The Forrest City times., 1912-10-25
CHAPTER IiI.-(ContInued.0

IfAP EH iDs-tContinuec.
 l glanced quickly at Davis. fully expected to see in his face something of the same astonishment had felt. Tas disappointed With a casual glance at the envelope he turned to Dowd as if waiting for him to go on.
 Its evidence in the Elser case" the detective went on. turned in by the man on post who reported the suicide. He was that old party that was found dead in his room up on West Twenty third street. To my mind. it's just a plain caso of suicide-an old man tired of living. The poison bottle was there on the floor beside him don't see nothing suspicious about 1t, but the chief has taken a notion that there's something behind 1t and wants to know where this letter came from. We searched the room, but this torn en- velope was all we could find The postmark's torn through. but he thought maybe you could trace 1t any now"
 ''Ill see what I can do and I'll let Jou know in the morning" said the inspector calmly, dismissing the de tective with nod. From his matter of-faoe tone and apparent lack of in- tereat l would not have been surprised If be had refused this undertaking. too. as he had mine. though 1t seemed to me that the two bits of yellow pa per connected the two suicides at the same hour as something decisively more than a mere coincidence.
 AS soon. however. as the detective had left the room the inspectors whole manner changed. With the glitter of excitement in his alert eyes he turned to me and explosiyely said:
 Quick. let me See that yellow scrap"
 had placed 1t carefully in my wal let after he had refused my request. snatched 1t from my hand Putting 1t on his desk beside the torn envelope, he picked up q reading-glass and studied both pieces carefully. His in spection lasted for several minutes, and meanwhile. I, too. studied the torn envelope.
 Both in color and texture the paper so closely resembled the scrap that l was positive that they were of the same lot. The envelope bore the ad- dress of Andrew Elser, in West Twen- ty-third street. Part of the postmark most of it, in fact-had been de stroyed. as if in the careless opening of the letter with the finger All that was decipherable was capital "A" and part of another letter that might nave been either an "N" or an "R." In the lower part of the circle was a frag. ment of a letter that looked as If 1t might have been an "N" l noticed too. that the stamp had been stuck on rather carelessly. in a lopsided man her.
 My friend. his inspection completed, turned to me apologetically.
 "l beg your pardon. Harding Kent" he said, you were entirely right. These two bits of paper are key-notes in an important mystery, one that 1t is well worth my while to try to solve"
 What made you change your mind so suddenly" l asked. for though I quite agreed with him, hls manner Lad puzzled me not little.
 He leaned back in his chair and turned 1t so that he faced me. He had a sharp. explosive way of speaking. biting of his worus almost before he had completely enunciated them.
 Cant you see? One footprint leads nowhere. Two footprints start path. When you brought that yellow scrap to me you were merely guessing that 1t might have something 10 dc with the strange happenings in the Parrish home. There was no way in winch you could have positive knowledge. nor could l. You were only guessing "
 Indeed. wasn't" l exclaimed in- dignantly. What drew my attention to 1t was General Farrish's exclama- ton of terror at the sight of 1t just be fore he fell. paralyzed"
 Davis shook his head determinedly.
 That meant much-or nothing. It may have been mere senile hysteria superinduced by the great shock At some time in his life he may have had some unpleasant experience which was associated in his subconscious memory with yellow document Wrought up as he was by the news of his daughters attempt 10 kill herself the brain cells called into action were those that had recorded other disturb ing experiences, perhaps month ago, perhaps forty years ago. No impress sions in the brain records are ever lost. The sight of the yellow paper probably recalled some other yellow oa1er. Ihere was then no evidence