The Huttig news. (Huttig, Ark.) 1907-1955, 1912-08-03
Illustrations BY XRazNey

ing us LHlS, DuL RaTfNtl'N ONtrcHmt
her caution She had bn, oxpatia
ing on the advantages of the TEoul
Heaven knows it needed an eloquen
advocate, when suddenly she lov
cred her voice to a myst erious viii
per
"One gentleman has occupied tn
room for fourteen years ever sir
I've had the house. and a flue old g.
tleman he Was, too | Y onldnt ha
the room vacant but what happen
to him yesterday" She let her We
sink still lower IF If was eolif
# ladies' looking at tho room.
wouldn't be telling il hat know y
Gentlemen Won't mind. II was in II
Dom Yesterday Mr. Elser killed his
elf. not on the bed. but right here {
he floor II WAS poison he teek--c9
aide of mercury, the doctor said"
You don't say!" exclaimed the f.
spector. as + he had heard the new
for the first lime. why did he do it,
It's more than can say" said Mrs
Trask, evidently well pleased to tall
about the tragedy. Il did everything
! could to keep him comfortable arr
happy. He spent all his time her
since he gave MP his Office down.
town. lie read the papers every
morning in the parlor. Every after.
noon he took a walk He was always
on time TO his meals and there never
was a complaint out of him. On SET
urdavs he used TO so up to Westches=
ter to see a hoy that he was guardian
for. Every Saturday night regular he
paid bis board. that is. up to last week
that's still owing"
Did he have any visitors?"
No. don't recollect that there was
ever any one here to see him. though
occasionally he used to bring the hoy
down here to lunch on Saturday or
Sunday. He hasn't had him here.
though, for the last three years."
Did he receive any mail?''
Amt 1t queer. now, that you
speak of that! The first letter he had
in months came only last week. The
i police found part of the envelope on
! the floor beside him Them and me
/ both looked through all his things, but
never trace of the letter could we
find | can't for the life of me think
what he could have done with it. !
know the letter must have had some
sort of good news for him, for after
lie received 1t, for several DAYS he
was as bright and clipper as could be,
more like himself than he had been
telephoned to him don't know who
it WAS, for | was out marketing-and
he never had any phone calls before
that know Of. Right after lunch he
went out and was gone until after
three. Soon after he came in he
killed himself in this very ROOM"
To my mind things were beginning
TO look blacker and blacker for Gran
dali. The parallel between the cases
of Katharine and Elser was entirely
too strong for it to have been mere
coincidence. We knew it was Gran
dali who had telephoned Katharine. It
must have been he who had called
Elser. There was much to be ex-
planned. What II was that had driv-
en- them both to seek death was still
mystery to me. My mind reverted
to my original theory that there was
child, whose existence had been
kept from the world, that was in some
way connected with the Parrish fam
lily. Old Elser was the guardian OF a
boy. Suppose this boy was the child.
1t would establish a possible connee-
ton between the two suicides. II
would explain why Katharine might
have known old Elser yet never have
mentioned the man to Louise
took 1t for granted that Davis
would ask the landlady further about
the child. OF course, he would want
to know the boys name and the
name of the school where Elser
kept him, but he made no further
/ inquiries. Telling the landlady he
would let her know In day or
two about the room, he turned to me
with:
Come on, Kent, it is time We had
some luncheon"
We must find Crandall," l said as
We left the house.
We must find who wrote the yell
low letters" Davis responded.
1T must have been Crandall," | as
serted with conviction.
1T may have been Crandal," the
! inspector replied. WAS Crandall left
handed?"
L