Show galilea YR 7 C or of ab blade D X cl hycl SYNOPSIS rudolph van vechten a young man of Irl la astonished to see nee a man enter no I 1 1113 3 a house across the street from the powhatan club long unoccupied and spoken ot of as aa the house of mystery sev 31 ml persons persona at regular intervals enter no 1313 1 3 van vechten expresses concern to 0 hla h is friend tom 11 hinney regarding the w whereabouts h e A of 0 ila his cousin n and nancee 9 0 carew A man is 1 forcibly ejected M 1 the house van V vechten e achten and torn tom follow the nian man and find him dead in tile the street van vechten is attracted by the 1 ace of a girl in the crowd of onlookers surrounding ur rounding the body later he discovers the girl killing gazing at him with a look of scorn acorn from the windows ot of the mysterious house detective flint calls on van vechten to get his version ot of the tragedy tom phinney goes alone on a yacht In trip ile he recognizes among some persons in a passing motor boat two men whom he had seen enter the house af 0 mystery ile he sees bees one of them a mr lur cal ia alls on shore hore later and follows him tom Is seized et d b blindfolded I 1 nd folded and taken to a house h e lie he hears a girl named jessie evidently the daughter or of the man in athor authority question his captors A sweet voiced girl later protests against the roughness of his cap van vechten calls on hla his uncle theodore van vechten bin big roan man in wall treet street and known as aa the tha man afan of iron in search of information recur regarding din the whereabouts of carew detective flint shows van vechten a gold mesh mean purse found in the boutis of mystery ll 11 e van recognizes it na as belonging to balge carew the sweet voiced girl helps tom planney escape A message from london reports that two ladles ladies lesem ming was miss carew and her companion mrs devereaux Devere aUK sailed for now ow york some time previously it develops that tile the I 1 ladles a dies via visited ted the english he home me 0 of f temple donner bonner owner of the house of mystery flint h has a theory that they are connected wit with lis t tha he mystery of no 1313 it Is recalled that temple bonner was in love with a daughter ut u compton schuyler who married max willard Wll lard the other daughter married a man named devereaux donner bonner and willard were intimate friends A search Is started tor for van vechten enters the house house of mystery by the back door in time to hear ih john C callas threaten a girl ile ha interferes ter feres and helps tho the girl escape but Is rand rendered e red unconscious in the struggle with alth ca Is tom phinney seta gets a JOD job RS as master of drew Drown n lows ya yacht lit Kohin Kohl nur ur which has been chartered tor for sorn some mysterious mission tile the aed and ml his friends board the yacht at night nigh t find and tom hears the voice of the unk unknown girl and also of a man involved la in his adventure of a few nights previous BOOK ill CHAPTER ill continued dut but he hat went on quickly seeing that t this his aspect of the matter was not aj together altogether acceptable 1 I 1 believe in me e 1 I have not been trying to find you not that I 1 want to I 1 mean I 1 had no idea you were to ie Q here my presence la is perfectly legitimate Irm implying plying she interrupted every spark of amusement vanished from face ace and eyes that my presence la Is not say I 1 tom earnestly protested please dont talk like that its hard bard enough fo forme me to make myself clear under the best conditions it if Y you ou go to taking me up sharp that way ill make a mess mesa of it heres res the w way ay af pf of it old brownlow know him rum old sport brownlow wanted a skipper f tor or his yacht I 1 applied tor for the job he grew more and more nervous as he proceeded under the level regard he hired mo me and here I 1 am do you get me war for a long moment she studied hla his face ace then her lashes lowered a trifle ill 1 I believe me I 1 have not been trying to find YOU her checks dimpled and she replied with a delightful low voiced demureness 1 I get you tom indulged in a tremendous sigh alah of relief for the drat time hope mounted high in his bosom that after nil all weir their relations were going to start upon a friendly footing but before lie had time to ask a question that rose to his lips an inter came turning at the sound of a footstep he be was in a measure pro pre pared to confront the supposititious old servant of number 1313 the mans face shot and crisscrossed with a network of fine wrinkles was beardless and as lifeless as a deatti rusk but not so eo the peir cing black eyes here at once tho the younger man recognized an extraordinary personality ono one that affected him powerfully even to forgetting his resentment at the intrusion the man banded him an envelope with an utter uttered eil word or two of exola pla bation ia tion from mr brownlow Brow olow I 1 am he be and then tom all at once remembered where ho he had heard this familiar voice last mondays night when he stood blindfolded la in the mysterious long island house lit he had met tho the man callis insolent catechism with a profane retort and the bearer of Drown lows note had call cautioned him that there were ere ladles ladies present the contents of the sheet which tom had open in a jiffy wore were brief and were ta kenTIn by him at a gl glance antie hit 1111 immediate stupefaction at their purport he voiced in tones of awe well ill be he began but quickly checked himself and looked up to find the piercing eyes steadily regarding him and so he concluded you are max alax CHAPTER IV an interlude As AB tom thus voiced his astonishment at the disclosure of at the old roans mans identity there was a sudden swish of skirts I 1 and the girl dig disappeared appeared down the companionway she left with a marked ha haste ste that might have been a significant to the skipper had be e been in any state of mind to be impressed by such suggestive occurrences in a moment a series of at feminine exclamations Indica indicative of surprise came dully to his bis hearing bearing but ills his attention was still held by the penetrating regard your manner captain phinney remarked willard wallard in a quiet voice am 1 in plies that you are fain familiar war with my name the statement concluded with a note of interrogation but tom stood tongue tied what should he say he could not tell abis man that at the present moment a detective was ex anxious to find him at least not without entering into van vech tens concern in the search so he be moodily shook his head bead pause 1 nr llave have you any place we may retire to for a quiet taik Willard inquired in the same earno tone the chart house vouchsafed tom uneasily moving in that direction once seated there followed a long silence in ill the course of which tom grew more and more restive beneath the keen look of the magnetic eyes never had he be been more able in hla his life dy by and by br willard spoke deliberately but nono tile the less earnestly look here captain frankly are you spying on me moses and green spectacles nol no blurted tom ills his astonishment at the question was so BO unmistakably genuine that the other continued for a time to watch him in silence it would have been plain to an outsider that the older man was deeply perplexed and troubled and was trying to bit upon a means of coming to some come sort of understanding der standing presently he drew a sigh and leaned back in hla his chair 1 I can believe that he said wearily you are n not at the sort of which spies and eavesdroppers are made you are too transparent and yet lie ile tell fell silent again and tor for a space pondered then abruptly leaning forward he once more fixed tom with hla his keen look you thought last night he began that I 1 recognize you dut but I 1 did I 1 possess certain unusual powers an all ability to see distinctly in the faintest light being one of them you are the youn gyman who followed callis at rocky cove monday night now why did you do that I 1 have a right to know in the face ot of the older mans direct manner toms nervousness left him the a powerful personality was not without its influence but tom tarn was not the sort cort of chap that any man could overawe and hla his discomposure was waa chiefly owing to his ticklish position and his ready recognition of the fact that it was not the vort cort of situation I 1 on that lie he was equipped to cope with Ilo however wever he was strongly attracted toward willard Wll lard there was something in spite of his oddity distinctly likable about the man look here willard Wll lard he ha began meeting the others regard with a level look and addressing him with a plain bluntness blunt nesB your name Is not at all familiar to me ill tell you just why I 1 followed that chap monday night and why I 1 was surprised when you banded me brownlowe Brown lowa lows note see then that there are some things im entitled to know as well as aa yourself so well understand one another right here and now willard nodded but said nothing do you know the powhatan club another silent nod but the eyes betrayed a light of dawning comprehension ten im ft a member pursued tom and the mysterious way in which you people acted in that old house across from us made us ua all curious why it we talked about it and wondered ume and time again who the tenants were what they were up to and all that sort ot of thing candidly it look right now ive seen been you corno come and go at that house I 1 know knew that you belonged there I 1 saw the chap who was killed last sunday come out ot at the same house I 1 recognized you in the motorboat monday evening and when I 1 aft ter warda wards saw the fellow you call callie why of course I 1 followed him anybody would all the time tom had been speaking willard sat oat watching him with disconcerting intentness Intent neBs lie he now said then your lovo love of justice ances your sense of caution 1 I like to see a square deal it if what you mean willard wallard now TWO to his feet thank you for your frankness captain phinney said he with an air of relief that explains matters I 1 am sorry I 1 can not be so frank with you in return but I 1 cant just at present too much Is at stake with a tired gesture he brushed back a lock of white hair that had fallen upon his forehead my undertaking has hae been too often jeopardized the forces opposed to roe me are too powerful and too alert for me to chance any unnecessary risk at this critical juncture will you take my word for it that it Is entirely honorable and proper not walling for toms reply he affirmed with much earnestness the truth Is captain phinney it right and justice do not for once carry carrea car rya a great wrong soon boon will be corrected if you betray leq me it if you die close anything you may discover on board this yacht you will bo be the instrument ment of at such a miscarriage I 1 must remind you that you deliberately accepted the unusual conditions of your employment and that as a man of honor you can not do otherwise mian se than remain loyal to your empl employer yer tom himself was now standing standing dashed it I 1 dont believe youl you I 1 re v 1 I 1 i a ZO J ST then your love of justice ances your sense of caution spondee he be la in his impulsive fashion botsay but Bu tsay say mr willard hang it allf all I 1 that poor chap who was killed that sort of thing you know sticks la in a el lowa crop the jet bybe were as steady as jewels upon the masks of a gra graven v ea jadol dol again I 1 ishall shall have hare to ask you to td tako take me on faith for the time being i responded willard Wll lard unmoved ill gli give eyou you my word should you ask mo me one wee I 1 from tonight I 1 shall tell you exactly how bow that regrettable affair happened you will hold me blameless did you do it itt 1 I did not enough as far as aa you and I 1 are concerned now then on my part I 1 the least desire to meddle in your affairs I 1 know my place and my duties and I 1 have enough to keep me pretty busy without bothering about anything else but if I 1 cant help seeing that things aro are not strictly straight wrong you know it will be a part ot of my duties to interfere satisfactory 4 perfectly so BO its good that we had this talk good morning tom had only begun stoking ills his pipe when tho the Kohl nurs reappeared in the doorway said ile he dy by the atly I 1 forgot to say that I 1 do not want anybody to come aboard without my express nor to go ashore I 1 have to go down into the city myself roy will you give tho the necessary orders for the launch to take me to the landing 1 1 I understand sir air ill have hava the launch manned at once its ita uncertain when I 1 shall return lato late this afternoon or evening probably the watch will keep a lookout look out for you sir 11 explained tom when they seo see you the launch will come to take you oft off whereupon max willard took his lifeless face away for good and tom after telling phil mercer to get tile launch rendy ready returned to the where lie ho sat oat smoking and ruminating mina ting reflection prompted action and action made him forget hla his own dejection ilo ile walked forward and in a moment his regard regail fell upon the ungainly form of at john callis sprawled against the rail motionless his eyes staring sullenly eul lenly there was something in the fellows attitude that made tom ey eye a him narrowly lie he too seemed dejected in his bearing there was waa nothing bellicose now he suggested to tom tho the idea of a prisoner pr laoner gazing upon the freedom that Is not for him three other men identified as members mom liers of willards Wll lards party were mingling with the crow crew in a friendly fashion and enjoying themselves but john callis seemed apart isolated utterly oblivious perhaps scornful of his surroundings wondering not a little at this clr cir surn stance tom would have passed him by without a word but just as ho he got behind the man cattle stood upright with a sudden movement and struck the rail a resounding blow with his clenched alst at the sania same time spluttering splutter ing an oath lie ho favored tom with a baleful glare now how far ha ho remanded rudely Is it to that landing tom coolly looked him over lie he had no reason to be favorably disposed toward the fellow and he frowned at its ills present manner but he had a measure of at dignity to maintain and could not afford to quarrel with him now so he replied curtly not over a hundred fathoms then all at once lie he understood it if youre thinking of swimming it don dont I 1 t try he added orders are that no blodys to leave leava the boat without mr lur willards Wll lards consent 1 1 I know it cursed well he ha snarled nut but id show you what his or anybody alses orders ordera amount to it if I 1 could swim whereupon lie ho slouched back to his former attitude completely ignoring toms presence who merely remarked m good thing you cant then and continued on his way tho the three other men all husky young chaps wore were civil enough and respectful of his authority ile ho spoke to them only briefly and in a general way lie ho sought out hla his first officer who save for his one falling was waa not only a first class navigator but decidedly a companionable fellow of an excel dicel lent and wealthy far tilly his hia ides idea M inn fort tile lio wretched tf bode that had occasioned hla his dis disgraced graceL was to foster and encourage its causa in secret phil mercers life wai wae a tragedy for he had a heart broket broker mother and two sisters who sorrowed sor rowed tor for him mightily there was very little to be dont dent now save observe the regular routine at 0 changing watches and keeping ev on board in shipshape ord order er lia so time hung heavily upon ulon the skippers hands when the girl was not afi visible albl while he talked with |