the only problem we have still to solve is how to while away these bleak evenings

Last night the Noble Bachelors of St. Louis met for their annual gathering at Dubliner's Pub. A posh establishment, it's famous for the Guinness they put in almost every dish. Several other parties were going on at the same time, but we managed to make ourselves heard.

Conversation was flowing like water by the time I arrived. Cocktails and other libations were up for order at the party room bar, and by 1900, we were ready to dine. Gordon Speck and I represented from our PCoStL. Among other scions whose members attended were the leaders of the Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn (St. Charles) and The Occupants of the Empty House (IL). The dinner format was such that once the attendees sat down at a table, one was more or less anchored there since the food would be brought round according to where one sat. Thus, my apologies for possibly missing any other groups who might have been there.

The program was to go as such:

We had a quiz on the novelette, "The Valley of Fear", in which the prize was an autographed pastiche called Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Modern Cinderella which you may buy on Amazon or your local bookstore. Yours truly managed to only miss 3 out of 15 questions on the quiz (that's still passing by the public school system, right?).

Anyhow, the Noble Bachelor of the Year was not present, but it seemed that she well deserved the honor.

The adorable dinner menu had items that must have been picked for us, since they weren't the typical items on the event menu.

The lecture topic was a presentation given by Kemal Williamson who set centerpieces on all of the dining tables that were actually artifacts used by mine workers, such as respirators or gas type detectors and lanterns. My table received a lamp and a respirator. I was itching to dismantle the respirator to see what was inside of it, but since my knowledge of mining equipment is nil, I refrained, thinking it might com bust and/or explode.

The lecture was mostly about mines around the Midwest as well as the equipment and working conditions of the miners.

Bill Cochran, BSI, ended with a toast and the reading of Starrett's poem, "221 B". A reminder that, despite our other lives that we lead- work, family, or other issues- for at least a short while we Sherlockians may take a break and travel to a time where it is always 1895.