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8YN0PSIS.
Harding Kent calla on Louise Farrish to
propose marriage and finds the house in
treat excitement over the attempted sui
cide of her si6ter Katharine. Kent starts
an Investigation and finds that' Hugh
Crandall, euitor for Katharine, 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 Farrish is
stricken with paralysis. Kent discovers
that Crandall has left town hurriedly.
Andrew Klser, 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 is convinced that Cran
dall is at the bottom of the mystery.
Katharlne'a strange outcry puzzles the
detectives. Kent and Davis search Cran
d all's room and find an address. Lock
Box 17, Ardway, N. J. Kent goes to Ard
way to Investigate and becomes puspi
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 Davis ar
rives at Ardway and takes up 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
Louise. He finds the body of a woman In
Central Park and more yellow letters.
He sees Crandall. whom he recognizes as
"Cook," enter the Farrish home. Louise
again implores Kent to drop the investi
gation and refuses to give any explana
tion. Later Kent sees Crandall and Louise
In an automobile. Kent returns to Ard
way. Davis announces that he has
planned to arrest the missing postmaster
and also the master criminal. "While seek
ing the criminals, Kent comes across
Louise and Crandall. Pursued by Davis
the postmaster Jumps off a precipice and
la killed. Aleck Young, the master crim
inal, is found In a hut In a morphine
tupor.
CHAPTER XIII.
The Strange Vigil.
Dawn found Inspector Davis and me
keeping strange vigil in the deserted
cottage. Louise was gone. Crandall
was gone. Constable Dodds was gone.
Only the two of us were there, and on
a rude couch In the corner, inert, un
conscious with the death-like stupor
of the confirmed user of morphine, lay
the wreck of a man whom Davis had
termed the master criminal.
On the inspector's return from his
pursuit of the postmaster be had at
once assumed the position of director
general of the little group at the cot
tage. He had decreed that Crandall
should take Louise back to town In
the automobile as soon as she was
able to travel.
"After 6he has had an hour's rest
here," he said authoritatively, "her
nerves will have recovered sufficiently.
It is important that the wound in her
arm should be dressed as quickly as
possible. It will be well, too, for her
to return as speedily as possible to
her father and sister. Her continued
absence, If It reaches their ears, will
needlessly alarm them both. You, Mr.
Crandall, will take her back in the ma
chine In which you came, of course."
"Certainly," said Crandall over
eagerly, I thought "but, if you will
pardon me for asking, who are you?"
For reply Davis handed him his card
which bore his official title.
"But," stammered Crandall, "I don't
understand you. What are you doing
out here?"
"I'm here," said the inspector, "I
fancy on the same mission that
brought both you and Kent here to
find the sender of the yellow letters
that have been menacing the peace
and happiness of the house of Far
rish." I "But," protested Crandall again,
"how did you know it was. Aleck
Young?"
I "So you know him?" said the inspec
tor, with a note of inquiry in his voice.
J I had been taking no part in the con
versation that was carried on.
I was sitting with Louise's head pil
lowed on my knee endeavoring with
my handkerchief to staunch the slight
flow of blood that was still coming
from the bullet wound. I had been
strongly tempted to voice a protest,
when I heard Davis arrange for Lou
ise's return in the automobile with
Crandall, for while Davis seemed to
think he, like ourselves, had been in
. pursuit of the criminals, I still be
lieved it was for the purpose of warn
ing them instead of capturing them.
Yet, on the other hand, I knew noth
ing about running a car. It was clear
ly out of the question for me to take
Louise back, much as I distrusted
Crandall. Anxiously I waited for his
confession of acquaintance with the
man In the hut.
"Yes, I knew him only too well,'
said Crandall.
"Tell me about him," said the in
spector. "But wait let us carry Miss
Farrish inside the cottage where she
will be sheltered from the night air
until you are ready to start."
"I can walk," said Louise. "In fact,
I think I was more frightened than
hurt"
I helped her to her feet and assist
fd her into the cottage, while I piled
teas cushions that were lying about
---'--sM-i. 'It noise
Johnston.
"He will not wake for several
hours," said Davis after feeling his
pulse. "Kent and I will stay here un
til then. You, Mr. Crandall, will take
Miss Farrish home, and you, Dodds,
as soon as it's daylight, had better go
look for Rouser's body."
"I dont have to look for it," said
the constable with a shudder. "I know
Just where it is. It's a long ways
round by the. road, though."
"Take the buckboard," said Davis,
"and when you reach the body go
through all the pockets carefully and
bring me everything you find. You'd
better not take the body back to Ard
way yet. Is there some place else-you
can take it?"
"Sure," said Dobbs, "I can take it
over to Millervale. It's just about as
far in the other direction. But what
in the land's sake I'll tell about , it,
gets me."
"That's easy," said the inspector.
"You can explain that you were driv
ing over there and as you came by
you saw the body lying on the road.
You can explain that he must have
fallen over the cliff in the dark. By
the time they get through talking
about it and having an Inquest over
in Millervale we will have had a
chance to finish any more investigat
ing we want to do. You can start
about dawn."
"All right," said the constable, "but
what will I do with them warrants?"
"Leave them with me. After you
have disposed of Rouser's body you
can stop on your way back and we'll
take this one in with us. Come on
outside, Dodds, and you, too, Crandall,
I want to ask you some questions
about our friend over there. You,
Kent, stay here with Miss Farrish."
The three of them went out, leaving
Louise and me alone together, a cir
cumstance that I couldn't doubt that
Davis had planned, realizing that there
was much we would say to each other.
Hardlr were they out of the door be
fore Louise turned to me, with sup
pliant arms, and cried out, with a sob
in her voice: "Harding, forgive me for
having deceived you."
"It is you," I cried, "you, who must.
forgive me for having disobeyed your
wish, for having come out here after
you had asked me not to, for having
almost put a bullet through your dear
heart,"
"You didn't know you couldn't
know that I was here," she sobbed.
"But how can you ever pardon the lies
I told you?"
"Lies," I protested. "Dear girl, you
never lied to me. Whatever these dear
lips have said, I knew, I always knew
your heart was true."
"Katharine asked it and I had to
promise her."
"You mean about Hugh Crandall."
"Yes," she breathed. "I don't know
yet what it Is that Is between them.
It's something about about my fa
ther. Crandall knew it and Katharine
found It out. Whatever It is, they de
termined to keep it secret between
them. Katharine made me promise
that I would tell no one, not even you.
She swore me not to reveal to anyone
that I had even seen Hugh Crandall. I
had to promise her, you understand,
don't you?"
My answer was a kiss full on her
lips, while my arms went about her
and held her tight to me.
"Of course, dear girl," I breathed, "I
understand. I understood all the
while."
"I was so afraid," Bhe murmured,
"afraid you would think I was deceiv
ing you, that I didn't love you."
As our Hps met In along, sweet kiss,
a wave of joy swept over me that all
but obliterated thoughts of the dread
ful yellow letter. I forgot for the mo
ment the drug-sodden creature lying
in tho corner, not twenty feet away
from us.
The spell was broken by a slight
twitching of the man across the room.
We came to ourselves with a start as
from a dream. I went over to bis side
and looked at him. He was still dead
to all around him.
"You understand, Harding, dear,
don't you?" said Louise, as I resumed
my place beside her, "why I asked you
to drop your search? As soon as
Katharine became conscious and I told
her that you were on the trail of the
yellow letter, she became greatly ex
cited. She insisted that I should make
you withdraw at once. She was deter
mined to know all about what you had
done, and I told her of your being here
In Ardway. She, weak and ill as she
was, made me swear that I would re
call you by telephone. - She wanted
me to telephone to Hugh Crandall, too,
but I did net know how to reach him.
I had to promise her everything she
asked."
"Of course you did," I said. " But,
dear, I loved you so that I could not
rest while this terrible mystery that
hung over your dear ones was un
solved. I felt that it was my duty to
disregard your wish. ,:' I realized that
you were being comi"J.led by some in
a -r i could not withstand to act
" 1 . . - "rv with
"But tell me," I asked, "what of
Hugh Crandall? What is his connec
tion with this dreadful mystery?"
"I don't know," she answered
thoughtfully.
"I have thought all along that he
had something to do with it, and you
saw just now that he admitted know
ing this man here whom the Inspector
insists Is at the root of everything."
"Katharine trusts him, yet I know
my father for some reason forbade
him the houBe."
"I'm sure he is guilty," I cried.
"Katharine's eyes have been blinded
by love to his real character."
"I think you must be mistaken,"
said Louise. "He knows about the ex
istence of a paper that gave some
man a strange hold on my father.
Katharine knew of it, too. He may
have told her. She insisted on my ac
companying him out here to try to
help recover it."
"Didn't he tell you about it on the
way out?"
"No. I asked him what It was. He
told me that too many people knew
its contents now. The more I think
about It the more perplexed I am
about the mysterious manner In which
both he and Katharine acted about
this document."
"Tell me everything," I Insisted, all
my suspicion against Crandall return
ing anew.
"To begin with, he Insisted on our
leaving the chauffeur in Newark,
though it had been my intention to
have him come with us. Crandall
would not hear of It. "Katharine put
you in my charge,' he said, 'and it is
her wish as well as my own that we
take every precaution for secrecy. It
is better that only you and I go on'
this mission. We want no servant
gossiping about this matter.' 'But
where are we going, and why?' I
asked him. 'Surely I have a right to
know that.' 'We are going to try to
recover from the hands of the wicked
est blackguard on earth a certain
document that has come into his pos
session. It is a question whether or
not we shall succeed. If we do, I
shall put this document in your hands
and you must promise that it shall not
go out of your possession until you
have placed it in your sister's hands.
You must promise me, too, that you
will ask no questions about It and that
you will not read it When Katharine
has seen it, do with It whatever she
tells you. She probably will say that
you are to burn it without reading.'
"Can't you see, Harding, what a
dilemma I was in? I felt that what
Mr. Crandall asked me to do was Kath
arine's wish. They had talked togeth
er for nearly half an hour Just be
fore you came to the house. I had to
promise what he asked, though I pro
tested first It seemed to me that car
rying back the document to Katharine
would excite her and retard her re
covery, and I told him so."
" 'The sight of that document safe
in her own hands will do more to cure
"Lies," I Protested. "Dear
her speedily than all the doctors in
the world,' he answered."
"Did he mean the yellow letter?" I
queried.
"I don't know. I asked him if that
was what he meant and he would not
answer me. The only thing he did
tell me was that there had been
strange developments in the case
since he had undertaken to get this
paper for Katharine. They seemed to
puzzle him greatly. He Bald that some
thing with which he had nothing to
do had alarmed the roan we were go
ing to see and that he had disappeared,
gone Inio hiding."
" 'Ho will we find him?' I asked.
" 'He Is as anxious to see me as he
Is irrt 1p &ce eorae one else,' Crandall
t'a itrntfl rne plain directions
ment there for nine o'clouK tonight "
"Why," I asked Louise, "do you.
suppose that he and Katharine insist
ed on you coming out here? Why
could not Crandall himself have recov
ered the document and restored It to
Katharine?"
"I asked him that. He told me that
the man who held it had made the
condition that it should be received by
either my father or Katharine. They
did not wish it known that my fa
what had happened, and as they were
certain this man knew neither Kath
arine, nor me, I was, to go with him
and Impersonate my sister."
"Did you get the document?"
"No, we failed," said Louise, "and I
do not know what In the world I am to
tell Katharine. We came out here In
the afternoon. Crandall thought it
advisable to find the place by day
light We ran the automobile up the
lane that leads to this place and crept
through the thicket until we came in
sight of the cottage. There were two
men moving about in the cottage.
Young and another man whom Mr.
Crandall told me was the postmaster
at Ardway. He seemed surprised at
the presence of the postmaster. We
watched for half an hour and then
took the automobile back to a little
hotel about three miles away from Ard
way. For some reason, Mr. Crandall
did not want to stop In Ardway."
"I gueBS I was the reason," I re
plied. "But when did you return
here?"
"We had dinner at the little hotel,
and as 60on as It was dark, started
back for the cottage. When we ar
rived we found a light in the window
and saw Young there in a stupor Just
as you see him. The other man was
nowhere around. After trying to
awaken Young, without success, Mr.
Crandall searched his clothes, but
there was nothing in any of his pock
ets. He even felt all the seams, and
took off his shoes in search of the pa
per we wanted, but it was nowhere on
him. He ransacked the cottage as well
as was possible In this dim light, but
could not find, any suggestion of a
hiding-place. Out in the little shed
that serves as a kitchen he found' a
slip on which was written a list of
eatables bread, milk, eggs and such
things. We decided from thi3 that tho
other man Rouser, I think Mr. Cran
dall had said his name was-r-had gone
to some neighboring farm-house or
store to lay in supplies and probably
would soon return. Mr. Crandall sug
gested our hiding in the bushes until
his arrival, and we did so. We had
hardly taken our place behind the
bushes before we heard him coming.
Mr. Crandall stepped out, and the
rest is so mixed up I don't know Just
what happened. I heard shots and felt
a pain In my arm and I think I
screamed and then I don't remember
any more until I found you bending
over me."
"To think that it was my bullet that
hit you!" I cried. "I might have killed
you."
Girl, "You Never Lied to Me."
"It'B only the lightest sort oi
scratch," Bhe protested. "It doesn't
even hurt any more. It does not bother
me half so much as to know how to
tell Katharine that we failed in our
mission."
"Tell her," said I, "that one of the
conspirators is dead and that the oth
er is safe in the hands of Inspector
Davis and myself. Tell her that any
document either of us finds that In
any way relates to her father will b
placed in her hands at once. Tell her
that I will not leave the prisoner's side
until I hate it safe and that my honor
is pledged both f&r Davl3 and myself
that no word affecting her father will
ever become public. Crandall is out
there now talking with Davis, and I
think you will find that he, too, yi
t'l her the tn- a.!::?."
-'-'-' )
BACK YARD FARMER
Interesting Pointers on Garden
ing for the City Man or
Suburbanite.
WHAT TO PLANT AND WHEN
Advice by an Expert on Agricultural
Matters How to Plan the Garden
For the Chicken Raiser
1 i Grow Rhubarb.
By PROF. JOHN WILLARD BOLTE.
We are frequently asked to give sug
gestions regarding the best way to
utilize the ordinary city back yard for
gardening purposes. Space does not
permit of our answering such a com
prehensive (jaestlon for each inquirer
and we' take, this opportunity to cover
the subject in detail..
Let us suppose that your back yard
is about 25 feet wide and 80 feet deep.
It is fenced in and Is pretty sunny
most of , the day. There is a back
gate and a walk leading from the
house to the gate. How shall we lay
.out our garden to get the . greatest
amount of returns In fruit and at the
same time secure the most beautiful
effect.
In the first place, give fruit and
vegetables the right of way,- using
grass and flowers to fill in the odd cor
ners. Most of our fruit bearing shrubs
and trees are as beautiful as any flow
ering shrubs, many of the fruits them
selves are highly decorative, and our
anticipation of harvest time lends a
very tangible interest, which is lack
ing in merely decorative plants.
Plant a. row of dwarf pear trees flat
along the south side of one wall and
train them in the espalier, vine like,
form on a trellis. Use Dwarf Seckle
and Bartlett pears. Along the wall
facing east plant dwarf peaches (Craw
fords are fine) and train them In the
same way. Plant from four to six feet
apart and allow from four to six main
branches to grow.
Dwarf cherries or dwarf apples may
be planted against the other walls,
where they will take up very little
room, but' care must be taken that
plants near the north side of any wall
are far enough away to get some sun
shine. '
A very satisfactory plan for the
walk is to cover it with a latticed
pergola and train grapes over it. Dela
ware grapes on the shadier side and
Concords on the sunny. Grapes make
a fine screen for any small buildings,
ash boxes, etc., in the yard.
A strawberry bed 10 feet by 20 feet,
close to the pears, and three rows of
20 plants each of blackberries, rasp
berries and currants will fill up the
half of the garden next to one long
side and the balance can be devoted
to vegetables and flowers.
We prefer dwarf fruit trees to the
full sized ones because they come into
bearing very early, require much less
care, and produce fined fruit in very
good quantity. Dwarf pears are very
satisfactory. Prune and fertilize and
spray properly and your dwarf fruit
trees will bear heavily every year.
By planting them against, the sunny
side of a wall and training like vines,
the fruit matures earlier, the trees
decorate the wall and they take up
much less room than if planted in the
open. The amount of edible fruit pro
duced will be nearly as great. Try
some dwarf fruit trees yourself this
year.
Chicken Farming.
There is no agricultural subject of
greater interest to all classes of peo
ple than poultry keeping in some form
or other. -
Overy eighty out of a hundred farm
ers, large and small, the country over,
keep hens. About forty per cent, of
the householders in small towns and
villages keep backyard flocks, and the
number of flocks in the great cities is
positively astounding.
Almost every man you know has
at some time been possessed with the
idea that the easiest way on earth to
make a living is with chickens. If
you doubt it, ask the next man you
meet what he thinks about the chick
en business.
Go to a few poultry shows next win
ter, after having industriously read
the monthly issues of a couple of good
poultry journals this summer, and by
the time the incubator salesman gets
in his work it will take a straight
jacket to keep you from starting to
keep chickens. And really, it is a
very fascinating occupation.
No one need be ashamed of being a
chicken "crank" in these days, because
the poultry industry of the country is
assuming such vast proportions that
it bids fair to overtop any other sin
gle agricultural product in value at
the time of the next census. Further
than this, no other product can equal
it for net profits to the producer, be
cause the investment in stock and
equipment is" exceedingly small com
pared to the returns. The labor, land
and building Investment represented
by one dairy cow would take care of
enough hens to bring in three times
the profit.
Now then, can a man of ordinary in
telligence, no experience anaS a small
capital, hope to get rich byjaising
chickens? There Is but one answer
and that is, that he may hope tobut
he will not make good. ' N
The writer is personally acquaind
with prominent poultry men in nearlf
every state In the Union, and whilu
many of them are well to do, not on
Is rich, even from the farmer's stand-i
point I
The tultry t'lsineeii offers the hard
working, thoughtful man, ' a good liv
ing, a steady joy and an assured home.
The production of eggs is the safest
and easiest field for the beginner and
where this is to be the specialty, the
White Leghorn breed is pre-eminent
for large flocks, outside of New Eng
land and other districts x demanding
brown-shelled eggs.'
, In order to be successful, the start
must be made in a email way, and the
Ideal plan Is for the prospective own
er to work on some successful poul
try plant for at least six months or
preferably a year, in order to learn
the business from the inside. Do not
underestimate the importance of this,
as this business 1b the most detailed
and Intricate of all the agricultural in
dustries. The returns are very satisfactory
when the plant is intelligently handled.
Thousand hen plants may be equipped
with an investment of from four to
six thousand dollars and the net re
turns are from a dollar per hen up to
the high flgureB secured by the fancy
stock breeders.
We knew three men in southern New
England, one making $3,600 from a
thousand hens, another making $5,000
with only four hundred hens, and the
third spent a hundred thousand dol
lars on his poultry plant and lost it
all. The 'first two started small and
grew slowly. The last one started big
and ended small.
Rhubarb.
How few . rhubarb plants one sees
growing and how nice that old-fashioned
spring tonic is! Considering
the fact that 1 costs practically noth
ing to plant It and the plants come up
year after year, there , is no reason
why we should not, all of us, have all
of the pieplant pie that we can eat
every spring. Half a dozen hills will (
supply an average family.
Harvest time for rhubarb is the
spring and early summer, but we fre
quently get a second crop in the fall.
Sandy loam is best for this plant,
but it will grow well in any rich,
warm, moist soil. You cannot get the
soil too rich for rhubarb, and it does
not stand drouth very well.
Do not try to grow the plants from
seed if you can secure root cuttings
from a good, strong old hill. Each
cutting should have two buds or eye.
Plant them in rows three feet apart,
with the eyes an inch below the sur
face. They will begin to grow at once
and, if planted early, . a few stalks
can be pulled the first year.
As fast as seed stalks appear cut
them off. If very fine, large stalks
are wanted, and why not have the
best, thin out all but the center buds,
so that the entire strength of the
plant will feed these.
After the leaves are cut back by
frost in the fall cover the plants with
four inches of straw or manure. This
Drevents freezing and makes the next
year's crop: earlier.
While the plants will start early,
at the same time the leaves will not
push through this covering until after
danger of spring frosts is past, hence
it should not be removed too soon.
Many commercial growers keep the
soli covered with straw the year
round k in order to 'keep weeds down
and hold moisture without cultivation.
Cover the plants in the winter any
way. It will avoid disappointment
and increase the plant food.
Every three or four years it Is ad
visable to dig up the plants, divide
them and replant in another spot. If
this is not done, the plants run out
and the stalks grow small and pithy.
Division and a new location start
them off again as good as new.
Any surplus can always be sold in
the spring at a good price as we seem
to have a natural craving for the fresh
green acid qualities of this old-time
"pie fruit." Eat lots of it. Eat It raw
and cooked, in, pies and out of pies,
put up all you cannot eat and save it
for winter, but grow it yourself if you
have a two by four patch of ground ,
where the sun shines. It costs noth
ing to raise and it tastes lots better
And, furthermore, it is a much better
spring tonic than sulphur and mo
lasses, or sassafras.
Cold Storage for Fruit
Three systems of cold storages art
commonly used for fruit the ammo
nia system, carbonic acid gas and cal
cium chloride says the New England
Homestead. All are chemical stor
ages ; but in a region where natural
ice can be obtained cheaply, the cal
cium chloride gravity system seems to
be much cheaper than the two first,
and equally good. The ammoniat sys
tem has to be pumped at a pressafe of
n A i" J i. A A . . .1 xAj.l. .1
Inch. Both these require expensive
dumie.at.e machinery and hirh-ni-iced
nntTinonrn Tl 1 o-li f on rl Aqv nrhila inn inl
and ordinary help. G. H. .Powell, fori
merly with the United States departl
ment at Washington, says the calciufrj
chloride gravity eystem is the best tcf
northern localities. .
Teaching Agriculture. f
I believe it would be to the InteWr
of all agricultural people !n everyv si
gle town to have an agricultural 1:
partment attached to the high scho!'
I "would have the teachers so prepai'
to teach agriculture that they cojij
also teach it in the common scbH
to a certain elementary d ?gree, say
writer in an exchange. have fo .
that of the farmers' boys and q
brought up on the farm' very m
cannot tell even the naine of the r:
common weeds that grow In t;
father's fields. - It seens to me, j
the time has arrived, especially.'"
ricultural education when we t
take this matter up and begin,
have already done in a limited w.
establish these sthools.
i . . i