Elementary, My Dear: O. Henry’s Short Story, ‘The Sleuths’

The simplest approach to finding something is often the best and most effective.

When searching for his sister, O. Henry's character Mr. Meeks discovers that the simplest approach works best. New Africa/Shutterstock

Sometimes the most enjoyable moments are offered by a plain cup of coffee or a walk through a park with a friend. Uncomplicated activities often bring the most comfort and joy.

In his short story, “The Sleuths,” O. Henry comically emphasizes the need for a simple approach to a problem. When a brother goes looking for his sister in New York City, he discovers that complexity confuses his search.

Missing in the City

Meeks, a middle aged man from the West, arrives in New York City to find his sister, Mary Snyder. Having obtained a substantial amount of money from a lead mine, Meeks wishes to share it with his widowed sister.

However, upon arriving at her address, Meeks finds that Mary no longer lives there and left no new address. Worried, he finds a policeman on the street. Hearing Meeks’s predicament, the policeman suggests that he should either go to Canal Street, or go to the police station and hire a detective.

Choosing the latter, Meeks heads to the station where he enlists the aid of Detective Mullins. Mullins begins by saying: “This is not a very difficult case to unravel. Shave off your whiskers, fill your pockets with good cigars, and meet me in the café of the Waldorf at three o’clock this afternoon.”

Doing as Mullins advises, Meeks arrives at the café where they discuss the evidence. Mullins breezily says that Meeks has two choices to approach this easy case. The first choice is to advertise in a newspaper for 100 dancers for a new Broadway play. The second choice is to rent a couple of rooms from the Waldorf, where they must wait until the new city directory comes out in the spring. Meeks will surely find Mary’s name in the new directory.

Giving up this complex endeavor with Detective Mullins, Meeks turns to a new detective named Shamrock Jolnes. Jolnes exudes confidence and informs Meeks that his rate will be $500. Concerned for his sister, Meeks agrees to Jolnes’s terms.

After hearing all the details of Mary’s disappearance, Jolnes leads Meeks to her previous residence and searches her abandoned room. After scouring the room, Jolnes collects a pile of random odds and ends: “a cheap black hat pin, a piece torn off a theater program, and the end of a small torn card on which was the word “left” and the characters ‘C 12.’”

Simple Is Best

Jolnes steps aside and begins a session of deep contemplation of what he gathered. Suddenly, he bolts upright with excitement and bids Meeks follow him. Jolnes assures Meeks that he will take him to the exact building where his sister lives.

O. Henry tells a funny story about a man searching for his sister. Ivelin Radkov/Shutterstock

But upon arriving at the boarding house No. 12 Avenue C, Jolnes finds that his creative deductions from the odds and ends have proven wrong. Not finding Mary at this boarding house, Jolnes escorts Meeks to another detective, Juggins. Hearing Meeks’s story, Juggins assures him that he will find Meeks’s sister in 15 minutes. And he does.

Through this comical tale, Henry emphasizes simplicity, which encourages peace of mind, clarity, and joy. It eases us of unnecessary burdens and details that would otherwise frustrate and muddle our minds.

Henry’s story seems to echo Albert Einstein’s words: “I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind.”

So, as we pass through hectic days, straightforward solutions to life’s problems often work best and make our life pleasant and peaceful.

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