Show O Q D D S 99 Throbbing Sensational Mystery of an Exclusive E Exclusive sive New York Apartment House oo fly B M Il ON A Q ll 44 1 11 99 I. I t 1 Copyright 1918 1318 by Little Brown Brow Co o. o Published March 1918 THE STORY FROM THE START Spalding Nelson has been left In charge of the apartment of his rich old great- great uncle Rufus Gaston under peculiar circumstances cir cir- cir cir- Also he has met and in a away away away way assumed the protection of beautiful Barbara Bradford who lIV lives 8 In an apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment adjoining in the house where young Nelson now takes up his residence One of his first acts is to examine a wall safe sale to which he had been given the combination tion There in Jewel cases he found a great fortune in pearls Returning from froma a stroll a short time afterward he 1 l Ip astounded to discover that the Jewels are missing On the following morning he is discharged die dis charged by his hs employer er without a word of explanation and on his return lo 10 the apartment Is startled to find that tha one of the Jewel cases has been stolen from the safe in the wall CHAPTER III Cont Continued And now I 1 stood hesitating at the telephone The loss of his job makes every man a coward A week ago If it any one one had wished to investigate me If It detec detectives ives had been on my trail I would have proudly referred them to tomy tomy tomy my pl place ce of employment and would have given my mothers mother's address Now I 1 dared refer to neither After my my distressing experience that morning I Iwas Iwas Iwas was too fearsome of what would be told old them If they called on my ray em em- More than likely he hel would show the mysterious letter that had brought about my discharge even though he h had d refused to to let me see It rt i N Nor r did I 1 want my mother to know th that that lt I 1 had lost my position She long ago had prophesied that such would be bo the case I Self-protection Self bade me notify neither the superintendent nor th the po police po- po lice Yet I must do something The jewels to my care had been stolen The thief must be round and the pearls reco recovered eted Why should not I 1 myself myse f play the detective I I. I had abundant leisure now My uncle great-uncle had Informed me that there was something wrong inthe in inthe inthe the house and had charged me to discover discover discover dis dis- dis- dis cover what it was Here was was was' the op opportunity opportunity opportunity op- op for me to fulfill the trust he had Imposed oh on me meThe me The thought flashed Clashed across my mind too too that perhaps the crafty old gentleman had deliberately planned the disappearance of the gems Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps he had devised an elaborate test to see If It I 1 was as honest if it I was of the right caliber to be his heir heir- Maybe I he and his wife had not gone to Maine at all Perhaps they were hiding somewhere hi in the v vicinity where th they y could keep watch on my actions They might even be quartered In another another another an an- other apartment in this very house surreptitiously entering when knew I was absent There really had hod I been no necessity for them to give me meI methe methe the combination of the safe They hey need not riot have told me anything about the I pearls pearlE I wondered If It they themselves themselves themselves them them- selves might not have taken away the Jewel box Just see ste if I would d dis dle- discover discover cover the loss and to ascertain I would do about It Certainly it Be Behooved behooved behooved be- be me to move cautiously In the matter and not to make any foolish mistakes in my detective work Another theory suggested My Illy aunt evidently prized her jewels highly high high- ly After they had started stetted she might have repented having left them behind and having sent the old colored butler back to get them He of course woula would have a a. key to admit him and they would have supplied him with the safe sate combination as they had me Probably Probably ably he had been told to leave some message for me and had forgotten to todo todo todo I do so More than likely In a day or two I would receive a letter tetter from from old Rufus that hat would everything Y ti L I was glad now I had not notified the superintendent nt or the police Iy My second second sec sec- ond and theory surely was far more logical than the first It seemed preposterous that they would risk hundreds of thousands of dollars' dollars worth of gems Just to test my honesty Undoubtedly I decided my my great-aunt great had sent some one back to get the jewels Still I determined to make malte a thorough thorough thorough thor thor- ough Investigation If It they had been stolen I would set about in a scientific way to discover the method of the theft then and to bring about restoration I would keep my investigation secret and if it turned out that the pearls were safe no no one would know of my fright about the matter There was no occasion for haste either I would go to bed and get a good nights night's sleep and tackle the mystery in the morning with a refreshed mind As I re returned returned returned re- re turned I began outlining my work as a detective First ex examine for possible fingerprints Second I would interrogate Mrs Burke I would watch her carefully for any appearance of guilt I would try without arousing her suspicions to ascertain If It she had let her key out of her her possession Third I would Insert an advertisement advertisement advertisement advertise advertise- ment offering a reward for the return of the Uie j Jewels wels so worded that only the thief and myself would understand F Fourth I e would try to locate the Gastons and would question the hall boys and telephone girls as to whether they had surreptitiously returned Fifth I must try and discover what was in the mysterious l letter ter that had led to my discharge While this did not see seem t to have any connection on with the other affairs t that nt were troubling me if It I 1 was to remain in New York and be become om better acquainted with Barbara Bradford as I fondly hoped 1 meant I-meant meant to have nothing hanging over me meI I was about to get into bed I had turned out the light in fact when I recalled the errand erran 1 that had led me to open the wall safe I L had more more than in iii my trousers pocket and I purposed purposed pur pur- posed putting it Jt where it 11 would be safe With the feeling that If it the Jewels had disappeared so might m my money I pressed the light button In the SItting sitting sit SIt- sitting ting room and looked about for a hiding hiding hid hid- ing place Recalling a custom of my mothers mother's I stepped stepped- over to the bookcase book- book case casa and taking Macaulay's History volume three from the shelf placed between the leaves an of my money except 15 15 No burglar was was' likely to find it there I extinguished the light and in the darkness stepped back into my bedroom bed beds room and stopped stock still From somewhere II in the room there came three distinct taps Instinctively I crouched in an attitude of self self- defense and strained my ears ars to listen My first impression was that there was someone in the room probably the burglar I hesitated about turning on the light If he were vere armed it would give give him all aU the advantage In the darkness I had a n. chance a chance Breathlessly I listened Once more there came three di distinct raps this time apparently from somewhere from somewhere outside outside outside out out- side the room I wondered If It had been sounds like these that had so terrified terrified ter ter- rifled the old couple Was It some one was trying tryIng- to work wont on their credulity by skillfully devised spirit and thus get control of their fortune if It that was the case they were going to have a hard time convincing convincing convincing con con- me I r did rot not believe in or spits spirits and I was convinced that for every bound sound that is heard there is some some logical physical explanation I tried to account for tor the sounds I I 1 Y heard now Perhaps it was the echo I of some one pounding in apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment the noise being earned carried along by a water pipe The thought that it might be the crackling of some hidden steam or refrigerating pip pirt suggested itself itsell Both these theories I rejected The sound whatever it was had originated close at hand It came again This time I was l certain er- er tain th that t it was not due to footfalls as asI asI I I had at first conjectured I was able too to locate more closely the direction direction direction tion from which it came The window at the foot of the bed stood open and the sound seemed to float In from somewhere outside I hurried over to the window and thrust my head out At first I could see nothing but even as I I looked a white arm was thrust forth from an adjacent window on th the same floor It held a riding crop and reaching out as far as was possible it if rapped three times on the sill of my window windo It dawned on me all at once that the window next must belong to the Bradford Bradford Bradford Brad Brad- ford apartment It must be Miss 1 Bradford Bradford Brad Brad- ford trying to signal to me Hello I called out softly softly- J JOh Oh is that you Mr Nelson a are re voice whispered I tho thought you would never hear I did not realize at first what the so sound nd was was I explained What is it 7 I I must see see you I 1 More Monday |