Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1912-12-06
CHAPTER lII.-(contInued.,

O6FAF Ell Ii.-(OOnLiNueQ.l
/ glanced quickly at Davis. / fully
expected to see in his face something
of the same establishment had felt.
was disappointed. With casual
glance at the envelope he turned to
Dowd as if waiting for him to go on.
It's evidence in the Elser case" the
detective went on, turned in by the
man on post who reported the suicide.
He was that old party that was found
dead In his room up on West Twenty
third street. To my mind, it's just a
plain case of suicide-an old man tired
Of living. The poison bottle was there
on the floor beside him. | don't see
nothing suspicious about it, but the
chief has taken a notion that there's
something behind it and wants to
know where this letter came from We
searched the room, but this torn en-
yelope was all we could find. The
postmark's torn through, but he
thought maybe you could trace it any
how"
@I'll see what l can do and I'll let
inspector calmly, dismissing the de-
tective with nod. From his matter
of-face tone and apparent lack of in
terest would not have been surprised
If he had refused this undertaking,
too, as he had mine, though it seemed
to me that the two bits of yellow pa
per connected the two suicides at the
same hour as something decisiyely
more than a mere coincidence.
AS soon, however, as the detective
had left the room the inspectors whole
manner changed. With the glitter of
excitement in his alert eyes he turned
to me and explosively said:
Quick, let me see that yellow
scrap"
had placed it carefully in my wal
let after he had refused my request.
AS l drew it out now he almost
snatched it from my hand. Putting it
ON his desk beside the torn envelope,
he picked up a reading-glass and
studied both pieces carefully His in
spection lasted for several minutes,
and meanwhile, I. too, studied the torn
envelope.
Both in color and texture the paper
so closely resembled the scrap that
was positive that they were of the
same lot The envelope bore the adj
dress of Andrew Elser, in West Twen-
ty-third street. Part of the postmark
most of it, in fact-had been de-
stroyed, as If in the careless opening
of the letter with the finger. All that
: was decipherable was capital "a
and part of another letter that might
have been either an "N' or an "R" In
the lower part of the circle was frag
ment of letter that looked as if ii
might have been an IN" I noticed
too, that the stamp had been stuck on
rather carelessly, in lopsided man
ner
My friend, his inspection completed
turned to me alphabetically.
i beg your pardon, Harding Kent,
he said, you were entirely right
These two bits of paper are key-notes
in an important mystery, one that it is
well worth my while to try to solye.''
What made you change your mind
SO suddenly?' / asked, fer though
quite agreed with him, lis manner
had puzzled me not a little,
He leaned back in his chair and
turned 1t so that he faced me. He had
sharp. explosive way of speaking
biting off his words almost before he
had completely enunciated them.
Cant 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 |. You were only guessing .
Indeed, | wasnt!" / 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 determinedIy.
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