Newspapers / The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.) / Feb. 28, 1913, edition 1 / Page 3
Part of The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
COPYKfSHT 131/ jSfaoßtujiWxicaHavnr by YJforoef u SYNOPSIS. Harding Kent ra.Ua on Loulee Farrlah to propose marriage and flnda the houaa In PW excitement over the attempted aul clde of her alater Katharine. Kant atarta an Inveetgatlon and flnda that Hufh Crandall, aultor for Katharine, who had been forbidden the houaa by General Far riah. had talked with Katharine over the telephone Juat before ahe ahot haraelf. A torn piece of yellow paper la found, at eight of whlolv Oeneral Farrlah la atiicken with paralysis. Kent dlaoovere that Crandall haa left town hurriedly. Andrew Elaer. an t|ad banker, eommtta aulclde about the aama time aa Katharine attempted her Ufa. A yellow envelope la found In Eleer"e room. Poet Office In apector Davie, Kent'a friend, takes up tne caae. Kent la convinced that Cran dall la at the bottom of the mystery. Katharlne'a at range outcry puaalee the detectlvea. Kent and Davfe aearch Cran dall's room and And an adilr«-ee, Lock Box 17. Ardway, N. J. Kent goea to Ard way to lnveetlgate and becomes suapl cloue of a "Henry Cook.' A woman commit* aulclde at the Ardway Hotel. A yellow letter also figures In thla caae. Kent calle t»ulee on the long distance telephone and flnda that ahe had Juat been called by Crandall from the aama booth. "Cook" disappears. The Ardway poat maater la missing. Inspector Davis ar rives at Ardway and takes up the Inves tigation. He discovers that the dead woman la Sarah Sacket of Bridgeport. Louise telephones Kent Imploring him to 'drop the Investigation. Kent returns to Hew Tork to get an explanation from Louise. He finds the body of a woman In C-ntral Park and more yellow lettera. / CHAPTER IX—(Continued). I wia puMled beyond expression. Why should Loulae refuse to see me?> I wag conscious of having done noth ing to offend her. If only I could a®e her for Just a minute to find out what was the matter! 1 felt that 1 muit reach her. For an instant I was tempted to brush paat the maid and foroe my way In. Surely Louise of her'own accord would not treat me thus. She must be beside herself with trlef. Perhaps she was under the game malign Influence that so dis tressed her sister. Yet even In the depths of despair we observe the con ventionalities. "Will you ask Miss Louise when ■he can se4 met" 1 found myself say ing In calm tones to the maid. Again she closed the door in my ~ ISo*. Again I waited. "Miss Louise says that she will see you If you will return in an hour," was the message that was brought me. I left the Farrlsh door and stumbled blindly up the street. The plight In which I found myself seemed inexpli cable, maddening. I was sure Louise loved me. Had she not turned to me In the first hour of her distressT Had •he not telephoned me when her sis ter shot herself? Had she not permit- Mid me to take her In my arms? Had •b« not commissioned me to solve the mystery of the yellow letter? Yet why had she bade me discontinue my search? Why had she shut her door to me? What could be her motive? What could have Influenced her •gainst me? Torn by a hundred conflicting emo tions, I traversed street after street, not knowing or paring whither my feet were taking me. 1 must have re traced my steps, for I found myself In the block where the Farrlshs lived. I looked ftt my watch and saw It was ■till half an hour befbre the time I had been told to return. I turned •way from the bouse and wandered aimlessly on. There was some mys tery in Louise's conduct I could not fathom. She refused to see me, yet ]ust ahead of me some one else bad been admitted to (be house. A wave of jedttyusy swept over me. Who waa this other man? I racked my brain, striving to recall hla appearance, try ing to remember what there was that was familiar about him. All at once it came to me. A wild rage filled me. I knew now whf he waa. A ptcture of the office in that little hotel In New Jersey came to my mind, as It looked when I stood by the stove drying my clothes. A man bad come to the desk and got his key and had walked past me as he went to his room. I knew now where I had seen that man who was admitted to the Farrlah home. It waa the man called Cook. It was Hugh Crandall.' CHAPTER X. • Who Was the Thief? An unbidden and unwelcome guest. Jealousy came and sat by the altar of my heart, stirring the fires of my love for Louise into furious darts of flame that scarred my soul. That Crandall —for I waa positive now that the vis itor who haa entered the Farrlsh home had been be-rshould have been admit ted to the house with so many things pointed to his guilt, while I, an ac cepted lover, and certainly Louise's faithful servitor, bad been barred with such scant courtesy, filled tne With dumb, unreasoning rage. I fait that all claims of friendship ftnd of service, even disregarding the still stronger claltrs of honest love, entitled me to far different treatment Yet even In the burst of anger that overwhelmed me there was not a i •Ingle thought of harshness toward Louise. 1 felt that If I could but SM h«r she would explain everything est- Isfactorlly. It waa toward Crandall that all my wrath was directed. Feel tax as 1 did, sure that ho waa raapofr Bible for Katharlne'a attempted aul- 1 cide and for her poor father's plight, 1 I feared that hla visit to the house boded 111 for Louise. Undoubtedly hla ( malign Influence had persuaded her 1 to bid me drop my efforts to solve the 1 mystery. He must have realised that I waa close on his trail, BO danger- i ously close that with the effrontery of the daring criminal he had ventured to come to the house in one lest effort 1 to thwart my plans for his exposure. As I became calmer I resolved on • : course of Action. Louise's strange re quest to me over the telephone must 1 have been made because she was dom inated by the fear of this villain who 1 had brought disaster on her father and sister. Perhaps she feared that some evil might befall me if I persisted in ; trying to run him to earth. Possibly she was afraid that still greater evil might come to those she loved. I felt 1 that for her own happiness It was nec essary that I should continue my courae. 1 would go on with my inves tigation and once for all free her from the cruahlng thrall of thia hidden evil. I would wait where I waa until Cran dall had left the house, then I would lnaiat on aeelng her and telling her my resolve, nor would I permit her to dissuade me from it On the corner was a drugstore. Sheltered by Its awning I took my 1 stand to wait until Crandall left the house. I could see the Farrlsh door, yet my presence there under the awn ing would hardly be noticed. I had not long to wait. In about five mln utea the door opened and the caller 1 emerged. Thla time I had an opportu nity to get a good look at him. I 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 aa I had begun to ask queationa about the yellow let ter, who had driven from the town be hind the faatest horse obtainable. He came swinging down the street past where I stood. As he came closer - I was amaxed to note that his faoe was not the unnatural color of the morphine uaer'a that I expected, but ruddy with health. Hia eyes, however, wore a strained expresalon and hla brow was knotted with wrinkles. I was strongly tempted to spring out from where I stood as he passed, to seise him by the throat and to make him tell me all I wished to know about the hideous mystery. Yet better Judg ment withheld my hand. After all, the evldenoe I had against him was not of the ta&glblo sort that would convict. Even though I knew of his telephoning Katharine Just before she shot herself, even though Oeneral Farrlah bad learned aomethlng about htm that barred him from the house, even though we had found In his rooms a hypodermic syringe and the address in New Jersey where the third suicide had taken place, even though I myself had noted hia suaplcloua ac tlona there, there waa nothing definite enough to warrant seizing him aa yet I watched him aa far down the ave nue aa my eye could follow and then turned toward the Farrlsh houae. Thla time I waa admitted without delay. Apparently the maid had new instruc tions. "11l tell Miss Louise you are here," ahe said aa ahe showed me Into the reception-room. As I waited I tried to think how I ahould greet Louise. While there waa much that I might reproach her for, I felt that surely it had not been her fault. I knew she mast be acting un der compulsion. I waa determined, though, to let her know that I knew that Hugh Crandall had been in the houae. Suddenly I heard a smothered scream up-stairs and a second later Louise burst into the room. There was terror In her faoe as she ran to me. "Oh, Harding," she gasped, "It's gone—stolen!" "What do you mean? What's sto len?" I cried, selling her hands tightly In my own. She was trembling ail over and her breath came In quick, short Jerks. She was dressed in sn automobile hat and coat, but even through the thick folds of her cost 1 could feel the pal pitating of her heart The new mys tery, whatever it was, had been too much for her already overstrained nerves. She was in a condition close ly bordering on hysteria. "Tell m« about It, what was it?" I j said. , "The yellow letter—lt's gone, sto len!" 1 "Where was It?" I I had taken It with me the morn- % lng I wont down to Inspector Davis' ] office, but after he had compared It with the Elser fragment he had re- ] turned It to me. I had restored it* to e Louise when Davis aad I called on her after oar visit to Mrs. Track's board- \ lng houae. I had not seen It since then. My Mat recollection of It was placing It la her hand aa Davis and i I left the house. i "Let mo think," she said, trying i hard to regain her composers. "Whe« t yon and Mr. Davis ware hers the other day you gava It back to iu. I took it upstairs and put It in a drawer in a little desk in my room. I locked I the desk and bid the key in a vase on tbe mantel. I went to the deak Just now to get It and it was gone." "Was the deak locked T" She nodded. "Who eould have taken it?" I asked. Even aa I framed the question there came to me tbe thought of Crandall'a visit. He bad been In tbe hotel in Ardway where the woman «ommitted suicide after reading a yellow latter and taarlng It up. Tbe scraps of that letter had disappeared. Mora likely ha had come here Just to get that scrap of yellow paper lest Its evidence might bring home his crimes. "Who baa been in the houseT" "No one but the doctors and nurses and the aervants," satd Louise, flush ing uneasily as she spoke. I waited, expecting her to mention Crandall's visit, but though she hesi tated for a second she said nothing of It "1 wonder who eould have taken It?" she said after an awkward pause. "What motive could any pne have?" 1 asked, determined to direct her thoughts to Crandall. "The only per son who would have a reason for mak ing away with It would be some one who feared that it might be uaed against him." There was a sllenoe while we both pondered the situation. "You remember," aaid Louise sud denly, "the agitation my father showed at sight of that paper. If he were not lying paralysed up-stalrs I think he would have tried to gain possession of it" "How is your father, and your sis ter?" I asked, suddenly recalllnguthat I had asked after neither of them. Katharine is much better," said Lou ise. "She is entirely conscious, though very weak, but the doctor says that she will in all probability recover quickly. My father's condition remains the same, though he seems to have regained the use of his right hand. He wrote some brief directions to-day about bis business." "Are you sure of all the servants?" I asked. "All of them have been with ua for years; all but one, ever since before my mother's death. I would not think of distrusting any of them." "Are you certain the house has not been entered In the night?" I was asking these questions with a view of convincing her that it was impossible for any one but Crandall to have taken the yellow scrap—for any one else to have even a motive for taking it "That would be Impossible," she said. "All the doors and windows are protected by burglar alarms and I •haltered by the Awning I Took My Stand to Walt Until Crandall L»ft the Houaa. know they are In working order or I would have heard about It." "There is or there must have been," I aaid slowly, "some traitor in the house, some thief, some one who bad an object in getting hold of that pa per." "There has been no one here," said Louise with a painful effort, "no one answering that description." "How did you come to look for the paper in- your desk?" "I wanted—" the stopped short "Mr. Kent," she said, her entire manner toward me stiffening as she withdrew her hands from mine, "I asked you last night If you would not oeaae your inquiries at once." ft- T -^ T ny- lK | ,«* Jlf I "But—but—" I protestlugly began. "I asked you to do what I requested without any'questions. You have told me that you loved me. If that is the case I know you will do what I ask without trying to (oroe my confidence. Isn't It enough for you to know that I wish you to do it?" "Louise, dear," I said firmly, "a mys terious trail of hidden evil in some way has crossed your home. It ha> stricken your slster> and your father. You yourself asked me to try to find the secret and I vowed that T would. I don't know what your motive is In making this strange request, but i can't believe you are doing It of your own volition. I am certain that you are influenced by fear —fear lest soma greater evil will befall, If my efforts to unmask the criminal are success ful. Is it not so?" 4 "Don't ask me, Harding," she begged plteously. "I can't tell you. It Is not my secret 1 can tell you nothing. Please don't ask me." More than ever now I was convinced that fear of Crandall dominated her. Quickly following on his telephone message h« had come to the house and had cast over her the same mys terious spell as had fallen on her sis ter. More than ever was I determined to follow the trail of mystery to its end, no matter where It lay or what It cost. What was life to me if the wom an I loved was to be for ever under a shadow, In the power of some hid den criminal who might pjey on her as he had done on the other members of her family? I felt it my duty toward her to go on and, if I could, compel her to divulge something of what she was holding back from me. "Why did you want that bit of the yellow letter? What were you going to do with it?" "I can't tell you. Please don't ask me." « "Why do you want me to stop my In quiries?" "I can't tell you. Please don't ask." "What was Hugh Crandall doing here this morning?" The question, direct and blunt ns 1 put It, had almost tbe same effect as If I had fired a bullet at her. She caught her breath quickly and her face turned pale. I thought that she was going to faint. With 4 great ef fort she recovered, and looking ma straight In the eye, she answered soft ly: "Mr. Crandall was not here this morning. What made you think he was?" 1 did not try to conceal the opea eyed amazement with which I stared at her as she gave me this unequivo cal reply, what could It mean? I could not, would not believe that this high principled, honorable girl would wilfully deceive me, yet I was as sura as that I was standing there that Hugh Crandall bad been In the house that morning. Could it have been that he had entered without her knowl edge? Was It possible that one of th# maids in the Farrlsh home wss in his pay and had permitted him to en ter without Louise's knowledge? That might explain the rifling of the locked desk. The maid might know of Iou- Ise's habit of biding the key in a vftse. It began to look as if I bad a solution of this new mystery Yet it rruld hardly be possible for Crandall to have been in the house for fully hall an hour without Louise knowing ft Furthermore, why had admittaiw been denied me when I first calledf (TO BE CONTINUES,) * VjSSksK "• •, jSfiLi >. . 4 " .'-a •.• LAWMAKERS OF NORTH CAROLINA IT NOW LOOKS LIKE STATE TAX COMMISSION PRIMARY 18 REVIVED. BILLS PASS FINAL READING Many Bills Are Introduced and Acted on in Both Branches of the General Assembly.—Other Legislative Work Being Done. Senate—Wednesday. The senate passed the Ivey bill for the regulation of automobiles, fixing the scale of taxes at $5 up to 25 horse power, $7.50 to 40 horsepower. Motor cycles will be taxed $2. Speed limits will be 10 miles an hour In business sections and 15 miles in residence sections of towns and 25 miles on country roads. Dealers are to pay $lO registration tax for number to .be used on demonstration cars with, exemption for 15 days. Municipali ties are allowed to impose additional taxes. The bill fixing minimum punishment for carrying concealed weapons at $25 fine or 30 days Imprisonment was defeated after a spirited argument. House—Wednesday. The bill by Hall for tax of $1 on male and $2 on female dogs for bene fit of the school funds In the counties was discussed, many Representatives asking exemption for their counties. It was then referred to the Judiciary committee. The compulsory school attendance bill, pending as a deferred special order for today, was meerly ordered printed and set for Tuesday of next week. The Kellum bill to give the cor poration commission power to regu late rates of power, light, gas and water companies, both corporation and municipality-owned and empower ing the corporation commission to require physical connection of com peting telephone lines passed and It was sent to the senate. The house voted to have a special committee ap pointed to investigate the hiring of convicts by the state to railroads and other enterprises and report relative to the advisability of passing the pending bill require state-convicts to be hired to all counties wanting them for road work before letting them to rallrooads. Senate—Thursday. Of routine matters little was done Thursday In the senate.' The session was interrupted by a Joint session and an executive session. Senator Law son called up his compulsory educa tion bill again, with the provisions of his own measure Inserted after the enacting words of the McCravey house bill, but debate was adjourned as usual. The 1 mill school tax bill which was passed by the house is in the sen ate, faborably reported with amend ments. House—Thursday. The senate bill to provide for the sale of the property of the State Hos pital for the Insane by the sinking fund commission and the transfer of the hospital to State I'ark was passed to third reading by the houße. By a vote 1 of 63 to 37, the house sustained the veto of the governor on the act to hold an election in Jas per county for the purpose of voting *.»0,000 In bonds with which the- su pertlsor and county commissioners could build a court houte and Jail, j The original act creating Jasper county provided that the buildings should be erected by a commission of five. The house refused to pass over the veto of the governor the act to em power the municipal authorities of Greenville to destroy alcholic liquors seized by them. The Berkeley delegation bill to re quire timber to be returned as per sonal property for taxation was pass ed to third reading bu the bouse. Senate—Friday. The Senate passed the bill to work I convicts on the public roads after a lengthy discussion by members on | whether the state Is not throwing away Its money In leasing convicts to I build roads for stock. The six-months minimum school term bill from the house was further discussed by the senate and passed on second reading 44 to 1. Or rather, this was the vote on the adoption of the Bryant amendment empowering counties to levy special five per cent tax for county purposes when county authorities deem this necessary in connection with the operation of the school term act The bill passed sec ond reading unanimously. Houae—Friday. By a vote of 81 to 5 the house pass ed the Kellum bill providing for the semi.annual issuance of $300,000 four per cent state bonds, to be used in financing road bonds Issued by coun ties at five per cent for road building; the bonds to run for 41 years, by' which time the one per cent sinking i fund will have provided for liquida tion. The house received from commit tee and passed Immediately, after conalderable argument, tbe bill to In. i ... - : - "+!%•**■ -*•> - * - . ,W. . tl. M'.Lt L create the membership of the Warm* County Board of Education. Mr. Stephens of Wayne presented' and procured immediate passage of a joint resolution authorizing the plac ing of a bronze statue of Gov. Charles Brantley Aycock in Capitol Square. Another bill received from commit tee and put under Immediate consid eration was the Bolick bill to proteet human life by prohibiting persons from walking on railroad tracks. Benate —Saturday. « ■ The six-months school bill was passed on third roll call reading and ordered sent to the House for con currence in Senate amendment. The Jackson county seat removal bill was passed on final reading and went to the House for concurrence in Senate amendment. Senator Jones introduced a resolu tion declaring it to be the sense of the General Assembly that the School for the Blind at Raleigh be removed to another site. A committee of three Senators and Ave Representatives is called for to Investigate and re port to the Legislature. Bills passed final reading as fol lows: Senate bill for water and light bond issue by Benson. Senate bill ratifying call for elec tion on the county farm in Iredell county. • House bill amending the Iredell county road law. House—Saturday. The House passed on final reading the Kellum bill for the Btate to issue semi-annually $300,000 state 4 per cent bonds to cover county 5 per cent bonds for road building, and the bill goes to the Senate. The House passed the Kellum bill to regulate elections in Wilmington, a comprehensive corrupt practices act. Great numbers of public local calendar bills were passed. The house passed bills as follows that go to the senate for disposition by that body: To incorporate Pine BlpfT school district. To fix boundary of Marshall school district, Madison county. Good road bond issues for Cleveland county. Senate—Monday. Senate bills passed on final reading were as follows: Legalizing road bond issue in Island Creek Township, Duplin county. For additional support for Newbern schools and for bond issue for new building. For road bond election in Person county. »- Empowering Belmont to improve streets. Rechartering Raleigh and election on com mission government. For road bond election in Edge combe, outside the road districts. Amending charter of Snow Hill. Amending charter of Town ol Mashall. Authorizing bond Issue for Gastonia Incorporating West Bladenboro, Bladen county. House—Monday. The house passed and then recon sidered the vote on a Senate resolu tion by Ward urging Taft to not to veto the Webb-Kenyon bill. It had passed the senate by a vote of 13 to 14 knd been rushed across to the house, where there was Immediate passage and very soon thereafter a successful motion by Devin to recon sider the vote, this being carried 70 to 25. House bills passed final reading as follows: To regulate pay of jurors and wit nesses in BrunHwick county. , Koad bill for Iredell county. Road bond issue for Granville county. To permit the City of Reidsville to borrow money. Bond issue for Monroe. Bond issue by Morning Star dis trict, Mecklenburg county, for schools. Good roada for Yadkin county. Senate—Tuesday. In the Senate Hobgood introduced another legalized primary bill. It is the defeated.. Justice House bill over again, except tht it excepts county officers from primary nominations, and even this was included in the committee substitute bill that the House killed. Senate bills passed on final read ing were as follows: Empowering Pender County to levy special taxes for bridges and cause ways. Amending charter of Town of Coun cils, Bladen county. Authorizing electric light bonds for Tarboro. For waterworks and sewerage bonds for Tarboro. Koad issue for Waynes county to build court house. Amending charter of Salisbury. House—Tuesday. The House received through Chair man Williams of the Finance Com mittee the new revenue bill, which is to be taken up in committee of the whole and considered from day to day until it passes final reading and is sent over to the Senate for still further adjustment and enactment. House bills passed on final reading were as follows: Amending charter of Sylva, Jackson county. Authorizing Avery county to borrow money to build bridge over Toe River. For road bonds in Mannings town ship, Nash county. " Amending charter of Burgaw, Pen der county. Amending charter of Laurinburg. Authorising Lillington to issue sew •r*c« toads.
The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 28, 1913, edition 1
3
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75