The Dowser's Discovery
The Strand Magazine|Issue 58 - June-November
“IF you don’t mind, sir,” said old Fiedler as he finished pouring our coffee, “I’d like to go into the village this morning with the others. It’s market day.”
David Marcum
The Dowser's Discovery

Our host, Squire Boone, belched politely and raised a good-natured eyebrow. “Whatever could tempt you to visit that cackling circus?” Fiedler looked sheepish. “It’s not so much the market, sir, as what’s happening nearby. There’s been work going on at Mr. Retford’s place, as you know, and today they’re going to be using a dowser—he’s that fortune-teller’s husband—to find some of the buried pipes.”

Holmes, sitting beside me and so far seemingly lost in his own thoughts, turned toward Fiedler with a sharp look of interest. “Really?” he asked. “So that’s still being practiced out here, is it? Ah, these charming West Country superstitions.”

Fiedler, unsure whether a response was required, stayed mute. Squire Boone, however, shifted in his seat with a smile. “Likely not just here, Holmes,” he said. “Scrape any of the settlements from Land’s End to John o’ Groats and you’ll find that our rickety civilization is only skin deep at best.”

“A curious way of putting it,” I said, “but true. To many, modern science is no more than a different way of trying to explain or justify those aspects of nature which just a few generations ago were credited to spirits and demons.”

“And angels as well, Watson!” said Holmes. “We mustn’t discount those advocates of the light!”

Squire Boone happily agreed that Fiedler could join the market party, and we were soon left with our coffee.

This story is from the Issue 58 - June-November edition of The Strand Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Issue 58 - June-November edition of The Strand Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE STRAND MAGAZINEView All
The Strand Magazine

INTERVIEW Laurie R. King

CREATING new works based on an iconic fictional character who’s been around for over a century can be a minefield for an author.

time-read
8 mins  |
Issue 62, 2020
ADVENTURE ON A BAD NIGHT
The Strand Magazine

ADVENTURE ON A BAD NIGHT

BEFORE dinner was quite finished Vivien began wanting to get outdoors, into the air she hadn’t seen since afternoon.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 62, 2020
THE EDINBURGH BANKERS
The Strand Magazine

THE EDINBURGH BANKERS

“MR. Holmes, I’m not asking for myself. It’s for the livelihood of the rest of us.”

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 62, 2020
The Adventure of the Home Office Baby
The Strand Magazine

The Adventure of the Home Office Baby

FOLLOWING the occasion of my marriage, and relocation with Mary to our newlywed home in the Paddington district, only a few blocks east of the great station itself, I was able to continue building my new practice while still finding time to assist Sherlock Holmes in a number of investigations.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 60, 2020
KEVIN OF THE DEAD
The Strand Magazine

KEVIN OF THE DEAD

PEOPLE often say to me, “Kevin, what’s it like being undead and all that?” And I say, “It’s a job, you know?” You get up at sunset, brush off the dirt and slugs, climb out of the box, and off you go into the night looking for some poor unfortunate to siphon a pint from.

time-read
10 mins  |
Issue 60, 2020
AUNT NELLIE'S DIARY
The Strand Magazine

AUNT NELLIE'S DIARY

MANY contemporary readers know Louisa May Alcott only as the author of the classic Little Women, the much-beloved story of the March sisters’ journey from childhood innocence to mature womanhood.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 60, 2020
INTERVIEW John Grisham
The Strand Magazine

INTERVIEW John Grisham

FOR the last thirty years, the term legal thriller has been synonymous with John Grisham. Credited with single-handedly popularizing the genre, he has inspired scores of other authors and, in the process, has become both a commercial and critical success.

time-read
8 mins  |
Issue 59 2020
The Dowser's Discovery
The Strand Magazine

The Dowser's Discovery

“IF you don’t mind, sir,” said old Fiedler as he finished pouring our coffee, “I’d like to go into the village this morning with the others. It’s market day.”

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 58 - June-November
THE AMIABLE FLEAS
The Strand Magazine

THE AMIABLE FLEAS

IN May 1954, more than fifteen years after writing Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck rented a house for himself and his family a stones-throw from the Champs-Elysées in Paris.

time-read
8 mins  |
Issue 58 - June-November
INTERVIEW Don Winslow
The Strand Magazine

INTERVIEW Don Winslow

EVER since Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett revolutionized the crime novel with hardboiled heroes, gritty settings, and moral complexity, countless authors have tried to carry the torch.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 57 -Feb-May 2019