The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-04-30

u sudden rush of air on the opening
of door, which action | took to In
dictate Powell's entrance. Then, as
looked. one OF the shades shot up in
the hand OF one of the attorneys, who
also raised the sash and darted back
into the room, from which could
hear no sounds to accompany his evil
dent sudden excitement. Had Powell
tainted with pain on being admitted
to the room and the window been
opened to give him air? In moment
or two, however. the attorney returned
10 the window and pulled down the
sash with vicious jerk, and again
darted back out OF sight. He had owl
IDENTIFY been in too much hurry to
close the shade-all Of which, and my
ceiling through tho window, caused
my curiosity to grow apace. But sud-
denly large bat like object noated
down from the caves into the light
outside the window. This queer ap-
partition. however, seemed to move
more with the wind than with the &C.
centricity OF bat; and when II was
almost Immediately followed by two
others, which. to my increasing as
constituent. seemed to proceed from
the smoking chimney above, the sus-
picion flashed into my mind that these
objects might have come from the
lawyers oftice-that they had escaped
in the draft Of the chimney tiue when
the window was opened to give Pow
ell air; and that 1t was to prevent
the escape Of similar objects in this
manner that the attorney who had
created the mischievous draft by open
ing the window had to close it quick
ly. as had seen him do. II these i'm
pressions were correct. the black OBJ
jects circling overhead were not ami
mate, hut inanimate, and floating with
the wind.
But happily their descent indicated
that they would not alight out Of my
reach. and when the first alighted /
ran forward and picked 1t up-then
the second. and the third, at distant
points in the street. They were pieces
OF paper-pages from bool-and rep
resented all could have sought that
night. They were pages from DIR.
Powell's curious book. and had escaped
in the manner supposed from the at
torneyT Office. made the discovery
OF the character Of my find by glance
at the first as | picked 1t up. With
out delay, tucked my possessions un-
der my coat and started homeward. A
hasty glance at the cabman, as / left
the spot. told me that he had been
unconscious Of my scurry after the
wind tossed objects. being in doze
on his box.
When reached my room and had
locked the door, carefully laid the
leaves, which were yellow with age
and much handling. upon my table.
They bore evidence OF recent scorch-
ing by fire around the edges. The
contents represented the palms OF
three human hands the epidermis
only-one palm being attached to each
leaf. Beneath each palm, which was
covered with light varnish, or some
preservative preparation, was the
name Oft former owner. The palm
smaller than the two others, and first
in order, bore the name OF Joseph
Powell, Jr. I noted that the ends OF
the fingers were scorched. The next
palm was woman's. and was sub
scribed with the name OF Helen Keith,
remembered as Powell's dead sweet
heart. The. third was the largest and
belonged TO the millionaire, Poe, whose
arm Powell had wounded in the duel
and aftcrward amputated.
had solved the mystery Of DR.. Pow
ellis book and his career. under
stood the secret Of his success. Fate
had given me these three leaves which,
Of the entire book, were the most Sig
nifcant to me.
DR.. Powell. being fond of occult
philosophy. he had studied palmlstry
and being ais GA surgeon, he had con-
ceived an original. idea to preserve
the palms Of those of his patients
whose INJURIES necessltated the ampu.
tation Of an arm or n part thereof
for study. This he had done, By
having his book with him he could
constantly add to his grewsome col
lection. With the palms thus pre-
served he could at his leisure read the
lives OF his patients, or subjects, both