of money in business.[3] I want to give her some money. It will be great help to her, I know. But I can`t find her. It`s no use putting an advertisement in the newspaper,[4] because she cannot read.”
The policeman thought for a long time. The longer he thought, the more Mr. Meeks was sure that he would help him.
“I can`t tell you what to do,” he said at last. “You can go to police headquarters and ask them to help you.”
At police headquarters, they agreed to take part in finding[5] Mrs. Mary Snyder. Mr. Meek gave them his sister`s photograph. Copies of that photograph were sent to all the police stations of New York. The chief of police gave the case to Detective Mullins. The detective said to Mr. Meeks: “It will not take me long to find her, it`s not a very difficult case. Shave off your beard, fill your pockets with good cigars, and meet me in the Waldorf café at three o`clock this afternoon.”
Meeks came to the café at the three o`clock and found Mullins there. They had a bottle of wine, while the detective asked questions about the old woman.
“New York is a big city,” said Mullins, “but we have a good system in the detective business. We know how to look for people. We shall find your sister easily. There are two methods that we can use. We`ll try one of them first. Do you say she`s fifty-two?”
“A little more”, said Meeks.
Meeks became very angry.
“My sister”, he said, “is a very hard-working woman[10]. I do not see how this advertisement can help us”.
“All right”, said the detective, “I see you don`t know New York. But if you don`t like this, we`ll try the other method. But it will cost you more”.
“Never mind the cost[11]”, said Meeks. “Let`s try it”.
The sleuth led him back to the café. “Take two bedrooms and a parlor”, he said, “and let`s go there and talk”.
This was done. The two of them went to the fourth floor. Meeks looked surprised. He did not understand the detective`s plan.
The detective sat down in a velvet armchair, and smoked a cigar.
“I advise you, old man,” he said, “to take the rooms by the month.[12] It will cost you less.”
“By the month?” exclaimed Meeks. “Why?”
“Oh, it will take time to find your sister. I told you that the other method would cost you more. We`ll have to wait till spring. A new directory will be published in spring. We will buy it. I hope that your sister`s mane and address will be in it.”
Meeks got rid of the city detective at once.
The next day some one advised him to consult Shamrock Jolnes, the most famous private detective in New York. He took a lot of money for his work, but he always solved mysteries.
Meeks waited for two hours in the great detective`s apartment. When he entered Jolnes` study the detective was sitting in an armchair with a magazine in his hand.
Meeks told him his story.
“If I help you to find your sister,” said Shamrock Jolnes, “it will cost you 500 dollars.”
Meeks agreed to pay it.
“I will take up your case, Mr. Meeks,” said Jolnes at last. “The disappearance of people in this city has always been an interesting problem to me. I remember a case that I solved a year ago. A family of the name of Clark disappeared suddenly from a small flat in which they were living. I watched the flat for several months. One day I took notice that a grocer`s boy always walked backward when he carried the milk upstairs. This fact give me an idea which helped me to solve the mystery. Very soon I found the family that had disappeared. They had simply moved into the flat across the hall[13] and changed their name from CLARK to KRALC. That was all.”
Shamrock Jolnes and Mr. Meeks went to the house where Mary Snyder had lived. The detective wanted to see her room. Nobody has lived in it since her disappearance.
It was a small room with only a bed, a table and a chair in it. Mr. Meeks was tired. He sat on the broken chair, while the great detective examined the walls and the floor of the room.
At the end of half an hour Jolnes had found a few small things: a cheap black hat pin; a peace of a theatre programme and a peace of a small card. On the card was the word “left” and the number “C12”.
Shamrock Jolnes stood at the wall for ten minutes thinking. At last he said:
‘Well, Mr. Meeks, the problem is solved. I can take you at once to the house where your sister is living. And do not worry about her. She is not poor, she has a lot of money.”
Meeks felt so happy that he couldn`t say a word.
“How did you do it?” he asked at last.
Jolnes was always ready to describe his methods to his surprised listeners.
“On this torn piece of card,” he said, “you see the word ‘left’, the letter ‘C’, and the number ‘12’. I know that No, 12 Avenue C is a first-class boarding house.[14] Only rich people can live there. But then I found this piece of a theatre programme. What does this mean? I shall explain it to you.
You have told me that your sister was a scrub-woman. She scrubbed the floors of offices and theatres. Now I want to ask you a question: Where do people lose jewellery most often? In the theaters, of course. Look at that piece of programme, Mr. Meeks. Do you notice something round ahs been wrapped in it? I think it was a ring – perhaps a diamond ring.
My explanation is this: Mrs. Snyder found the ring while scrubbing the floor in the theatre. Then she tore off a piece of a programme, wrapped the ring and took it at home. Next day she sold it. Then she moved to a first-class boarding house. If everything I have told you is right, we may find your sister in No. 12 Avenue C. Let`s hurry there.”
Shamrock Jolnes finished his speech with the smile of an artist. Meeks` surprise was too great for words. Together they went to No. 12 Avenue C.
They rang the bell. The woman who opened the door told them that no Mrs. Snyder was known there.[15] She also told them that they had not had a new boarder in six months.
When they went out, Meeks examined the things which ha had taken from his sister`s old room.
“I`m not a detective,” he said to Jolnes as he raised the piece of theatre programme to his nose, “but it seems to me that it was not a ring that was wrapped in the paper.[16] It was a round sweet. And I think that this piece with the address on it is a piece of theatre ticket, - No. 12, row C, left side.”
“I think we should consult Juggins,” said he.
“Who is Juggins?” asked Meeks.
“He is a leader,” said Jolnes, “of a new modern school of detectives.[18] Their methods are different from ours. But I know that Juggins has solved some very difficult cases. I will take you to him.”
They found the greater Juggins in his office. He was reading a book by Nathaniel Hawthorne.[19]
The two great detectives of different schools shook hands with ceremony[20], and Meeks was introduced.
“Tell me the facts,” said Juggins, continuing his reading.
When Meeks finished his story, the greater detective closed his book and said:
“Do I understand that your sister is a poor widow fifty-two years of age: that she is making her living by scrubbing floors;[21] that she is not good-looking and has a large mole on the side of her nose?”
“You have described her very well,” said Meeks. Juggins got up and put on his hat.
“In fifteen minutes,” he said, “I will return and bring you her present address.”
Shamrock Jolnes became pale, but tried to smile bravely.
At the end of fifteen minutes Juggins returned holding piece of paper in his hand.
“Your sister, Mary Snyder,” he said, “is living at No. 162 Chilton Street. You will find her on the fifth floor. The house is only a little way from here. It will take you ten minutes to get there. Mr. Jolnes and I will wait for you here.
Meeks hurried away. In twenty minutes he was back again, with a happy face.
“She is there, and she is well!” he cried. “How much?” “Two dollars,” said Juggins.
When Meeks had paid the money and gone away, Shamrock Jolnes stood with his фре in his hand before Juggins.
“May I ask you to tell me about the method that you used in this case?”
“Of course,” answered Juggins. “Do you remember the description of Mrs. Snyder? She is fifty-two years old, with a mole on the side of her nose… Not a beautiful face… I don`t know why, but woman of such appearance like to have enlarged portraits of themselves. If they are poor they usually pay weekly installments for their portraits. I was sure that Mrs. Snyder was also paying weekly installments for her enlarged portrait. The biggest factory where this work is done, is not far from there. I went there and got her address out of the book with the addresses of their customers. That`s all.”
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[2] from one house to the next one – из одного дома в другой; в первом случае one употреблено в роли определения существительного house (один дом), во втором – вместо этого существительного во избежание повторения одного и того же слова дважды.
[4] It`s no use putting an advertisement in the newspaper – нет никакого смысла давать объявление в газетах
[5] they agreed to take part in finding – они согласились принят участие в розыске, оказать содействие
[9] Broadway – Бродвей – главная улица Нью-Йорка, на которой сосредоточены увеселительные заведения и театры
[11] Never mind the cost – неважно, сколько это будет стоить (досл.: не обращай внимания на расходы, издержки)
[19] Nathaniel Hawthorne - американский писатель Готорн (1804-1864), писавший приключенческие и детективные повести и рассказы.
Всегда знала,что Марк Твен - превосходный писатель.С удовольствием прочитала рассказ.
ОтветитьУдалитьСпасибо за превосходный подарок к майским
праздникам.
Я очень извиняюсь.Ну конечно,это рассказ О,Генри
ОтветитьУдалитьВот что значит читать рассказ и одновременно смотреть snooker.Но Марка Твена в Вашей редакции
я бы тоже почитала.
Скукота да и только.
ОтветитьУдалитьВот такую печаль задают читать в МГИМО со вторым английским.
Потратил 5 минут своего времени и пошел дальше читать Сэлинджера в оригинале.