Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-07-10

finds that Hugh CrandaH, sutton for
! Katharine, who had been forbidden the
/ house by General Parrish, had talked with
! Katharine over the telephone just before
| she shot herself. A torn piece of yellow
! paper is found, at sight of which Cen
/ eral Parrish is stricken with paralysis.
CHAPTER II-Kent discovers that
| Crandall has left town hurriedly. An
| drew Elser, an aged banker, commits
/ suicide about the same time as Katharine
attempted her life.
| CHAPTER TIA yellow envelope is
| found in Elser's room. Postoffice Inspec-
| tor Davis, Kent's friend, takes up the
| cas-.
He leaned back in his chair and
turned it so that he faced me. He had
a sharp, explosive way Of speaking,
biting off his words almost before he
had completely enunciated them.
"Can't you see? One footprint leads
nowhere. Two footprints start a path.
When you brought that yellow scrap
to me you were merely guessing that
it might have something to do with
the strange happenings in the Parrish
| home. There was no way in which
| you could have positive knowledge,
nor could I. You were only. guessing"
Indeed, I wasn't" I exclaimed in
dignantly what drew my attention
| to it was General Farrish's exclama-
ton of terror at the sight of it just be-
fore he fell, paralyzed."
Davis shook his head determinedly.
"That meant much-or nothing It
may have been mere senile hysteria
superinduced by the great shock. At
some time in his life he may have had
some unpleasant experience which
was associated in his subconscious
memory with a yellow document
Wrought up as he was by the news Of
his daughters attempt to kill herself,
the brain cells called into action were
| those that had recorded other disturb
ing experiences, perhaps month ago,
perhaps forty years ago. No impress
| sions in the brain records are ever
lost. The sight Of the yellow paper
probably recalled some other yellow
paper. There was then no evidence
whatever that it was this particular
piece of paper that so agitated him."
''But you think so now," suggested.
"The situation has entirely changed.
There was nothing to show that this
piece of paper had ever come through
| the mail. There was nothing to con-
meet it with suicide. Dowd comes in
here with a similar piece Of paper that
plainly has been mailed. We now
have not one footprint, but two-the
beginning Of a path. Once started on
the path, we can solve the mystery"
"Then you think there is some con-
nection between the two bits Of pa
PERI"
Il know there is" said Davis.
''These bits of yellow paper are of the
same quality and texture-to all APP
pearances the same paper. Two per-
sons in whose possession they were,
attempt suicide on the same day. The
same person, or at least the same type
writer, wrote both the address on the
envelope and the contents of the let
ter. This envelope came from a coun-
try post-Ofice in either New York or
New Jersey within mOnth-some
post-office the name of which begins
with Ar or An. There are not many
rural Offices that will fit in all par
ticulars. In two days or sooner, / can
tell you exactly from what Office they
were mailed"
"Letters-you think there were two?
Might not this be the envelope in
which this paper cameo"
THAT presuppOses an acquaintance
between Elser and Miss Parrish, at
least a connection Of some sort. Did
she know him?"
81 don't think so. Her sister and I
were talking of the Elser suicide last
night after we saw the evening papers.
Louise surely would have known it if
her sister was acquainted with him."
Perhaps" said Davis doubtfully.
''There isn't a human being over ten
that has not a secret that they keep
from some one. 1t looks to me, though,
as if in all probability there were two
distinct letters. That is what makes
me suspect plot. 1t convinces me
that the mails are being used for an
improper and more than likely GRIM
inal purpose. This brings the case or
both cases properly in my domain as
a post-off1ce inspector"
"And I can count on your assistance,
after ALL" I said joyfully. "When can
you begin work?"
Il have begun" he said tersely,
pushing over for my inspection some
thing he had hastily scrawIed on a pad
lying on his desk. 1t was an order adj
dressed to the superintendent of the
railway mails, which read:
"Have all railway clerks on New
York and New Jersey routes report
from what rural Office within the last
month they have received large uuan-
titles of letters in yellow envelopes.
If letters have been discontinued,
when? DAVIS"
Il arge quantities!" I gasped. ''Were
there more than two?"
"Of course" he snapped, in a way
that showed me he did not wish to be
questioned further. Then he reached