The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-09-14
HE MOSS MYSTERY
~ CAROLYN WELLS

tcon,lnued From Our Lass lssuel
Cinry's voice nearly failed her
she shook like leaf. and her cycs
burned In her white. quiycrins
face. but she went on And don't
you know what the roltergcsst
49, What form Z; took Il wRs
the hand the long. yellow hand
that Killed her mother oh. no.
she didn't tell you last night. whom
she told that story. that her mother
died OF the effects OF tho yellow
hand. No. she didn't want TO toll
the tragedy entirely. But that u
true. her mother did die soon after
that experience. Marybelle told me
tho story long ago. but che never
told u in public before and tho
Poltergeist thought she was max
ing fun-and she was-and In TO
venge. the yellow Hand. the Potter
geist Yellow Hand. came and
turned on Marybelle's Tas jct-oh.
don't you sec e., don't you see ~
what other hand could have done
lt7-tell me that"
II was Janet Field who tried 10
quiet the overcxcited girl
Come with me. Cissy. dear"
she said. soothinKly. come with
me 70 your room and let's talk this
over quietly"
NO. I won't. You know. Janet.
I'm speaking the truth. You know
how locked up the room was. you
know nobody could possibly ret IN
TO turn on that rms. and you know
Marybeile didn't do II. and couldn't
II she had wanted 20. So you know
you know II must have been the
yellow Hand Don't you know u.
Janet1 Don't you know Il was In
revenge for Marybeile's telling
about the hand last night Answer
me. Janet Don't you know Il was
the hard OF revenEe7"
Her eyes glared now. and Janet.
seeing the danger OF contradiction.
said impetuotsly. Yes. Cissy. yes.
Il must have been that"
None of us blamed Janet for
agreeing with tho frenzled girl.
whether she spoke truth or not. and
TO my surprise. Lord HerrinEdcnn
said. slowly. There II no other SO
luton. Call Il absurd. n you will.
there Is no other way 10 account
for the death OF my bride. When
there IS no possibility Of a human
hand IN the matter. We must admit
u TO be the work Of the fiends."
You know" cried Cissy. sud.
denly calmer. You understand.
because you loved Marybello. Oh.
that awful housekeeping up. up.
up-and turning turning 49, turn
ing"
And then Janet succeeded IN get.
ting the girl TO 20 away with her.
and knew Cissy would be ten.
derby cared for
As for me. had my hearts do
sire at last. grieved deeply for
beautiful Marybelle. I sympa.
thized with the Earl. was sorry
for Janet Field and Helen Wesley.
but quite aside and apart from all
this-almost. II seemed. with an
other mentality-T rejoicea at my
opportunity. come nj last had
the unravellng 10 do. OF the mys-
tory ] had longed for: a myster.
ious death In an inaccessible room
Let the solution be Peltergeist. n
II chose. or accident. or sdcide. or
murder in the first degree the
solution be as difficult. as impos.
sibie az II might. would find II.
/ had not the slightest fear OF
failure, the conditions should BATTLE
me not whit; would find the
cauae of $aryhsils Hoas' death,
whether II waU by some simple.
the Hand OF Revenge.
Now. given = mysterious death.
the inquest must follow. as the
night the day. And this custom, ca
tablIshed by tradition and long
usage. Will. ] suppose, always OBJ
tain. But to me. an inquest is n
thing inept. inopportune. From
It's bushel OF chaff you may get n
grain OF wheat in evidence. and
then. again. you may not
But the inquest is necessary
evil and the coroner is an evil
so we must put up with
both.
To me, the hours OF that day sim
ply flew. Il may as well admit
my business from the first had
a haunting fear that n plain and
ordinary solution OF the mystery
say, burglary or proven accident