The Washington herald., 1912-04-07


dali, too. but l did not know how to
reach him. | had to promise her every
thing she asked"
"Of course you did," | said. "Bht,
dear, | loved you so that | could not
rest while this terrible mystery that hung
over your dear ones was unsolved.
felt that il was my duty to disregard
your wish. realized that you were
being compelled by some influence you
could not withstand to act as you did.
You are not angry with me, are you,
"Of course I'm not" she said with a
wan smile, patting my hand gently.
But tell me-" / asked, what OF Hugh
Crandallf What is his connection with
this dreadful mystery"
don't know" she answered
thoughtfully.
Il have thought all along that he had
something to do with il, and YOU saw
gust now that he admitted knowing this
man here whom the inspector insists is
At the root of everything"
Katharine trusts him, yet | know
my father for some reason forbade him
the house,
I'm sure he is guilty" cried. "Kath-
arine's eyes have been blinded by love
to his real character"
Il think you must be mistaken said
Louise. "He knows about the existence
of paper that gave some man a strange
hold on my father. Katharine knew
of II. too He may have told her. She
insisted ON my accompanying him out
here to try to help recover it"
Didn't he tell you about it on the
way out?"
mo. | asked him what il was. He
fold me that too many people knew its
contents now. The more | think about
II the more perplexe6 am about the
mysterious manner in which both he
and Katharine acted about this docu-
ment"
"Tell me everything" / insisted, all
my suspicion against Crandall returning
anew.
ITO begin with, he insisted on our
leaving the chauffeur in Newark,
though il had been my intention to have
him come with us. Crandall would not
bear of il. Katharine put you in my
/. Charge he said, and il is her wish as
well as my own that we take every pre-
caution for secrecy. Ii is better that
only YOU and go on this mission. We
want no servant gossiping about this
matter But where are we going, and
whvr asked him. Surely have
right to know that We are going to
try TO recover from the hands OF the
wickedest blaekguard on earth GER
tain document that has come into his
possession. tbs question whether or
not we shall succeed II we do, shall
put this document in your hands and
You must promise that is shall not go
out OF your possession until you have
placed II in your, sisters hands. You
s.assa - 49,. khaNx ,.,tI acLr
no questions about Il and that YOU will
not read II. When Katharine has seen
il, do with it whatever she tells YOU
She probably will say that you are to
burn it without reading
Cant you see, Harding, what di-
lemma was in? l felt that what Mr..
Crandall asked me to do was Kath-
arine's wish. They had talked together
for nearly half an hour just before you
came to the house i had to promise
what he asked, though l protested at
first. II seemed to me that carrying
back the document to Katherine would
excite her and retard her recovery, and
! told him So"
''rhe sight of that document safe in
her own hands will do more to cure her
speedily than all the doctors in the
world" he answered.
did he mean the yellow letteri' l
queried.
Il don't know. asked him IL that
was what he meant and he would not
answer me. The only thing he did tell
Z me was that there had been strange de-
yelopments in the case since he had un-
dertaken to get this paper for Katharine.
They seemed to puzzle him greatly. He
said that something with which he had
nothing to do had alarmed the man we
we're going to see and that he had dis
ippeared. gone into hiding"
How will we find him? asked
He is as anxious to see me as he is
not to see some one else,' Crandall told
me. He wrote me plain directions how
TO reach a place he calls the deserted
cottage. and made an appointment there
Tor 9 o'clock tonight
As ! listened to Louise's story | did
not know what to think about Crandall's
part in the affair. II seemed now that
he had been acting in Katharine's be-