| Show E D 1 Throbbing Sensational ns Mystery of an Exclusive New York Apartment H House Houses m I L l 1 y JOHN s u A u lIl ll 6 LUMPY Y l THE STORY FROM THE START Spalding Spalding Nelson while temporarily taking care of the apartment of has hs rich old uncle great Rufus Gaston has haa been robbed of the family jewels by a mysterious mysterious mys mys- t burglar b r. r His neighbor or Miss 1 Barbara Barbara Bar Bar- bara hara Bradford has hns had bad ad a somewhat similar similar similar simi simi- lar n l-n nce e but the he object In her case was blackmail the papers stolen being boing connected with a up hushed-up marriage and divorce of Barbara ra p sister Both Nelson and Barbara have heard unaccountable unaccountable unac unac- countable whisperings seeming to come from the walls Going Into the apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment at night Nelson is astounded to discover Claire Bradford prowling there thereIn In the darkness She declined to tell why she Ih came but mentioned whispers He later discovered that he Is l and tells Barbara he has also discovered their enemies have a confederate In the apartment house It is the telephone girl After a confidential talk with Miss Bradford Nelsons meets the detective Gorman to plan a campaign Gorman agrees to handle the case on one condition condition condi condi- tion that he be given a free hand and that the police pollee be not notified CHAPTER VII Continued Continued How It came about that my promise to meet Gorman went unfulfilled can best be tie explained by narrating the events of the evening after I returned to fo the It was nearly 5 b I when I left the detective I strolled leisurely downtown and had dinner inthe In Inthe Inthe the cafe where on one one occasion I had seen the scar-faced scar man I lingered there for a long time over my coffee hoping In vain that h he might appear I 1 even ventured to cautiously question question question ques ques- tion the waiter walter and head waiter walter de describing describing describing de- de scribing the man as best I could but both of them Insisted that they never had seen arty any such person As I walked home I kept a wary eye out to make sure I was not being followed but apparently no one was now shadowIng shadowing shadowing shadow shadow- ing me It was 9 30 when I reached home It had been arranged that Barbara about 10 would signal me that we might have a chat from our respective respective respective tive windows As I sa sat In my room waiting for the time to come I was reviewing the case In all Its aspects Indeed there was hardly a waking moment that I was not thinking of the many mysteries about us I was wondering whither the clues I 1 I had given Gorman might lead I 1 was wondering wondering wondering won won- dering too if when the case was WaB cleared up the mysterious whispers that we all aU had heard would also be explained I recalled Claire Bradford's unexpected visit to my apartment the evening before and her confusion when I had captured capture her I wondered If It the explanations she had offered had been the truth Was she really trying to locate the source of the tile whispers whispers' I looked Interestedly up at atthe atthe atthe the section of the wall that I had found her Inspecting What had she hoped to discover there It seemed curious curioUs' that the voices I had heard had seemed to come nu num rn-on l almost that Identical spot It seemed Impossible to acco account nt for fer them On the other side of the wall wall was only thelong the long hall running through the Gaston apartment I was certain that at the time I heard the voices there could have been no one in the hall Was Vas there there- I wondered some fault In the construction of f the building that permitted permitted permitted per per- sounds to be carried from front one apartment I to the other along certain girders girders girders' Assuredly that would be the most logical explanation Nevertheless less I decided to make a close Inspection Inspection tion of at both sides of the wall As I lighted up the sitting room and hall for this purpose something unusual came to my n notice ti e that had hitherto escaped me entirely The inner wall of my room the room the one running along the hall of the apartment apart ment had ment-had had the appearance of being at least tour four feet teet thick It seemed s so absurd that I refused to believe the evidence my eyes had nad given n m in pt In th these se modern d days ys of II I t h 1 r steel construction there was no reason for a wall being or of of medieval proportions I sprang to my great-aunt's great work basket and began rummaging to see If if I 1 could find a tape measure and luckily mj my search was quickly re rewarded re- re warded I I t sketched a rough diagram of the I rear ro rooms ms and began measuring them off carefully checking my figures as I 1 went along I 1 found myself growing I wildly excited as the tape measure confirmed what my eyes already had told me The inner wall was at least I four feet thick I With thrills at the thought of the possibility of a secret passage there I climb climbed d up upon on a chair just as Claire Bradford had done and began InspectIng Inspecting inspecting Inspect Inspect- ing the wall inch by inch Even as I Idid Idid Idid did so I could not help laughing at myself The Idea that a modern apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment building might contain a secret passage was utterly ridiculous yet as asI I 1 pounded lightly on the wall it gave forth a hollow sound vastly different from any other part of the room I Iwas Iwas Iwas was convinced that between my room and the hall there was space enough at least for a passageway in which a man might walk I I surveyed with growing interest the wooden paneling that in my room ran clear up to the ceiling In the other rooms rooms there was no paneling MountIng Mounting Mounting Mount Mount- ing the chair again I pressed sharply against the wood at the point from which the sound had seemed to c come me It seemed to me It gave a little to my touch I struck one of the sections a aI sharp blow blow It dropped back a full half halt I inch like doorway doorway door door- leaving leaving- what looked a way waY waya a space three feet wide by five feet high The bottom of the opening was hardly two feet from the floor If It there was a passageway here this panel certainly would explain how my rooms had been surreptitiously visited Feverishly I worked at the panel tr trying to push it further back If there was a a. passageway there in the wall I was WaB determined to see whither it led My efforts effort's to 10 move the panel further seemed hopeless As I worked at it I heard a tapping on my window windowsill sill It must be Barbara In my excitement excite excite- excitement ment ent over my find I had forgotten all about the time I sprang from the chair arid d rushed to the window hastily hastily has has- tily extinguishing my light so so that people in in neighboring apartments not see our rendezvous I found he her peering out trying to ascertain ascer ascer- ascertain ascer- ascer tain why I 1 had not answered her signal Oh Oh she she breathed breathed wl with h relief as my head appeared y you U were there Did you see the detective I Yes replied I speaking as low Jow as my excited state would permit me but just now I 1 discovered something vastly Important What Is it it A se secret seret ret passageway leading into my room Not fot really Yes I to run repeated It t seems run along the Hie hall The wall there Is Js at least east four feet thick thick room room enough for tor fora tora a man to walk There Is a panel Inthe in inthe inthe the wall In my room leading Into it I was Just prying It open when you signaled Oh how I wish I could see it Why cant can't you you Slip out of your front door and Ill I'll be at my door to admit you you I cant can't do that Mother and Claire are In the front part or toe the house playing bridge with some guests They would be sure to hear me going out out outCome Come in tomorrow morning them I suggested She did not answer and before I realized what she was doing Barbara w was out on the ledge making her perilous perilous perilous per per- ilous way across It to my window If It Claire can do this I can she an annot announced an- an not need triumphantly as s I I. I trem trem- j I J. J I Ibling bling all over at the thought of the peril she had been in put my arms about her and helped her in One misstep and nd she would have plunged to certain death below Darling cried still holding her in my arms dont ever do that again Its It's too dangerous Promise me Barbara Barbara Bar Bar- bara dear you'll never again trytha try tha that t. t With her pretty face flushed at the terms of endearment that had unwittingly unwittingly unwittingly I tingly escaped me she laughingly re released re- re reel leased herself from my arms I That was nothing she said In a atense atense atense I tense whisper Wheres the panel Relieved to find that she was not angered by my presumption I hastened hastened hastened has has- to turn up the light and pointed to the hole in the wall As I had done she sprang up on the chair and en endeavored endeavored en- en to push the panel further back but was unable to budge it Quicker witted wilted than I she then tried sliding it along At the slightest touch It slid back in a groove revealing the opening leading opening leading Into what More tomorrow |
