Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-02

him whence had come the yellow let
ter. @ns, i#
Miller Davis, though only year
older than l, already had become one
of the governments most trusted
secret agents. His rise in the service
had been phenomenally rapid. The
robbery of the postoffice where he
was employed had given him MS
start. A little later, with the merest
thread to follow. he had run to earth
a skilful band of stamp counterfeiters,
and three Of its members are now
serving long terms. Only a year ago,
when all the other inspectors had
failed to find the flaw in the registry
service that permitted red-striped
sack with two hundred thousand dol
lars worth of registered mail to dis
appear, Davis. putting his keen,
ANALYTICAL mind on the case, within
week had discovered the flaw in the
system and only few days later had
arrested the ex-convict who mad
profited by it. ...,.
With the natural interest of an old
friend I had followed his career and
was familiar with most of his brilliant
achievements. Even though the scrap
which was puzzling me had no en-
yelope and bore no postmark. so con-
fident was in his far-reaching powers
! would hardly have been amazed If he
had told me all about 1t as soon as l
showed it to him. Imagine, then my
in his absolute refusal
to take up the matter at all.
Don't you see how important it is?"
l cried. "This little scrap is the key
to the whole mystery
He was sitting with his back to the
light-a trick most business men have
these days, so that they can see your
face in full light, while you have
difficulty in reading theirs-yet from
his tone I felt that he was inwa1d!y
amused at my anxiety.
I'm afraid you overrate my detec.
tive ability and my powers as post
office inspector" he said. "While am
inclined ito agree with you that this
bit of paper may have some bearing
on the case, there is nothing to show
from what postoffice it came, through
whose hands it passed, or by whom it
was received. 1t may not have come
through the mail at all. More than
likely some messenger brought 1t. Be-
fore l could undertake an investiga-
ton I would have to know. first, that
1t had come through the mail; second,
that there was some evidence that the
mails were being used for an unlaw
full purpose; and third, / would want
to be certain before I began the in
vestigation, that would win out.
That's the secret, old chap, Of my sue
cess. of everybodys success. Don't
tackle things you can't do, then you
never fail"
Davis refusal was greater blow to
me than I cared to admit. Louise and
] in our final conference the night be-
fore had decided that there were three
steps that would take us far into the
light.
First. I was to try at once to find
Hugh Cranda1l. was to ask him to ex-
plain the rupture with Katharine, the
attitude of General Parrish toward
him, his knowledge of the yellow, and
why he had called Katharine on the
telephone the afternoon before.
Second. failing to find Crandall,
was to make some pretext for visit
ing His rooms. His sudden departure
and his cautioning the janitor to ad-
nit no one had a suspicious look.
While neither Louise nor had dis
cussed what might be there to explain
the mystery. I was thinking that in all
would find a bundle Of
letters from Katharine some of which
might furnish a clue.
Third, I was to ask Inspector Davis
to help me trace the yellow letter.
1 had anticipated little difficulty in
Crandall's whereabouts.
A broker of standing does not vanish
overnight without informing his bust
ness partners Before coming to the
Inspector I had telephoned to Gran
dalls office Great was my amazement
to learn from one Of his partners that
they were as much puzzled as over
his sudden going away. They mad
merely received telegram saying
that he had been called out of town
and did not know when
he would return. The telegram had
been sent from. an office near his
rooms the night before. There was no
business affair that would take him
away so they supposed that it was
some urgent personal matter.
WMle l cnaLCeQ LOT d moment WIFI
Davis over our boyhood days. / was
thinking what step should take next.
The problems of learning Crandalfs
whereabouts and gaining access to his
rooms did not seem so simple as they
had the night before. A clerk entered
with card for Davis, and rose to
go. '.'t .a.-
Don't go yet" he said. 'It's only a
man from police headquarters. His err
rand will probably take only a
AS I resumed my seat Detective
Dowd was ushered into the room. He
was the typical police sleuth, thick
of head and foot, ready to suspect the
suspicious and to see the obvious In
in speech, in manner of
thought, he and the inspector were
almost exact opposites. One was a
grizzled, blear-eyed man of fifty whom
even the clumsiest criminal could not
have mistaken for anything but what
he was; the other, young-looking for
even his thirty years, might have been
readily mistaken for a college tutor