The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1912-12-21
CHAPTER ~.
Katharine Speaks.

katharine Speaks.
n l had been alone l would have
gone directly to the Parrish home.
was anxious about Louise. / had not
seen her since the night before, though
I had telephoned her early in the
morning. greatly regretted hadng
to leave her so much by herself In
such distressful circumstances l
thought 1t wiser now to prepare her
Beforehand for the inspectors COM
ing. I wanted him to see the Parrish
home. / felt that IL he met Louise
and realized the luxury and comfort
IN which the family lived he would
better appreciate the mystery and my
determination to solve it.
suggested luncheon at Martins
and Davis assented. AS soon as we
had obtained a table !. excused my
self and FASTENED to the telephone.
Louise told me that the condition Of
3oth her father and Katharine was
practically unchanged. / briefly sum-
MARRIED my mornings work and asked
II l might bring the inspector after
luncheon.
by all means" said Louise, bring
him right over. / want to meet him
and there may be some things I can
tell him which will aid him."
When I returned to the cafe on the
Broadway side. where had left the
inspector. found him abstractedly
rolling little pellets of bread and plac-
ing them in various positions on the
cloth. So absorbed was he in his oc-
cupation that he hardly seemed to note
my return. His flying fingers would
hastily mold three or four pellets In
% many seconds. Placing them IN
70 row, he would eye them intently.
Occasionally he would swoop down on
some unoffending pellet and sweep It
TO the floor. Two or three times
tried to interrupt him to learn what
he wished to eet. but each time he
waved me impatientiy away. Finally,
not desiring to delay too long over
luncheon. gave the waiter the order
without consulting him. Mechanically
he ate what was put before him, all
the while keeping up his game with
bread balls.
Knowing him as well as did. after
-.gtudying closely his eccentric move
ments,> i felt sure that the array OF
pellets was closely allied with the
mental process by which he was seek
ing to solve the Parrish mystery. The
larger pellets. decided, must be the
various theories about the yellow let
ter or letters and their origin. The
smaller pellets we're the different per-
sons connected with the case. One
by one he pushed the larger pellets
from the table until a single pellet
remained. The smaller ones he kept
arranging and rearranging until at last
he seemed satisfied. The single sur
viving large pellet stood directly on a
crease in the cloth. On one side
equally distant from the crease, but
close to each other. he had placed
two Of the smaller pellets. The rest
were In three groups on the other side
Of the line For perhaps five minutes
he carefully studied their position
without shifting them. and then with
q quick motion of his hand swept them
all to the floor.
There was some purpose distinctly
criminal connected with the yellow
letters" he said. as II for the first
time aware OF my presence, and be-
coming as loqpacious as he had before
been silent. when we have run this
mystery to earth We will find that
there are two Of the criminals--only
two guilty."
Guilty of what?" asked In amaze
ment.
II haven't the slightest idea as yet"
he replied with such apparent frank
ness that suspected he was not tell
ing me all his thought. Evil ideas
are of three kinds-the solitary, the
pair, the group. Crimes are merely
the physical expression Of evil ideas
and bear the same classification. The
solitary evil idea manifests itself in
q variety of crimes. In this class be-
long defalcations. poisonings, crimes
against women and generally, the as
sassination of private individuals.
These are the hardest crimes to dis
cover and punish. The evil idea is no:
communicated. This sort OF criminal
seldom has ccnfidants. Often. in tact
almost always, he masks his vilIainy
behind the soak Of responsibility
Most Of these offenses are due to ma
mia. to blood-lust. to a desire for re-
yenge for real or imaginary wrongs
Evil ideas OF the pair are generally
n1tx1butablo 70 money-lust In such