Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-11-07
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crimes as burglary, highway robbery,
blackmail, you will frd two persons
equally guilty. always the pair. Some
times it is the man and the woman.
sometimes the strong man and the
weak man, sometimes two women,
though seldom, for women have little
Of the inventive or creative faculty,
even in crime. Notorious women Grim
inals, just like all other feminine ce-
lebrities in literature or art, have
much Of the masculine in their make
UP.
The third kind Of evil idea, that Of
the group, is responsible for the
strike, the mob, the conspiracy. 1t is
the cOntagiOn Of crime. The Black
Hand is a typical example. The mem
Ders Of this notorious organization.
while they profit financially by their
misdeeds, care little about that end
Of it. Their greatest pleasure is in
the torture Of their victims. in the
agony they suffer from the time the
nameless dread of the Black Hand
first seizes them until finally they are
put to death for refusing the socfety's
eEacions. It is this evil spirit that
kills kings, burns witches, destroys
property and lynches negroes. The
Parrish mystery, however, is of the
second class-the crime of the pair.
/ am certain of it."
The important thing then for us
to do, said I, trying to bring him
from the abstract to the concrete, lis
to find Hugh CrandaII and also to dis
cover who was his closest associate
man or woman"
DO you think SOP" he asked eng
matically, adding a second later.
Cant you take me to see Miss Far
rish?"
Hardly another word passed be-
tween US as the taxicab whirled US I'D
Madison avenue to the generals home.
was thinking about Davis strange
theories of crime and his opinion that
this was crime Of the pair. l felt
sure that he, as well as I, must be
convinced Of CrandaIPs connection
with the matter and surely his fight
did not argue innocence. But if this
was a crime Of the pair, who was the
other guilty person? Whom did Davis
suspect? He had said that it might be
either two men or a man and a wom-
an. A woman? Could it be that he
suspected Katharine Parrish of shar-
ing CrandalIs guilt?
No, no it was impossible. too alb
surd. Yet certainly the yellow letter
seemed link between her and EIser.
1t was she who for a long time had
been Crandall's closest associate. That
association apparently had been re
Gently renewed in secret. Was it DOS
siDlc that back Of the mystery there
was some crime and that Katharine
was guilty?
For moment I was tempted to or
der the chauffeur to stop. 1t seemed
almost desecration to take this heart
less analyzer of crime into the home
where death stalked so close. SUP
post Katharine was-No, I had pledged
my word to Louise that | would
solve the mystery and I would keen
my promise, no matter where it led
me- After all, the important thing
was my beloved ones peace OF. mind
As long as the shadow hung over her
father and sister, her happiness must
be marred. Better the knowledge of
evil than the terror of mystery.
Davis wasted little time in cara-
mony. As soon as I had introduced
him to Louise, he said abruptly:
I'D like to see the room where it
Representations"
As Louise called one of the serv-
ants to escort him upstairs l was re-
joicing at the opportunity to be alone
with her. The cold formality of her
greeting would have troubled me had
l not attributed it to the INSPECTORS
presence, As soon as he had left rs
with the memories of the evening be-
fore glowing in my mind, I turned to
embrace her
Don't, please don't!" she said cold
~
Why dearest!" I stammered in
amazement
She offered no explanation but said
in the most matter-of-fact tones-too
matter-of-fact to be natural, I thought
Tell me, Mr.. Kent, what Won
learned at the place where Mr.. Elser
lived"
was dumfounded. What had
come over her? What could have
happened to make this sudden change
in her attitude toward me? Could
this cool, distant young woman be the
same girl who only a few hours before
had chung so desperately to me and
had wept out her sorrows in my arms?
Had she overnight forgotten the kiss
with which We pledged our joint eff
forts to solve the mystery?
Tell me, Mr.. Kent" she persisted
quietly, is there a yellow letter in
that case, too? Do you believe there
can be any connection between Mr..
EIser and-and what Katharine did?'
Greatly perturbed, vet trying to CON
vince myself thar her attitude was
only a girls natural reaction as she
recoIecced the events OF the evening
before. / was just beginning to rehearse
what little We had learned in The
boarding house when Davis came run
ning down the stairs.
Tell ne" he said abruptly to Lou