Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-02-06
CHAPTER XIV.
The inspector Explains.


| had not thought slumber possible
for me, and yet l must have slept. My
beWlldered senses, dazed by a sudden
recall to activity, took subconscious
cognizance Of regular, persistent
pounding and eventually succeeded in
stirring me to attention. l suddenly
sat up and looked about me- | found
myself in the deserted cottage, the
drug slave still motionless on his couch
and the logs still smoldering in the
fireplace.
That thumping-I quickly saw where
it came from. Davis was standing over
the sleeping form of Dodds, the con-
stable, engaged in the work of aWak-
ening him by the park policeman
method-kicking him on the soles of
his shoes.
The process was successful. The
constable snorted, drew up his legs,
rubbed his eyes and sprang to his feet.
1T will be daylight in half an hour, "
l heard Davis tell him. " want you
to go and get the blackboard and drive
around to where Rouser's body lies.
Bring me any papers you find in his
pockets. Leave his money and his
watch and keys, so as not to arouse
any suspicion of robbery. As soon as
you have done that I want you to
drive back and pick up the body be-
fore anyone else finds it. Drive with
1t to Millervale and leave it there.
Don't talk too much. Tell everybody
that you found the body at the foot
that it must have been an accident in
the dark. As soon as you can convent
emily get away, come back here. Make
sure, though, that nobody follows you. "
As soon as the constable had gone,
Davis lit a cigarette, turned up his
coat collar and took a seat On a
rough bench just outside the door.
Come on out here, Harding, and
watch the sun rise" he called to me-
I rose hastily from where l had
been sitting gazing stupidity about me
and joined him on the bench.
There was something you wanted
to ask me, wasn't there?" he said
pleasantly.
There were SO many things | want
ed to ask him | hardly knew where to
begin, but the first thing | blurted out
was:
rs Hugh Crandall guilty?"
He is guilty only of being in love
with Katharine Parrish against her IA
theirs wishes" he replied.
But surely" l said doggedly, che
has some connection with the crime
of the yellow letters. He knew
Young. He knew where to find him.
There are many things about his &C
tons that to my mind call for -expla-
nation"
Did you notice his eyes?' asked
Davis. 1t was still too dark for me to
see the inspectors face, but I felt
sure that he was laughing at me. He
made ne feel that way all too often.
Il didn't" l answered rather cross
~, but what's that got to do with
it,"
I'm afraid, Kent, as I have said be-
fore, you will never make a good de-
tective. You are entirely too unob-
servant of important details Do you
recall my asking early in our investi-
cation whether or not Crandall had
blue eyes,"
Yes" I grudgingly admitted, 81 re-
call it."
AS soon as I discovered that Gran
dali had blue eyes that eliminated him
q @ tho rornbahIo criminal
Il don't see your logic
I've told you before" said Davis,
after a pause long enough to permit
him to light another cigarette, that
there are classes of crime and types
of criminals, each strongly marked
after it's own sort. l, saw right at the
start that this crime was of the hid
den sort, of the kind that includes con-
spiracy. bIackmail, secret plotting
the kind that requires a skilful sneak
You never in your life found a blue
eyed sneak. There are lots of blue
eyed desperadoes and burglars. Most
of the notorious bad men of the west
were blue-eyed, but you don't find
man with blue eyes shooting or stab
bling a man in the back or kidnapping
a child or writing Matchmaking let
ters.''
While / was not at all convinced
by his argument, | felt that it would
be useless for me to dispute it, for I
would be invading comparatively I'M
known territory, whereas he undoubt-
eddy had dozens Of cases at his finger
tips ready to illustrate his theory.
decided to change the subject.
Il recall, too" | said, that you
asked il Cranda1l was left-handed. So
far as | saw, he is not. What of that?
Is that another proof of CrandalPs in
nocence?"
NO" said Davis, that didn't prove
CrandalPs Innocence. 1t proved Rou
ser's guilt. In fact. it was the left
handed clue that put me on the right
track and eventually led me to this
very cottage"
For Heavens sake" said I impa
tiently. don't talk in riddles. Go on
and explain it."
You're not to blame" he continued