The Washington herald., 1912-04-21

old thief, in his terror Of Us. told his
sister all about H. She insisted on COM
ing down here. She saw Rouser and
tried to find the signer Of the letter.
Rouser denied knowing him She was
a wise old creature and pointed out
that as postmaster he must know who
got the mail Her suspicion of Rouser
scared him stiff. He wanted to give
her the money back, but at first !
wouldn't hear to it. She was threat
ening to commit suicide If we didn't
He was so scared that finally consent
ed TO let him square her | wanted to
use him still further and wasn't ready
TO have him get cold feet. ] gave him
the money, and he went 10 the hotel
late in the afternoon to see the old girl.
He slipped up to her room and found
her hanging there. II gave him such a
shock that he dashed back to the post
oce, grabbed his bicycle and hustled out
here as fast as he could come, where
/ was waiting to meet Katherine Far
rish."
With difficulty | suppressed an ex-
clamation of astonishment / could not
doubt that he was telling the truth, for
his story doyetailed so well with what
Louise had told me Yet it seemed i'm
possible TO believe, It surely was prepos-
ferrous to imagine that Gen. Parrish,
wealthy and honorable as he was, could
have been a thief refused to believe
it. / decided TO demand an explana-
ton from Young of why he had sought
a meeting with Katharine
Its too bad Rouser was 50 easily
frightened" Davis was saying sarcasti-
caliy 'He was SO. scared that he left
behind in the cash-drawer FIVE thousand
he had just received from Henry
Eberle."
"The accursed foolp screamed
Young in a frenzy Of rage that he had
failed to get his hands on this bit of
plunder The sneak didn't tell me that
All he said was that Dora Hastings,
who was a restaurant cashier, had in
sisted that it was utterly impossible for
her to pay up. The dirty damned
sneak 70
In a h4 Of madness he cursed and
cursed again his dead associate, foul
oaths rolling in streams from his parch-
ed lips. Anxiously waited for his fury
to subside TO ask him about Katharine
and Hugh Crandall 1t seemed a desc
Grafton OF her womanhood TO mention
Katharine's name in the presence of
such a man, so as he subsidized ! merely
asked: But what about Hugh Gran
dall?"
Damn him." he cried, that was an
other of my mistakes? l knew Gran
dali in college. When I got the goods
on old Parrish thought could rely
on Crandall to help me to turn the
trick. / didn't know he was in love
with the daughter. When told him
about it he refused to have anything to
do with il and rushed off and squealed
to the general. Much thanks he got
for itl The naughty old general or
dered him out of the house and wouldn't
to do with him | tried then to get
go. For weeks he kept trying to worm
my secret from me. ] fired yellow let
ter after yellow letter at the general,
while CTandall kept after me to make
me give up the papers. | was afraid
I'd weaken. There are times the dope
gets me and | hardly know what I'm
doing. so ! vanished. II struck me that
if the general wouldn't come across
maybe the daughter would. l put it up
to Crandall and we arranged meet
ing. l was TO put the papers in her
hands and she was to pay over the
money. slipped up on the first ap-
pointment and l guess you must have
spoiled the second"
Isstill was puzzled What could be
the terrible mystery in proud old Gen.
Farrish's life that gave this miscreant
such a hold on him? 1t was beyond
my imagination to conjecture, so | put
the question bluntly to the prisoner.
why ask me?" he snarled. You've