Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-28

Ing me. She met me In the lower
hall. One glance at my radiant face
told her that our mission had been
successful and she flung herself into
my arms while rained happy kisses
on her lips, her cheeks, her glorious
hair. But thoughtful ever of others.
even in such moment of ecstasy, she
gently unclasped my arms and whis-
pered: The papers-did you get
them?"
A little cry OF joy came from her
lips as handed her the envelope.
Come she cried brilliantly. lets
take it to katharine at once The
sight of it will do more to cure her
than all the doctors in the world.
Together we fastened to Kathar-
ines room, where we found her sitting
up In bed, much stronger than when
had last seen her. though nurse was
still in attendance. Hugh Crandall
was seated in chair beside the bed.
The Joy read in the faces Of Kath-
arine and Crandall as Louise handed
her sister the envelope was reward
enough for all had gone through
since had set out to solve the mys.
terry.
Frantically Katharine tore open the
envelope and inspected three docu.
ments as she passed them to Crandall.
Yes echoed Crandall happily.
they are all here"
Burn them, Hugh; burn them at
once" she demanded.
Crandall, gathering them up with
the envelope in which they had been
encased, crossed to the CRATE where q
cheerful fire was burning and one by
one fed the documents to the flames,
watching carefully to see that every
fragment was destroyed.
That was three months ago. Louise
and are married now and Katharine
and Hugh are on their honeymoon, too
taking six months European trip,
Though we never mention the mystery
of the yellow letters In the presence
Of our wives, for 1t recalls too many
sad memories unnecessarily, my new
brother-in-law and had good laugh
the night before married Louise. Az
at first suspected him of being one of
the conspirators, so 1t seems he had
suspected me. It was he who peered
into the postoffice that night as was
examining the books by the light of
my electric lantern. He knew that
Young had an associate and was try
ing to find him. I had to admit that
my conduct in Ardway fully justified
Crandall's suspicious Of me, and he
realized that l was justified In sus-
|pecting him.
The mystery of the disappearance Of
the yellow fragment that had given
lis the first clew is mystery no long
err. 1t merely had slipped behind the
drawer in which Louise had put 1t.
Aleck Young is serving well-deserved
sentence of fourteen years, as nom
chalantly, presume, as he underwent
his trial. So long as prison-keepers
can be bribed to keep him supplied
with his beloved drug, I doubt II he
bothers over his lack of freedom.
Sometimes I think his punishment falls
far short when recall all the misery
and suffering he caused, yet my new
found happiness has softened my view
OF, life. find myself wondering
whether after all Inspector Davis is not
right when he says that criminals,
even the worst of them, should be
treated as sick children, to be cured,
rather than as bad children. to be pun.
ished I can not help but feel that the
parents OF Young were far more to
blame for his crime than he.
AS for General Parrish, he died
three weeks after Young's arrest. Be-
fore the end he regained his faculties
lsufflciently to understand that the
papers that had menaced his peace and
reputation had been destroyed. In his
last hour he put Katharine's hand into
Hugh Crandall's.
What was in the documents that
Katharine and Hugh Crandall burned?
What was the secret with which Young
threatened him for months and
months?
I do not know.
| Louise does not know.
| We never discuss it even among
ourselves. It is better so. Only
Katharine and Hugh Crandall and q
poor drug sot in a distant cell know
what those papers were. might con-
lecture If I cared, but what would be
the use? After General Farrish's death
| It came out that his vast estate had
shrunk to almost nothing. Unfortu-
nate investments in his old age had
swept away his fortune. He was the
lcustodian of various trust funds. It
may be that in senile effort to re-
coup his losses he had misused some
one else's money and Young, with his
devilish ingenuity, had found it out.
Certain it is that while the papers
commented widely on the small es-
tate he left in none Of them was there
/ the slightest hint of scandal. Equally
certain am / that neither his daugh-
tiers nor his sons-in-law bemoan the
lack Of an Inheritance. Louise and l.,
know, have learned that happiness
lies not in wealth and luxury. but in
loving service each to the other.
And one thing more.
Both Davis and myself have quietly
withdrawn our accounts from the
Million Bank.
The cashiers name there is Henry
Eberle.
THE END.