The Huttig news. (Huttig, Ark.) 1907-1955, 1912-10-19

"Of course you did," | said But,
dear, I loved you so that ] could not
rest while this terrible mystery that
hung over your dear ones was IN
solved. ! felt that it was my duty to
disregard your wish. realized that
you were being compelled by some In
fiuence you could not Withstand to act
as you did. You are not angry wi h
me, are you, dearest?"
of course I'm not" she said with
wan smile, patting my hand gently
But tell me-" | asked. what of
Hugh Crandaf? What is his ccnnec-
ton with this dreadful mystery"
Il don't know" she answered
thoughtfully
81 have thought all along that he
had something to do with it. and you
saw just now that he admitted know
ing this man here whom the inspector
insists is at the root of everything"
Katharine trusts him. yet l know
my father for some reason forbade
him the house"
I'm sure he is guilty." cried.
"Katharine's eyes have been blinded
by love to his real character"
Il think you must be mistaken
said Louise. "He knows about the ex-
istenee of a paper that gave some
man strange hold on my father.
Katharine knew of it, too He may
have told her. She insisted on my ac-
companying him out here to try TO
help recover it,
Didn't he tell you about 1t on the
way out?"
mo. l asked him what it was. He
told me that too many people knew
its contents now. The more I think
about it the more perplexed | am
about the mysterious manner in which
both he and Katharine acted about
this document"
Tell me everything" l insisted. all
my suspicion against Crandall return
ing anew.
ITO begin with, he insisted on orr
leaving the chauffeur in Newark,
though it had been my intention TO
have him come with u.s. Crandall
would not hear of it. Katharine put
you in my charge, he said, and it IS
her wish as we'll as my own that We
take every preeaution for secrecy It
is better that only you and | go on
this mission. We want no servant
gossiping about this mater. 'Pat
where are We going, and why? 1
asked him. Surely ! have a right 10
know that. We are going to try 20
recover from the hands of the wicked
est BLACKBOARD on earth certain
document thai has come into his pos
session. 1t is a question whether or
not we shall succeed If we dc.
shall put this document in your hands
and you must promise that 1t shall not
go out of your possession until you
have placed it in your sisters hands.
you must promise me, too, that YOU
will ask no questions about 1t and that
you will not read it. When Katharine
has seen 1t, do with 1t whatever she
tells you. She probably will say that
you are to burn 1t without reading
Can't you see, Harding, what a
| dilemma / was in? / felt that what
Mr.. Crandall asked me to do was Katf
arfne's wish. They had talked toget.
er for nearly half an hour just b
fore you came to the house. had n
promise what he asked, though | pr
tested first. 1t seemed to me that c.
ryfng back the document to Katharil5.
would excite her and retard her =
covery, and l told him So"
The sight of that document SAL
in her own hands will do more to cur
her speedily than all the doctors i,
the world he answered"
Did he mean the yellow letter." /
queried.
i don't know. l asked him If that
was what he meant and he would not
answer me. The only thing he did
tell me was that there had been
strange developments In the case
since he had undertaken to get this
paper for Katharine. They seemed to
puzzle him greatly. He said that some
thing with which he had nothing to
do had alarmed the man we were CO.
ing to see and that he had disappeared,
gone into hiding"
How will We find him. asked.
He is as anxious to see me as he
rs Hot W see some one else, Crandall
told me. He wrote me plain directions
how to reach a place he calls the de-
serted cottage, and made an appoint
ment there for nine o'clock tonight"
As | listened to Louise's story | did
not know what to think about Gran
dall's part in the affair. 1t seemed now
that he had been acting in Katharine's
behalf, though this did not explain his
acquaintance and relations with the
man he had called Aleck Young.
Why" l asked Louise, do you
suppose that he and Katharine insist
ed on you coming out here? Why
could not Crandall himself have recov-
cred the document and restored 1t to
Katharine?"
Il asked him that He told me that
the man who held II had made the
condition that 1t should be received by
either my father or Katharine They
did not wish it known that my IA
what had happened. and as they were
certain this man knew neither Kath-