The Adventure of the Copper Beeches: Two Stories - "Geography" and "Recognition"

[methylviolet10b]

Author: methylviolet10b
Rating: PG
Character(s): Doctor John Watson, Sherlock Holmes
Summary: Holmes ponders two mysteries. 
Warnings:  Some spoilers for The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, so if you haven't read that, you might not want to read this.
Word Count: 60, times two
Author's Notes:  60 words of my own inspired by one of the canon stories.
Disclaimer: I don't own them. 

I couldn't resist writing two 60-word stories this week. Pick and choose whichever one you like best as this week's official entry, if you like.

COPP -- The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

Geography

I had, perhaps, been guilty of theorizing without data when I disdainfully showed Watson the letter. The matter Miss Violet Hunter put before me had many intriguing aspects.

Miss Hunter’s stated past history was another mystery, although not mine to solve. Watson criticizes me for gaps in my knowledge, but even I know that Halifax is in Canada, not America.


Recognition  

Rucastle’s stratagem made little sense when looked at logically. How could he have believed that Mr. Fowler would mistake Miss Hunter for Miss Rucastle, even at a distance and only from behind? I am admittedly more observant than most, but I can pick out my Watson from a hundred yards’ distance on a crowded railway platform full of similarly-dressed men.

Comments

[flawedamythyst.livejournal.com]

I had exactly the same thought when she mentioned Halifax. Oh, ACD, look at an atlas before you write these things.

And I love the second one as well - Oh Holmes, of course you can. You're the world's most observant man, and you're in love.

[methylviolet10b]

Oh, ACD, look at an atlas before you write these things.

Aigh, I know! It was such an odd detail, in a story full of odd details and inconsistencies with Miss Hunter, I just had to run with it.

As for the second - hee hee! For the world's most observant man, Holmes can be remarkably clueless about others' observational powers as well as his own.

Thank you so much!

[leone (from livejournal.com)]

Regarding America--she could have been referring to the continent, rather than the country.

Regarding Recognition: Awwwwwwwwww

[methylviolet10b]

Regarding America--she could have been referring to the continent, rather than the country.

Very true, and I did consider that - but it seems a very odd way to phrase it, at least to my modern eye. Maybe it made more sense in the Victorian era, but it was fun to play with. :-)

Awwwwwwwwww

*glees*

Thank you!

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

You wrote two! Terrific! Recognition especially made me smile. So cute. And it's spot on, too, because the whole plan was completely full of holes. Even if Fowler did manage to mistake her, wouldn't her behavior in the window seem odd and concerning to him?

(Hate to mention it, but the word "Geography" is missing an h in the subheading. Sorry!)

[methylviolet10b]

Thank you! I couldn't resist writing two this week, there was just so much material to play with in COPP. And Holmes really wanted to have his say. I never even got a chance to "hear" the other characters in the story. ;-)

And yeah, the whole *plot* of COPP is so strange. There are great individual moments, but it's almost like it's been cobbled together from several different stories. But that's a discussion for the discussion thread. :-)

And oy, thank you for the catch! That's what I get for posting in a hurry... It's fixed now! :-)

[hardboiledbaby]

Hee! Both are well done, but I especially loved the way the second is phrased. Nice :D

[methylviolet10b]

Thank you! The second one in particular had to be chopped down quite a bit to get it to 60 words, so I'm delighted to hear that it holds up. :-)