The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-03-07
CHAPTER iII.-(ContInued.)

CHAPTER IIi.-(ContInued.)
I glanced quickly at Davis. | fully
expected to see in his face something
OF the same establishment | had felt. l
was disappointed. With a casual
glance at the envelope he turned to
Dowd as II waiting for him to go on.
Its 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. I don't see
nothing suspicious about 1T, but the
chief has taken a notion that there's
something behind it and wants to
know where this letter came from. We
velope was all we could find. The
postmark's torn through, but he
thought maybe you could trace it any
how"
TN see what l can do and I'll let
you know in the morning" said the
tective with a nod. From his matter
of-face tone and apparent lack of in
terest / would not have been surprised
II 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 decisively
more than a mere coincidence.
Az soon, however, as the detective
had left the room the inspectors whole
amer changed. With the glitter of
excitement in his alert eyes he turned
to me and ~explosiyely said:
Quick, let me see that yellow
scrap"
had placed it carefully in my wal
let after he had refused my request.
snatched it from my hand. Putting it
on his desk beside the torn envelope,
he picked up a r~eading-glass and
studied both pieces carefully. His in
spection lasted for several minutes.
and meanwhile. l, too, studied the torn
envelope.
Both in color and texture the paper
SO closely resembled the scrap that |
was positive that they we're Of the
same lot. The envelope bore the ad-
dress OF Andrew Elser, in West TWEEN
ty-third street. Part of the postmark
uoncf ri ~ In fOcf-hnd hnQn do
stroyed, as If in the careless opening
Of the letter with the finger. All that
was decipherable was a capital "A
and part of another letter that might
have been either an IN" or an r." In
the lower part OF the circle was a frag
ment OF a letter that looked as IL II
might have been an IN" l noticed
too, that the stamp had been stuck on
rather carelessly, in a lopsided man.
ner.
My friend, his inspection completed
turned to me apologetically.
Il beg your pardon. Harding Kent
he said, you were entirely right
These two bits of paper are key-notes
in an important mystery, n that 1t IL
we'll worth my while to try to solve"
What made o change your mine
so suddenly" l asked. for though
quite agreed with him, his manner
had puzzled me not a little.
He leaned back in his chair ant
turned 1t SO that he faced me. He hat
4 sharp, explosive way Of speaking
biting on his words almost before h,
had completely enunciated them.
Cant you see? One footprint leadl
nowhere. Two footprints start a path
When you brought that yellow scral
t. me you were merely guessing tina
II might have something to do will
tho strange happenings In the Farrisl
home. There was no way in which
you could have positive knowledge
nor could /. You were only guessing.
Indeed, l wasn't" 1 exclaimed in
dignantly. What drew my attention
to It was General Farrish's exclama
ton OF terror al the sight Of it just be
fore hA fell. paralyzed."
Davis shook his head determinedly
THAT meant much-0r nothing. l
may have been mere senile hysteris
superinduced by the great shock. A
some time In his life he may have hat
some unpleasaht. experience which
was associated In his s~ubconsciou'
memory with . yellow document
Wrought. up as he was by the news Q
Ais daughters attempt to kill herself
~ brain cells called into action wer1
lhose that had recorded other disturb
Ing experiences. perhaps a month ago
DofhAps forty years ago. No impress
SONS IN, the brain records are eve
ooot. The sight Of the yellow pape'
niepbn1lf recalled some other yellow
ser ThAre VS. then no evidence