The Springdale news., 1912-08-30

room for fourteen yearS-ever since I've had the house. and fine old gen tAman he was, too wouldn't have the room vacant but what happened to him yesterday" She let her voice sink still lower. If 1t was a couple Of ladies looking at the room I wouldn't be telling It. but know you gentlemen won't mind It was in this room yesterday MT. Elser killed him. self. not on the bed. but right here on the floor It was poison he toek-eya. hide of mercury. the doctor said"
 You don't say." exclaimed the In. spector. as If he had heard the news for the first time Why did he do It ."
 It's more than can say" said Mrs. Trask. evidently we'll pleased to talk about the tragedy. q did everything I could to keep him comfortable and happy. He spent all his time here since he gave up his office down town. He read the papers every morning In the parlor. Every after noon he took walk. He was always on time to his meals and there never was complaint out Of him. On Sat. urdays he used to go up to Westches- ter to see a boy that he was guardian for. Every Saturday night regular he paid his board, that Is. up to last week that's still owing"
 Did he have any vtsitors?"
 No. don't reCollect that there was ever any one here to see him. though occasionally he used to bring the boy 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?"
 "Ain't it queer. now, that you speak of that The first letter he had in months came only last week. The police found part of the envelope on the floor beside him Them and me both looked through all his things. but never q trace of he letter could We find. cant for the lie Of me think what he could have done with it. I know the letter must have had some sort of good news for him. for after he received tt. for several days he was as bright and ehlpper as could be. more like himself than he had been for years. Then yesterday somebody telephoned to him-I don't know who 1t was. for I was out marketing-and he never had any phone calls before that l 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 blaeker and blacker for Gran dall. The parallel between the cases of Katharine and Elser was entirely too strong for It to have been mere coincidence. We knew 1t was Cram dall who had teisphoned Katharine. It must have been he who had called Elser. There was much to be ex- piatned. What It was that had driy- en them both to seek death was still a 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 fly. Old Elser was the guardian of a boy. Suppose this boy was the child. It would establish a possible connec- ton between the two suicides. It would explain why Katharine might have known old Elser yet never have mentioned the man to Louise
 I took It 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 !andlady he would let her know in a 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," I said as We left the house
 We must find who wrote the yell low letters Davis responded
 Tt must have been Crandall," as- serted with conviction
 ''it may have been Crandall," tho inspector replied. Was Craudall left handed?"
 (To be continued1