Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-09-11
OOpX1M 1911

denly, the agitation my father showed
at sight of that paper. If he were not
lying paralyzed upstairs / think he
would have tried to gain possession
Of it."
How is your father, and your sis
teri" | asked, suddenly recalling that
had asked after neither of them.
Katharine is much better" said Lou
Use. 'She is entirely conscious, though
YER weak, but the doctor says tina
she will in all probability recover
quickly. My fathers condition remains
the same, though he seems to have
regained the use of his right hand.
He wrote some brief directions to-day
about his business"
Are you sure of all the s~ervants?"
] asked.
"All of them have been with us for
years; all but one, ever since before
my mothers death. l would not think
of distrusting any of them"
"Are you certain the house has not
been entered in the night?"
/ was asking these questions with a
view of convincing her that it was
impossible for n one but Crandall
to have taken the yellow scrap-for
any one else to have even a motive
for taking it.
That would be impossible" she
said. "All the doors and windows are
protected by burglar alarms and l
know they are in working order or l
would have heard about it."
There is or there must have BEEN"
I said slowly, some traitor in the
house, some thief, some one who had
an object in getting hold of that pa
per-"
There has been no one here" said
Louise with a painful effort, mo one
answering that description"
How did you come to look for the
paper in your desk?"
Il wanted" she stopped short.
"Mr. Kent" she said, her entire
manner toward me stiffening as she
withdrew her hands from mine, II
asked you last night if you would not
cease your inquiries at once"
"But-but-" l protestingly began.
ri asked you to do what l requested
without any questions. You have told
me that you loved me. If that is the
case l know you will do what 1 ask
without trying to force my confidence.
Isn't it enough for you to know that
] wish you to do it?'
Louise, DEAR" 1 said firmly, "a mys-
terious trail of hidden evil in some
way has crossed your home. 1t has
stricken your sister and your father.
You yourself asked me to try to find
the secret and l vowed that l would.
! don't know what your motive is in
making this strange request, out l
cant believe you are doing it Of your
WI vOlition. | am certain that you
are influenced by fear-fear lest some
greater evil will befall, if my efforts
to unmask the criminal are success
full. Is it not so?''
Don't ask me, Harding" she begged
p%iteously. 81 can't tell you. 1t is not
my secret. l can tell you nothing.
Please don't ask me-"
More than eve now l was convinced
that fear Of Crandall dominated her.
Quickly following on his telephone
message he had come to the house
and had cast over her the same mys-
ferrous spell as had fallen on her sis
ter. More than ever was l determined
to follow the trail of mystery to it's
end, no matter where it lay or what it
cost. What was life to me if the wom-
an I loved was to be for ever under
a shadow, in the power of some hid
den criminal who might prey on her
as he had lone on the other members
of her family? l felt it my duty toward
her to go on and, if l could, compel
her to divulge something of what she
was holding back from me.
why did you want that bit of the
yellow letter? What were you going
to do with it?'
Il can't tell you. Please don't ask
me-"
why do you want me to stop my in
quiries?"
81 can't tell you. Please don't ask"
What was Hugh Crandall doing
here this morning?"
The question, direct and blunt as 1
put it, had almost the same effect as
if l had fred a bullet at her. She
caught her breath quickly aud her
face turned pale. I thought that she
was going to faint. With a great eff
fort she recovered, and looking me
straight in the eye, she answered soft
ly: 'Mr. Crandall was not here this
morning. What made you think he
WASP"
I did not try to conceal the open
eyed amazement with which l stared
at her as she gave me this unequivo-
cal reply. What could it mean? I
could not, would not believe that this
high prinCipled, honorable girl would
wilfully deceive me, yet 1 was as sure
as that | was standing there that
Hugh Crandall had been in the house
that morning. Could 1t have been that
he had entered without her knowl-
edge? Was it possible that one of the
maids in the Parrish home was in