Show e e p 69 WILLIAM Iy p House p of j Y Lil Whispers bb LI Brown Ce 0 tV Mo CHAPTER XII XII Continued Continued 15 15 Nothing doing dong he sneered Any crook faring enough to steal those pearls pearl once he had got his hands on then never would return them Pearls are too easily disposed of or Youve You've got to dig up a better explanation explanation explanation nation than that What did Mr Gaston think What did he ho say when he found themI them I there He had nothing to say He was waso go 0 o tickled at finding them again agan that he hustled with them right away to the safe deposit vaults and did not rest until he had them safely locked up He took both jewel cases with him and made me go along with him to protect them you look at all for the secret passageway I told you about Still dreaming about that are you scoffed Gorman No we didn't On the way up to the the theold theold theold old man spoke about It and I told him that In my opinion there was nothing to It After he recovered the pearls ho he was too excited to think about anything else It seemed to break him all up and I took him ba back k to his hotel and left lett him there He Be said he had some writing to do and that be he would meet me at my office at noon today How do you account for the return return return re re- re- re turn of the pearls I cried desperate desperate- desperately ly your theory about them I uI haven't any he replied Its up to you to explain It Maybe by bythe bythe bythe the time I come to see y you u tomorrow you'll have thought up a new yarn to spin Please please I called after hImas him himas himas as he turned away do look tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row and see If It that secret passage lanot is la not where I said It was He Be walked away without answering Back ack once more In my cell I stretched myself despondently on my little Iron cot and closing my eyes tried to concentrate my thoughts on an attempt attempt attempt at at- tempt to solve this new mystery which I could plainly see had all but destroyed Gorman's faith In my hon hon- esty I must solve It If It I was to retain retain re re- tain him in aiding me to get free yet the whole thing seemed Inexplicable I could hardly blame him for doubting me The great value of the pearls had been motive enough for their theft but what possible motive could there have been for the thief returnIng returnIng returning return- return Ing them With a shock It came to me too that the restoration of the pearls practically upset the whole theory of ot my defense If I could have established established established the fact of this theft a Jury might be persuaded to believe my tale of ot anonymous notes mysterious whispers whispers whis whis- pers and a secret passageway by which the thief had pained access to the apartment but without the motive of ot theft my story unsupported by witnesses and uncorroborated by other other other oth oth- er evidence e surely would be IncredIble incredible incredible ible of belief I had Just one hope bope left Old Rufus must find that secret passageway and see whither It led That with our knowledge of the Identity of ot the telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone girl and the possibility of ot provIng proving proving ing Gorman's belief bellet that Wick was an ex-convict ex seemed likely to be my only salvation atlon Old Rufus must find that passageway He must I He Be must I 1 IFor Ilor For lor hours bouts I lay there racking my brains over t the e unsolvable problems My luncheon was brought In but I waved It away untouched Wearn I wondered wh whether ther the recovery of ot the pearls had destroyed my aged rel reI relatives relative's ref ref- faith in me as dB It seemed to to- to have hav destroyed I could hardly blame him WIn if of he doubted doubt d me after finding that my story of ot the disappearance disappearance dis dis- dis- dis appearance of the pearls was was' apparently apparently untrue In my brief experience as a n prisoner I had learned all too well the bitter fact that once a man mal manIs manis Is discredited henceforth no one trusts him If It Rufus Gaston failed me at this I did not see how I could possibly extricate extricate myself unscathed un- un scathed d from the web that hands had so skillfully and maliciously maliciously mali mall woven woven around me The only ray of comfort that I could find anywhere anywhere anywhere any any- where in the whole situation was In my m firm belief bellet that though old Rufus RuCus and Gorman and the whole world doubted me Barbara Bradford Bradford my my Barbara I ventured to call her In n my Innermost heart would heart would continue to believe In me She would be sure no matter how much appearances went I n against me that I was telling the truth Barbara and I f knew Even cn If she had not known that I could not possibly have fired the shot that killed Miss Luton Lutan I was certain c that she still would V j trusted me Thinking bout Barbara I recalled ed i that It was wa he day of her sisters sister's wedding wed wed- ding 1 l' had one of the prison attend attendants ants get me the evening papers to see soe what they had to say about It It for forI I was fearful tearful lest some breath of scandal at the last moment Involving the might bring about a postponement Eagerly I was hoping that nothing h hud hind d happened to prep rey the marriage o taking liace With th fortunes fortune of or her sister assured and andI I her mothers mother's future safe I realized I I that thuc the course of ot toy relations with I BarnarR would he likely to tn bo be 0 much smoother sailing provided of course that I was acquitted In the few I had had with her I had realIzed realized real real- zed that wealth and luxury and social position meant nothing to Barbaras Barbara's happiness She was the sort of girl who fora for man she loved gladly would brave poverty hardship everything true-hearted true woman with a n a o sincere clear vision of the real values of bf ex ex- stence My messenger returned with the newspapers and as ns I picked them up every everything went black Millionaire Gaston Found Murdered was the startling headline that flashed before me right there In the column next to the account of the Bradford wedding The sinister effect of this terrible news dawned dawned on me Instantly With Nith my great great- uncle great Rufus dead without the possibility of his corroborating any part of my story my case was hopeless desperate Unquestionably It t- t would mean that I would be fo found nd guilty of murder and sentenced to death in th the electric chair As soon as I could sufficiently compose myself I read every word there was in the newspapers about this new tragedy smiling grimly at the thought that at least they could not blame this murder murder murder mur mur- der on me Mr Gaston It appeared had come cometo to the about bout ten oc o'clock ock In Inthe Inthe inthe I the morning and had gone at once to his apartment On his arrival he had I been greeted by the telephone girl and I had Informed her that he was only In Inthe Inthe inthe the city for a few days and was stayIng stayIng staying stay- stay Ing at a hotel He had added that he would not be o occupying the apartment for several weeks until his wife's return return return re re- re- re turn to the city About past half-past twelve there had come a telephone call for him The girl had been unable unable unable un un- able to get any response from the apartment Knowing that he had not gone out and fearing that he might have had a sudden attack of ot illness she had become alarmed and notified Mr Wick the superintendent The superintendent the account continued had summoned Mr Henry Kent the owner of the apartments Together they had gone to Mr Gastons Gaston's rooms Being unable to get any reply to repeated rings and knocks they had finally let themselves h In with a pass key In possession of the owner of the building In his study in the rear of the apartment they were horrified to find I old Rufus Gaston fully clad lying on the floor face down stone dead A A. A great wound on the back of his Ws head hend showed that he had been killed probably probably probably ably Instantly by a n terrific blow from some sort of ot a blunt instrument A search of or the rooms failed to show any sort of a weapon The police pollee theory was that the crime was undoubtedly the work of a burglar burglar burglar bur bur- glar who had been trapped by the return return return re re- re- re turn of Mr Gaston so unexpectedly to his apartment How the murderer escaped after attacking Mr Gaston was a puzzle to the detectives at work on the case The he superintendent of the bull building ding expressed the opinion that the murderer had gained access In th the the guise of ot a meter Inspector Attendants Attendants Attendants Attend Attend- ants In the hall ball recalled that there had been such a man in the building that morning As he wore the usual uniform and presented the customary credentials he had been permitted to enter and leave the building There followed a long review of Rufus Rufus Rufus Ru Ru- fus Gastons Gaston's business career and an estimate of ot some of his extensive holdings holdIngs holdings hold hold- ings In n stocks bonds and real estate I l 4 J r 1 DI W 1 Millionaire Gaston Found Murdered Was the Startling Headline That Flashed Before Me from lom which It appeared that his fortune fortune for tor- tune was lIkel likely to run to over ten million dollars It was with some surprise sur- sur s sur surprise r- r prise that I 1 learned that a score or more of years ago the old man apparently apparently had been a powerful figure gure In Inthe inthe n the life of ot the metropolis active active bothIn both bothin in Its business and social life i What Interested me most was the I attention paid to the remarkable co ci- co coincidence I incidence that only a few weeks be be- i e a murder had tok taken place Ilace In the apartment Just below under tinder Dl t the e same circumstances el The police police po po- lice Itc-e the account stated wore were w re inclined ro o believe that the murderer mU was bno oue ou I Nelson young which to of the gang gaas charged with the murder murder mur- mur noW to In prison be- be undoubtedlY Lutan ot of der that n a b bur bur- r- r was longed Their theory Nelson Nel- Nel In planting glar gang ang succeeded caretaker r apartment as a In the son get and that this enabled them them to bearings In the buildIng and pro- pro provide provIde theIr for tor false keys vIde themselves with at theIr leIsure the rooms ransacking the police po ice Nelson of young The guilt established beyond question Is say being able to of and they are hopeful round up his associates interview brief There was also a n quoted as asco assayIng assaying with Wick in which he was sayIng co vine of Nelson from I was suspicious on an on eye the start ant and tried to keep his secretive about him him He Be was very always alway and was comings and goings to learn somethIng something something some some- prying about trying How other tenants thing about the g him as ns Mr Gaston ca came caine De to employ it would caretaker I 1 never learned but be no hard matter for a slick young crook like him to fo impose on so old a aman aman with a n cock and man man as Mr Ir Gaston bull story I sniffed Indignantly as I read this I knew that Wick was deliberately y tryIng trying trying try try- discredit me I 1 ing to o still further recalled that he himself had told me that Mr Gaston had mentioned our relationship It was obvious that he lie I was deliberately withholding this Information information In In- formation with a sinister ter purpose That Wick Nick knew well who had killed Rufus Gaston Just as he knew who had shot Daisy Dasy Lutan I was as morally certain I 1 was inclined to agree with Gorman that Wick himself was not the murderer The fact that he was of a u cowardly and cringing nature secured to argue against associating him actively actively actively ac ac- ac- ac with crimes of violence Yet the virulent way In which he was adding to the evidence against me showed plainly that he was was Industriously industriously engaged in masking the real murderer Who could the murderer be I was WM I confident that the same person who had killed Miss Lutan had killed my great I could only conjecture as as' as to the motive The police pollee theory that It was burglary seemed as logical as ns any The more J pondered over the matter the more firmly I became convInced convinced convinced con con- vinced that there was a numerous criminal band at the back of It t all No one man or two me men could carry arry carryout carryout o out f all the deviltry even with the help of the telephone girl I recalled too how I had been skillfully skillfully skillfully skill skill- fully shadowed work that evidently required organization and employees I was convinced that Wick Yick and the telephone girl were only two two more more than likely two minor members members ot of a powerful body of criminals That It was was this same sinister force that had caused my discharge from the office 1 I Iwas was equally sure This sort of thin took brains far braIns far bigger brains than Wick gave any evidence of possessing A peculiar apathy came over me as asI asI asI I finished reading the account Never before had I Iso so fully understood how thoroughly an Innocent man mun could be damned by circumstantial evidence I knew knew Barbara Barbara knew that knew that I was absolutely absolutely absolutely ab ab- innocent I doubted much if we could get anyone else to believe It The cunning web had been woven with such malicious thoroughness that escape seemed Impossible What was the use of ot my fighting furt further er CHAPTER XIII Coming as it did as us a dire climax to all my other troubles the shock of ot old Rufus Gastons Gaston's murder sent me Into an apathetic state from which it seemed impossible for me to arouse rouse myself Without hope and even eyen without without without with with- out Interest I dully awaited the approach ap ap- ap- ap of my trial for murder While there never had been beell an all opportunity op op- for tor any bond of affection to become established between my Illy aged relative and myself myself myself-in In fact l I had seen him only three or four foul times Umes in my whole life Ilfe and then only for brief periods still periods still his unexpected and dreadful end had bereft me of practically practically cally tally every hope of ot being acquitted of the absurd a charge against me Wick Nick it was plain Intended to c i t an all all all' knowledge of my relationship to Mr Gaston aO and now there was no one else to explain how I happened to be living in the building at the time of Miss Lutan's murder Unfortunately I had destroyed both Mr Gastons Gaston's letter letter let let- ter to me and the note from my mother w which had lead first told me Ille of tho the old man mans s Intention My ly great great aunt aun I learned t the he new newspapers papers had lead d been completely prostrated b by th tile e tragedy b and h had been unable to come to the funeral The shock of ot the news of her husbands husband's violent end had left her in a very critical condition It seemed to have wholly deranged her aged brain and the physicians sum wm- to the Maine Main e camp where she was refused to permit her rl to be removed rc- rc moved d from froID there th-cre or to let anyone talk with her declaring that the feast least excitement of any sort Fort would be apt to have fatal results To 10 be sure there was m my mother who I T felt could there P rov c my relationshIp n but but butI was little use of dl Uro dragging inc her into it On r rending reading of her unc uncles uncle 1 tenth death she had hastened I on from the West to attend attenO his hla funeral sad BA een lees puzzled and alarm alarmed b by byng b ng nl me there All the time I had bad |