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Welcome! Like the book of the same name, this blog is an eclectic collection of Sherlockian scribblings based on more than a half-century of reading Sherlock Holmes. Please add your own thoughts. You can also follow me on Twitter @DanAndriacco and on my Facebook fan page at Dan Andriacco Mysteries. You might also be interested in my Amazon Author Page. My books are also available at Barnes & Noble and in all main electronic formats including Kindle, Nook, Kobo and iBooks for the iPad.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Saving Mr. Baker


James Ryder pleads for mercy, and Holmes grants it


I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention of wishing him the compliments of the season. -- "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle"

For Sherlockians, today might be called Blue Carbuncle Day, "the second morning after Christmas." 

Do you ever wonder what happened between Mr. Henry Baker and his wife after he walked off the pages of "The Blue Carbuncle" with his replacement goose? I do.

The poor man had told Holmes that he bought the ill-fated goose as a peace offering for Mrs. Baker. How came he into the dog house? We'll never know the specifics, but we can easily deduce that his offense had something to do with alcohol, of which Mr. Baker was overly fond.

Did his undoubtedly long-suffering wife accept the peace offering, restoring harmony to the Baker household at Christmas? We can certainly hope so. The fellow was contrite. "Besides," as Holmes told Watson after letting the criminal James Ryder escape, "it is the season of forgiveness."


2 comments:

  1. What do you think happened to Ryder?

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    1. I think Ryder emigrated to Jamaica, changed the spelling of his last name, and eventually became the grandfather of Honeychile Rider (from Dr. No). A clue to this is that in the film version the character's last name was change back to the original spelling of Ryder. Of course, I could be wrong. But I would like to think that he was scared straight,and that Holmes's good deed was to good effect.

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