OB
' - -'y win
COPYRIGHT 1311
SYNOPSIS.
Harding: Kent calls on Louise Farrlsh to
propose marriage and f.nd3 the house In
great excitement over the attempted sui
cide of her sister Katharine. Kent starts
an lnvestgatlon and finds that Hugh
Crandall, suitor for Katherlne. who had
been forbidden the house by General Far
rlsh. had talked with Katharine over the
telephone Just before she shot herself.
A torn piece of yellow paper Is found,
at sight of which General Farrlsh Is
stricken ,wlth paralysis. Kent discovers
that Crandall has left town hurriedly.
Andrew Elser, an aged banker, commits
suicide about the same time as Katharine
attempted her life. A yellow envelope is
found In Elser's room. Post Office In
spector Davis, Kent's friend, takes up
the case. Kent te convinced that Cran
dall Is at the bottom of the mystery.
Katharine's strange outcVy puzzles the
detectives. Kent and Davis search Cran
d all's room ana find an address, Lock
Box 17, Ardway, N. J. Kent goes to Ard
way to Investigate and becomes suspi
cious of a "Henry Cook.' A woman
commits suicide at the Ardway Hotel. A
yellow letter also figures in this case.
Kent calls Louise on the long distance
telephone and finds that she had Just been
called by Crandall from the same booth.
"Cook" disappears. The Ardway post
master is missing. Inspector Davla ar
rives at Ardway and takes up the inves
tigation. He discovers that the dead
woman is Sarah Sacket of Bridgeport.
Louise telephones Kent imploring him to
drop the investigation. . Kent returns to
New York to get an explanation from
I,ouise. He finds the body of a woman in
Central Park and more yellow letters.
CHAPTER IX (Continued).
I was puzzled beyond expression.
Why should Louise refuse to see me?
I was conscious of having done noth
ing to offend her. If only I could see
her for Just a minute to find out what
was the matter! I felt that I must
reach her. For an instant I was
tempted to brush past the maid and
force my way in. Surely Louise of
her own accord would not treat me
thus. She must be beside herself with
grief. Perhaps she was under the
came 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
she can see me?" I found myself say
ing In calm tones to the maid.
Again she closed the door in my
face. 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 ftr6t hour of her distress? Had
she not telephoned me when her sis
ter shot herself? Had she not permit
ted me to take her in my arms? Had
she 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
against me?
Torn by a hundred conflicting emo
tions, I traversed street after street,
not knowing or caring whither my
feet were taking me. I must have re
traced my steps, for I found myself
in the block where the Farrishs lived.
I looked at my watch and saw it was
atlll half an hour before the time I
had been told to return. I turned
away from the house and wandered
aimlessly on. There was some mys
tery, in Louise's conduct I could not
fathom. She refused to see me yet
Just ahead of me some one else had
been admitted to the house. A wave
of Jealousy swept over me. Who was
this other man? I racked my brain,
striving to recall his 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 who he
was. A picture 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 had 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 Farrlsh home. It was
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 was positive now that the vis
itor who had entered the Farrlsh home
had been be should 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, had been barred with
nuch scant courtesy, filled me with
dumb, unreasoning rage. I felt that
all claims of friendship and of service,
even disregarding the Btill Btronger
.claims of honest love, entitled me to
far different treatment
Yet even in the burst of anger that
overwhelmed me there was not a
single thought of harshness toward
Louise. I felt lhat if I could but see
her she would explain everything sat
isfactorily. It was toward Crandall
that all my wrath was directed. Feel
Ixlz as I did, Bure that he wag reipoa-
iam
Johnston
niasfmioMby yiZames
Blbl-e for Katharine's attempted sui
cide and for her poor father's plight,
I feared that his visit to the house
boded 111 for Louise. Undoubtedly his
malign influence had persuaded her
to bid me drop my efforts to solve the
mystery. He must have realized that
I was close on his trail, so danger
ously close that with the effrontery of
the daring criminal he had ventured to
come to the house in one last effort
to thwart my plans for his exposure,
As I became calmer I resolved on a
course of action. Louise's strange re
quest to me over the telephone must
have been made because she was dom
inated by the fear of this villain who
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
that for her own happiness It was nec
essary that I should continue my
course. I would go on with my inves
tigation and once for all free her from
the crushing thrall of this hidden evil.
I would wait where I was until Cran
dall had left the house, then I would
insist on seeing her and telling her
my resolve, nor would I permit her
to dissuade me from it
On the corner was a drug-store.
Sheltered by its awning I took my
stand to wait until Crandall left the
house. I could see the Farrish door,
yet my presence there under the awn
ing would hardly be noticed. I had
not long to wait. In about five min
utes the door opened and the caller
emerged. This 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-
queBt was being held as I had begun
to ask questions about the yellow let
ter, who had driven from the town be
hind the fastest .horse obtainable.
He came swinging down the street
past where. I stood. As he came closer
I was amazed to note that his face
waa not the unnatural color of the
morphine user's that I expected, but
ruddy with health. His eyes, however,
wore a strained expression . and his
brow was knotted with wrinkles. I
was strongly tempted to spring out
from, where I stood as he passed, to
seize 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 evidence I had against him was
not of the tangible sort that would
convict. Even though I knew of his
telephoning Katharine Just before she
shot herself, even though General
Farrish had learned something abput
him 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 his. suspicious ac
tions there, there was nothing definite
enough to warrant seizing him as yet
I watched him as far down the ave
nue as my eye could follow and then
turned toward the Farrish house. This
time I was admitted without- delay.
Apparently the maid had new instruc
tions. "I'll tell Miss Louise you are here,"
she said as she showed me into the
reception-room.
As I waited I tried to think how I
should greet Louise. While there was
much that I might reproach her for,
I felt that surely it had not been her
fault. I knew she must be acting un
der compulsion. I was determined,
though, to let her know that I knew
that' Hugh Crandall. had been in the
house.
Suddenly I heard a smothered
scream up-stairs and a second later
Louise burst into the room. - There
was terror in heT face as she ran to
me.
"Oh. Harding," she gasped, "it's
gone stolen!"
"What do you mean? WThat's sto
len?" I cried, seizing her hands tightly
in my own.
She was trembling all over and her
breath "came in quick, short Jerks.
She was dressed in an automobile hat
and coat, but even through the thick
folds of her coat I 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 me about it, what was it?" I
said.
"The yellow letter it's gone; sto
len!" '
"Where was it?"
I had taken it with me the morn
ing I went 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
Louise when Davis and I called on her
after our visit to Mrs. Trask's boarding-house.
I had not seen It since
then. My last recollection of it wan !
placing it in her hand as Davis and
I left the house. t
"Let me think," she said, trying
hard to regain her composure. "Whea I
you and Mr. Davis were here the other
day you gave it back to me. I took
it up-stairs and put it in a drawer
in a little desk in my room. I locked
the desk and hid the key In a vase
on the mantel. I went to the desk
Just now to get It and it was gone."
"Was the desk locked?" ,
- She nodded.
"Who could have taken it?" I asked.
Even as I framed the question there
came to me the thought of Crandall's
visit. He had been in the hotel in
Ardway where the woman committed
suicide after reading a yellow letter
and tearing it up. The scraps of that
letter had disappeared. More likely
he had come here JuBt to get that
scrap of yellow paper lest' its evidence
might bring home his crimes.
"Who has been in the house?" -
"No one but the doctors and nurses
and the servants," said 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.
"I wonder who could have taken it?"
she said after an awkward pause.
"What motive could any one have?"
I 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 used
against him."
There was a silence while we both
pondered the situation.
"You remember," said Louise sud
denly, "the agitation my father showed
at sight of that paper. If he were not
lying . paralyzed up-stalrs I think he
would have tried to gain pbssession
of it."
"How is your father, and your sis
ter?" I asked, suddenly recalling that
I had asked after neither of them.
Katharine is much better," said Lou
isei "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 his business."
"Are you sure of all the servants?"
I asked.
"All of them have been with us 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
Sheltered by the Awning i Took My Stand to Walt Until Crandall Lrt
the House.
know they are in working order or I
would have heard about It."
"There is or there must have been,"
I said slowly, "some traitor In the
house, some thief, some one who had
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?"
T wanted " she 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
cease your inquiries at once."
"But but M I protestliigly 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 force 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 has
stricken your sister and your father.
You yourself asked me to try to find
the secret and I vowed that I 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 some
greater evil will befall, if my efforts
to unmask the criminal are success
ful. Is It not so?"
"Don't ask me, Harding," she begged
piteously. "I can't tell you. Jt is not
my secret. I can tell you nothing.
Please don't ask me."
More than ever now I was convinces
that fear of Crandall dominated her.
Quickly following on his . telephone
message he 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 prey 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 mf In
quiries?" "I can't tell you. Please don't ask."
"What was Hugh Crandall doing
here this morning?"
The question, direct and blunt as 1
put It, had almost the 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 a great ef
fort she recovered, and looking me
straight in the eye, she answered soft
ly: "Mr. Crandall was not here this
morning. What made you think he
was?"
I did not try to conceal the ope&
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 sure
as that I was Btanding there that
Hugh Crandall had been in the house
that morning. Could it have been that
he had entered without her knowl
edge? Was it possible that one of the
maids in the Farrish home was 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 hiding the key in a vase.
It began to look as if I had a solution
of this new mystery, Yat it oeuld
hardly be possible for Crandall to
have been in the house for fully half
an hour without Louise knowing it
Furthermore, why had admittan,
been denied me when I first called?
(TO BS CONTINUED.)
:ti
I x3L . 1 'J
Tegucigalpa,
RMINIUS T. HAEBERLE of
fit T -on 1 n vhn na Amprlfnn
consul to Honduras traveled
about the mountainous coun
try accompanied by his wife,
sleeping under the stars and under
forest trees, to attend to the duties
of his office, has been promoted
through the merit system to the of
fice of American consul to Siberia.
Instead of sitting in his office to
attend to routine duties, he set about
to acquaint the natives with Ameri
can ideas, and in doing this he aided
them to seek better means of living.
better methods of cultivating their
farms, and in many ways helped to
Improve their condition.
Mrs. Haeberle visited the natives,
made them feel that the consul's
home was always open to them and
many took advantage of the hospital
ity, some after a journey of 200
miles. In this manner the consul and
his wife became acquainted with the
natives.
Mr. Haeberle's efforts were recog
nized by the government of Honduras,
and progressive articles which he
wrote were circulated by the govern
ment.
Camped at Roadside.
Mrs. Haeberle was Miss Ida Wien
eke of California, Mo. She accom
panied her husband on many arduous
trips.
Sometimes the couple would accept
the hospitality of the people along the
roads, and swing their hammocks in
front of their houses, and sometimes
they would camp along the road.
Speaking of his trips, Mr. Haeberle
said: "A saddle mule is needed to
make the journeys into the Interior,
as there are no railroads. In addition
to the saddle mule, a traveler must
have a pack mule and a 'rnozo' or
guide. The guide does not ride, and
the traveler does not have to worry
about the guide becoming tired. The
only concern is to obtain a mule
which will keep up with the guide.
"The riding is rough, being along
mountainous trails and near preci
pices. The usual day's journey Is 37
miles.
"The journey to the north coast is
a trip of six days, and to the south
coast requires two and one-half days.
Some of the fancy mules travel 20
leagues a day.
"Most of the houses are modest,
and with few accommodations, but
great hospitality is shown, and the
natives give freely of their food,
which consists principally of coffee,
eggs, rice, beans, and the native corn
cakes. 1
"Eggs, by the way, cost about 20
cents a dozen in the capital, but they
are fresh, as there are no cold storage
plants in that country.
"The name of the capital, Teguci
galpa, interpreted, means 'The Hills
of Silver,' and the name is properly
applied as the hills and mountains
are rich "In mineral wealth, silver and
gold.
"The old Spanish mine of Santa
Lucia, near the capital, is still worked
in a Bmall way. In the seventeenth
century more than $1,000,000 was sent
to the king of Spain as one-fifth of
one mine's output for the year. The
king sent a wooden Image of Christ
to the city, as a token of his apprecia
tion, and this wooden image occupies
a place in the church at the present
time.
"In the southern part of Honduras
was the largest Spanish gold mine in
Central America, located at Clavarl
co. Nuggets have been taken out so
large and the virgin gold was so
coarse that King Philip called them
'My Royal Tamarinds,' tamarinds be
ing a tropical fruit.
"As American consul I always re
ceived the co-operation of the Hon
duras authorities, which made it pos
sible to obtain interesting data on the
country. I always received great at
tention from those in authority, hav
ing early demonstrated that I sought
to aid them wherever and whenever
possible.
Used Old-Style Plow.
"I was not trying to teach them
anything, simply showing how they
could benefit by making use of mod
ern appliances.
"When I first went there the old
Spanish plow, made of a wooden
beam, on the end of which was a
piece of iron, with which the ground
was only scraped to a shallow depth,
was In general use,
"I told them of the modern plow,
which would greatly benefit crops. I
wrote articles setting forth the ad
vantages ef modern machinery for the
A
cmw
!4S
Capital rfonduras
benefit of the small farmer. There
well acquainted with the most modern
farming methods, and it is also their
desire to see improved machinery in
troduced among the poorer class.
"These articles were translated into
the Spanish language and printed and
sent out by the government in its of
ficial paper. The Hondurans gladly
read and commented on the articles.
"The government co-operated, and
a farmer in the interior, who had pur
chased an American plow in some
manner or other, confirmed my state
ments of the depth that it would cul
tivate the ground and of the benefit
nnfh fnlHvnMAn waa tn the rrons.
Finally, a consignment of plows was
received and distributed to the farm
ers. Many were anxious to receive
them and they are now reaping the
benefit of large crops.
"This is simply an instance of how
a consul may create a demand for the
products of his country, while at the
Rnmo Hm nidinc tha nativ.
"Mrs. Haftherlfl aromranied me
and made many friends. I believe we
enjoyed the confidence of all with
whom we came In contact. Mrs. Hae
berle has served as a judge in needle
and art work at the schools, and has
otherwise mingled with the Hon
durans." BRITISH MUSEUM'S TREASURE
Arabic Book, of Which There Is No
Other Copy In the World, Ac
quired by That Institution.
The trustees of the British museum
have just acquired a . manuscript of
the Fadalih al-batlniyah, an account of
the doctrines of the Karmathians,
Ismailis and other esoteric and un
orthodox sects of Mohammedanism,
by the famous theologian, Muhammad
ibn Muhammad al-Ghazzall. This is
apparently a unique Arabic MS., as no
other copy is on record. In it the
author systematically sets forth the
doctrines of the various sects and re
futes them. The work Is of great
significance, as it supplies a very
early account of these sects, some of
which are very important. Ohazzali
was born in A. D. 1059, and spent his
early years in Tus, Khorasan. He
studied under the great Iman al
Harma'nln at Nlshapur. In A. D. 1091
he became a professor at the Niza
miya college, in Bagdad, where he
worked for four years. He then re
signed in order to continue his own
studies and effect a satisfactory con
cordat of orthodoxy, reason and mysti
cism. He died in Tus in A. D. 1111.
His Influence upon the later develop
ments of Islam has been enormous.
Suyuti, a famous author, 6ays: "If
there could be another prophet after
Mahomet, it would certainly be Al
Ghazzali." The present MS. was
copied in A. D. 1266, and is perfect ex
cept for a few pages at the beginning.
"Justice" Openly Bought.
Removal of an unjust judge from
the United States bench reminds the
London Chronicle that centuries ago
Justice was not administered nearly
so impartially as it is now. There
were the "basket justices" who re
ceived their nickname from the pres
ents openly handed up to them in
court by suitors. And in more re
cent times there were the "trading
justices" satirized by Fielding in
Amelia." Townsend, the celebrated
Bow street runner, in his evidence
before a parliamentary committee in
1816, described how these justices
used to issue batches of warrants ev
ery day "to take up all the poor devils
on the streets, so as to charge them
two shillings four pence each as bail.
Only the penniless offenders were
sent to jail, and a morning's work
would sometimes produce 10 ($50)."
After which the worthy magistrate
and his clerk would adjourn to a
neighboring hostelry for refreshment
Hint Was Wasted.
Mother (at 11:30 p. m.) What's
the matter, John? You look disturbed.
Father I thought I'd give thai
young man calling on our daughter a
vigorous hint It was time to go, so 1
walked right Into the parlor and de
liberately turned out the gas.
Mother Oh, my! And did he get
angry?
Father Angry? The young jacka
napes said "Thank you."
A politician no sooner climbs aboard
the band wagon than he begins to toot
his own horn.