Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-11

educated mantle letters are very
small. for one thing, and there's the
Greek e. and the final DIS While an
educated man might try to initiate the
handwriting of one who was almost IL
literate, the reverse would hardly DC
| feasible"
There's the choice of words, too
| Attained your desires Nothing rough
neck about that-and yet it's not ex-
actly stilted, as if he we're trying to
talk big. Gee, this begins to look
good!" Peter was rocking back and
forth on his toes with suppressed ex-
element.
The doctor reached absent-mindedly
for a cigar, and then regretfully thrust
it back into his case.
TOO bad" he murmured, "but we
can't leave a lot of smoke about. I'll
have to tell you again, young man, that
you've good mind for Seizing Signifl-
cant points. Perhaps you noticed also
the choice of ideas. That is threaten
ing letter, yes; but it goes in for what
are called glittering generalities. The
writer was thinking more about his own
feelings than about any definite plan OF
action. He's what we psychologists call
an introvert. There's the double paren-
thesis, too correctly punctuated, by the
way. His mind wound in and out among
his emotions. He couldn't resist that BIT
about her terrible charm Unfortunate
ly, though we know all this about his
insides, there's not much of a clue by
which to pick him out on the street"
What about the envelope?"
Peter groveled moment on hands
and knees and retrieved the envelope
where it had fallen under the telephone
stand. This time he was careful to
touch it only at the edges. 1T wasn't
posted at ALL" he said disappointedly
Delivered by hand. Still, this is sort OF
funny, isn't it?"
Ihe envelope, which he laid on the
cable beside the letter. was addressed In
a single line: "Sheila O'Shay (Ells-
WORTH"
"A regular demon for parenthesis
that bird Now what do you suppose
he put that one in for?"
IF were being facetious, I'd say he
was initiating the newspapers. You
wouldn't say, now, that this letter was
written by newspaper reporter gone
Wrong?"
Peter looked as startled as if a gun
had suddenly been pointed at him, bar
rel foremost.
It certainly wouldn't" he said
sharply.
"Therei You see how careful we must
be not to jump to conclusions. Ever
you, who had nothing whatever to dc
with it, looked momentarily guilty when
confronted with a suggestion which
seemed to come home to you. You are
not David Orme, but you remembered
IRENE dislike for the lady in the case.
ST never saw her in my life!" Peter
protested.
81 know you didn't" DR.. Cavanaugf
said soothingly. But wanted to warn
you to be very cautious about theoriZ-
ing. The race is not always to the
swift-they sometimes race in the wrong
direction. BY the way, did you happen
to notice the pages of the directory
where the letter was thrust?"
I'm afraid didn't Peter admitted
II ought to have. told you and let you
take it out yourself. I just didn't think
It was somewhere near the front of the
book-that's all I remember"
We'll. don't worry. 1t can't be helped
1t just gives the police a chance to ex-
ercise their own wits instead Of ours"
I'm sure it wasn't as far back as the
'O's,'" Peter said dejectedly. And yet
it was stuck in with the edge just a lit
tie beyond the margin, as if to mark the
place. don't think she had any idea
of hiding it there" go
mo. She wasn't hiding it, Mr.. Orme,
whoever he may be, wouldn't be in the
telephone book anyhow. If he we're,
he'd have telephoned probably instead
of writing-and he wouldn't have found
her out at this late day If he were liv-
ing in the same town with her. She was
rather a public character, you know
But she might have known how to get
in touch with him through some one