Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1912-12-13
CHAPTER ~.
Katharine Speaks.

Katharine Speaks.
# had been alone I 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 having
TO leave her SO much by herself in
suca distressful circumstances.
thought it wiser now to prepare her
beforehand for the inspectors COM
ing. ! wanted him to see the Parrish
home. felt that If 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 table excused my
self and fastened to the telephone
Louise told me that the condition Of
both her father and Katharine was
practically unchanged. l briefly sum
married. my mornings work and asked
if l might bring the inspector after
luncheon.
by all means" said Louise, bring
him right oyer. / want to meet him
and there may be some things | can
tell him which will aid him"
When returned to the cafe on the
Broadway side, where l 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-
cnpation that he hardly seemed to note
my return His flying fingers would
hastily mold three or four pellets in
as many seconds. Placing them in
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 eat, but each time he
waved me impatiently away. Finally,
not desiring to delay too long over
luncheon, I 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 we'll as l did, after
studying closely his eccentric move
ments, 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 were the different per-
sons connected with the case. One
by one he pushed the larger pellets
from the table until single pellet
remained The smaller ones he kept
arranging and rearranging until at last
ne seemed satisfied The single sur
yiving large pellet stood directly on a
.rease 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
we're 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
a 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 loquacious as he had before
3een 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?" l asked in amaze
ment.
Il haven't the slightest idea as yet
ne 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
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 not
communicated This sort of criminal
seldom has confidants. Often, in fact
almost always, he masks his villainy
behind the cloak of responsibility.
Nest of these offenses are due to ma
MIA, to blood-lust, to a desire for ne
genge for real or imaginary wrongs
Evil ideas of the pair are generally
attributable to money-lust In such