FileTitle: Prose1834.html
Category: Humor
Type: Prose
Description: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Story
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 the
front of your suitcase.''