The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1913-01-02

| Trying 10 run MIN TO 6afIN. GUsSlOly
she was afraid that still greater evil
might come to those she loved. | felt
that for her own happiness it was NEG
| eSsary that I should continue my
course. | would go on with my inves-
tigation and once for all free her from
the crushing thrall of, this hidden evil.
| would wait where | was until Gran
dali had left the house, then | would
insist on seeing her and telling her
my resolve, nor would | permit her
| to dissuade me from it,
| On the corner was a drugstore.
Sheltered by its awning / took my
stand to wait until Crandall left the
house. | could see the Parrish door,
yet my presence there sunder the avn
ing would hardly be noticed. / had
not long to wait. In about five min
utes the door opened and the caller
emerged. This time | had an opportu-
nifty to get a good look at him. | was
right. His face was that of the man
who had been registered in the Ard
! way hotel as Henry Cook, who had so
! abruptly left the room when the in
| quest was being held as | had begun
to ask questions about the yellow let
| ter, who had driven from the town be-
hind the fastest horse obtainable.
He came swinging down the street
past where | stood. AS he came closer
was amazed to note that his face
was not the unnatural color of the
- I tod hut
, ruddy with health. His eyes, however,
wore strained expression and his
brow was knotted with wrinkles. |
was strongly tempted to spring out
from where | stood as he passed, to
seize him by the throat and to make
him tell me all wished to know about
the hideOus mystery. Yet better judg-
ment withheld my hand. After all,
the evidence | had against him was
not of the tangible sort that would
convict Even though ! knew of his
telephoning Katharine just before she
shot herself, even though General
Parrish had learned something about
him that barred him from the house,
even though we had found in his
rooms hypodermic syringe and the
address in New Jersey where the third
suicide had taken place, even though
| myself had noted his suspicious ac
tons there, there was nothing definite
enough to warrant Selling him as yet
| watched him as far down the ave-
nue. as my eye could follow and then
turned toward the Parrish house. This
time | was admitted without delay.
Apparently the maid had new instruc
tons
"I'll tell Miss Louise you are here"
she said as she showed me into the
reception-room.
AS | waited | tried to think how
should greet Louise While there was
much that l might reproach her for,
l felt that surely it had not been her
fault. / knew she must be acting un-
der compulsion. | was determined,
though, to let her know that | knew
that Hugh Crandall had been in the
house.
Suddenly | heard smothered
scream upstairs and a second later
Louise burst into the room. There
was terror in her face as she ran to
me.
"Oh, Harding" she gasped, its
gone-stolen"
What do you mean? What's sto-
len?' cried, Selling her hands tightly
| in my own.
She was trembling all over and her
/ IN, cl1N
She was dressed in an automobile hat
and coat, but even through the thick
folds of her coat / could feel the pal
! pitating of her heart. The new mys.
| terry, whatever it was, had been too
| much for her already overstrained
! nerves. She was in condition close
" bordering on hysteria.
Tell me about it, what was it?" |
said
"The yellow letter-it's gone. sto.
len!"
| where was it?'
| had taken it with me the morn.
ing I went down to Inspector Davis
office, but after he had compared it
! with the Elser fragment he had re-
| turned 1t to me. / had restored it to
Louise when Davis and l called on her
after our visit to Mrs. Trask's board
ing-house. / had not seen it since
then. My last recollection of it was
placing it in her hand as Davis and
l left the house.
LET me think" she said, trying
hard to regain her composure when
you and Mr. Davis were here the other
day you gave it back to me. took
it upstairs and put it in a drawer
in little desk in my room locked
the desk and hid the key in a vase
on the mantel. / went to the desk
just now to get it and it was gone
WAS the desk locked?"
She nodded
Who could have taken it 2" | asked
Even as l framed the question there
came to ne the thought of Crandall's
visit. He had been in the hotel in
Ardway where the woman committed
suicide after reading a yellow letter
and tearing it up. The scraps of that
letter had disappeared More likely
he had come here just to get that
scrap of yellow paper lest it's evidence
might bring home his crimes.
"Who has been in the house?"
"No one but the doctors and nurses
and the servants" said Louise, flush
ing uneasily as she spoke.
/ waited, expecting her to mention
Crandall's visit, but though she hest
tated for a second she said nothing
of it.
Il wonder who could have taken it 2
she said after an awkward pause.