Copper Beaches
Jennifer Ramirez

“The Adventure of the Copper Beeches” first appeared in the "Strand Magazine" in June 1892. Sidney Paget provided illustrations for the story.The story was published in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1892 by George Newnes of London and Harper & Brothers, in New York with illustrations by Sidney Paget.  It is not known if the manuscript for the story still exists.

“The Adventure of the Copper Beeches” is one of the short stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is considered to be the most famous mystery author with his collections of the Sherlock Holmes.

“Copper Beeches” begins with Holmes abusing Watson for not focusing more in his writings about Holmes's case more on the logic of deduction than on the crimes. He then bemoans the fact that all of the good cases are already over and done with. At that moment, a letter arrives from a Miss Violet Hunter asking to meet with Holmes. She then arrives at the door and sits down. She wants to ask Holmes some advice on whether to take a job as a governess at a country home. She tells how she was propositioned to be a governess for a large man through her agency who offered her much more than the going salary to look after his son and to wear specific dresses in the house and to cut her hair. She announces to Holmes, after the raised salary offer, that she will take the job, and Holmes suggests that if he is needed, a telegram will bring him to Hampshire, where Mr Rucastle's country estate, the Copper Beeches, is situated.

After a fortnight, Holmes receives such a message, beseeching him to come and see her in Winchester. Miss Hunter tells them one of the most singular stories that they have ever heard. Mr Rucastle would sometimes have Miss Hunter wear an electric blue dress and sit in the front room reading, with her back to the front window. She began to suspect that she was not supposed to see something outside the window, and a small mirror shard hidden in her handkerchief showed her that she was right: there was a man standing there on the road looking towards the house.

Overall the story of “The Copper Beeches” has given the audience a sense of wonder through the book and questions being resolved at the end. People that consider to have curiosity are going to enjoy this book because with the interesting story that Miss Hunter tells it makes the audience to have the wonders of why and how in the story.