Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-08-28


ton to me-
"But-but," l stammered, what is
your plan of action? What are you
going to do now?"
I'm going to bed" he replied, yawn-
ing as he rose from his chair There's
nothing more that can be done to-
night"
Impatient as / was, and anxious
though / was to alleviate Louise's
fears at the earliest moment possible,
/ could not but feel that he was right.
There was nothing that could be done
that night. l showed him where the
room was that l had engaged for him
next to mine-and, feeling much de-
pressed and perplexed, was preparing
to turn in when was startled by a
sharp rap on my door.
Come in," l called, thinking, of
course, it was Davis with some new
theory to suggest.
Instead it was the clerk from the
office below.
You're wanted on the telephone"
he said.
had already taken off my coat and
waistcoat and l did not wait to put
them on. Just as l was l sped through
the hall to the telephone booth Who
could it be that was calling me at
this hour? 1t must be long after ten.
could think of only two persons
who know of my being in this hotel,
Louise and Hugh Crandall l felt that
it must be Louise. Why should Gran
dali call me up? True, he could have
learned my name from the hotel reg
lister, and from my question about the
yellow letter he must know that /
was on his trail, but having escaped
from the village, why should he COM
municate with me? No, it could not
be he. 1t must be Louise. She would
not call me at this time unless some
thing had happened. That was it.
Something terrible had happened!
Katharine was dead, or perhaps her
father. Perhaps both of them. Or
maybe Katharine had spoken again.
Perhaps she had given some infor-
nation that Louise felt would aid me
in the investigation that meant so
much for both of us.
Isn't it strange how fast we can
think? 1t could not have taken me
more than thirty seconds to race from
my room to the telephone booth in the
hall below, yet in that brief period
all these thoughts and a hundred
other queries and fears pursued each
other in mad tumult through my brain
Breathlessly l rushed into the booth
and grabbed the receiver. 1t was the
voice of Louise that l heard. Faint
though 1t was, recognized it at once,
and was overjoyed to note that there
was nothing in 1t Of the sadness there
would have been if the worst had
come to her father or Katharine.
rs that you, Mr.. Kent?" she asked.
Eyes, yes" l cried. What is it?"
"This is Louise Parrish speaking.
want you to promise me that you will
drop your investigation at once and
return to the city,"
Whats that?" I cried, not believ-
ing my ears.
IF you love me''-she was speaking
slowly and enunciating with labored
distinctness that there might be no
mistake-"you will drop all investi-
cation at once without any questions.
Do you hear me? Repeat what have
said so can be sure you under
stand"
Word for word / repeated her mes
sage, amazed beyond thought at it's
import. AS | finished repeating it,
cried, why, tell me why" but
heard the thud of the broken con-
nectiOn.
Frantically called central. plead
ed, urged, demanded that she get the
person at the other end of the wire
again. 1t was no use. l called for
the Farrishs' number. Central report
ed, Don't answer" / said that
had been called just now from there
After weary, impatient minutes of
waiting and wrangling, she told me
the call had come from another num-
ber from pay station. / demanded
that number at once and finally she
got it for me. 1t was a drugstore
near the Parrish home. The druggists
C1O1h Sd4u IudC Tie yOuHS Iduy WIZ
had been telephoning had left the
store. l tried to get him to send a
messenger around to the Farrishs' to
ask Miss Louise Parrish to come to
the telephone. He refused. 1t was
useless. l was forced to give it up.
emerged from the telephone booth
perspiring, frantic, puzzled beyond
measure at the sudden and startling
turn in affairs.
What could have induced Louise to
send me such message? What could
have happened?
CHAPTER TX,
A New Mystery.