Show m The House of Whispers F I II I By JOHNSTON I by Little Littie Drown Brown co 00 II I D I I n. n CHAPTER XI XI Continued Continued 14 14 While I was debating the situation In n my nay cell a R keeper opened the door Youre wanted downstairs he ho an an- What Is It I asked wonderingly Youve You got n visitor s It 0 1 Who I questioned eagerly Could It I 1 wondered 1 be Barbara Had my sternly repressed longing to see herin her herIn herIn In some wa way communicated Itself to tober her ber through the ether and Impelled her to throw caution to the winds and come to the prison to see me ins I 1 dont don't know the keeper answer answer- ed Its It's a man I dont don't know v know who he Is A man Who could It be In nil all the monotonous monotonous' time I 1 had been behind behind behind be be- hind the bars only two men had cometo come cometo to see me Gorman and McGregor It could not be either of or them for tor both were well known to the prison ants As I hastened down the long corridor past the dismal row of ot barred doors I was revolving In my mind the possibilities of my call callers caller's r identity Who could It be e Sp Spurred o on by my curiosity I 1 hastened Into the counsel nun coun nunsel sel room There here sat BUt my unfit great great uncle Rufus He looked In much be better ter physical condition than when I had had last seen him more and healthier His skin was browned from exposure to the sun and wind and his eyes were clearer and brighter As I studied his face tace I I could truce trace no vestige e there of the terrible fear that had seemed to obsess him on the last occasion of our meeting For a mom moment nt we eyes eye each ach other without I was wondering and well I 1 think I 1 might whether might whether the suspicions I had at times In regard to him had had been wholly without foun foun- dation Could It be possible e that the crafty miserly old chap was the mas mas- ter mind at the bottom or of all the me mystery and plotting As my previous suspicions came up In my mind I determined de de- to be wary In what I said to him The fires of ot anger tow toward rd him began to kindle within me as I looked at him I felt that It vas Tas his fault th that t I was locked up h hure litre re Meanwhile he had been studying me His keen old eyes had surveyed ed me from head to foot returning to rest fixedly on my face as though jie tae e was trying to read m my thoughts I wondered wondered wondered won won- dered what was passing in his mind Was he Inwardly chortling at the plight In which he found me Was he distressed to see seea a relative blood-relative behind the bars Did he be believe that I was guilty of tb the murder of Daisy Lutan How had bad he learned of my arrest What was his purpose In coming to see me But Buthis Buthis his bis expression was unfathomable so far as I was con concerned w He was the first to speak So didn't do did you So you It you Of course not I retorted Indig IndIg- Did you suspect that I wasa was a murderer He shook hl his head disparagingly smiling an inscrutable smile The evidence against you certainly looks convincing I dont don't care I exclaimed with heat Im as Innocent of the killing of ot Daisy Lutan as as I I hesitated as hesitated as you are are He nodded his head approvingly There there boy dont don't get excited Of Or course I i know you are innocent Youre You're of the Gaston blood and there never was a Gaston that was a murderer murderer murderer mur mur- derer or a lawbreaker I 1 Never nev-cr never suspected suspected suspected sus sus- you for a single sec second nd I was was' off In the Maine woods twenty miles from a railroad I 1 didn't see a newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper until day before yesterday eve eve- ning My e eye e just happened to catch a paragraph about the It was Vas about your our trial for tor the murder of ot Miffs s Lutan being set for tor next week weck That TaS was vas the first I 1 had heard about It I l' traveled all night to get to you My feelings toward him underwent A sudden revulsion There was every evidence of sincerity In his manner The knowledge e that he believed In me mo was the most welcome news I had heard since my Incarceration Well soon have you ou out of ot here he went went- wenton on now that I 1 am here to help you I 1 got you Into this and Ill I'll get you out of ot It If It it takes every cent I possess Theres There's more than titan one fight left In old Rufus yet Now start at the very beginning and tell me everything that has happened since I 1 l have have ave been away What a relief It was to talk freely With m my mind once and for tor all nil cleared cleared cleared clear clear- ed of ot all suspicion toward ray any old uncle great-uncle I began my story Somehow Somehow Some Some- how v the tie of blood is strong in time of trouble I found It vastly easier casler to talk with m my aged relative than limn It had been with either Gorman or my wy lawyer I began with Frith my ch chance nce mc meeting with Barbara Bradford In the pu park parkas k kos as os the blackmailer blackmailer- awaited her there I told everything that had followed ved with the utmost detail even even to such small matters as my first meeting with Wick and the undue curiosity y he had exhibited us to my acquaintance acquaint acquaint- ance nce with tb tb I recital the story nt ot ray lay discharge dis I charge tJ J. J la disgrace from tn my tiny position and told of ot Gorman's Germans un unavailing ef efforts efforts et- et forts torts to learn the reason The day I was as discharged I 1 went wenton on I had drawn yn out from the savings bank all alJ my mone money with the purpose e of sending it to my ray mother to whom Iwas I Iwas Iwas was in debt I still sun had It It with me the when I arrived home at the apartment and I 1 decided to put It In ht the wall sate safe to which you recall you m had given me the combination Out of ot mere I curiosity I made this conies confes confession slon sion with a blush of shame shame shame-III I had h Inspected Inspected In In- the contents of the safe sate the thc day of my arrival and had examined the tw two caskets The minute I 1 opened the safe Oils Elms second time I saw that It had been looted What exclaimed my uncle great starting from his seat not the pearls earls l lI M MI I nodded Ever Everything The casket with the pearls was gone The other with the trinkets was undisturbed Good heavens I he exclaimed My wife's pearls stolen 1 Why boy I paid a hundred and amI fifty thousand dollars for that string Tell me everything about everything it lt- lt at once I could only repeat what bat I had told him already Wl Wl en en I had opened the safe on Sunday the pearls were there When Wilen I had opened It t again on the following following fol fol- lowing Saturday the pearls were gone Of course you ou told the police pollee at once once I explained to him why I had not done so and my reason reason seemed to satisfy him Go on with your story he calmly directed He lle seemed to have himself well In hand again After the first shock at hearing of ot the loss of ot the pearls he showed no sign of emotion or displeasure He lie listened intently as I 1 told him of or ormy my second meeting with Barbara Bradford rd when I had learned that the Bradford wall safe had been looted too and the papers abstracted concerning concerning concerning con con- the of ot Claires Claire's first marriage He nodded his head slightly when I i told him of Qt the anonymous anonymous anonymous notes found on the the floor In both apartments Did you hear the whispers to too he questioned f Yes I 1 answered I III heard them several times Barbara has heard d them and the laundress too A look of unspeakable r relief lIer came over his face Im glad to know that others have heard them besides myself When aman a n aman man gets old oil his nerves sometimes play him strange pranks The whispers whispers whispers whis whis- pers seemed so unreal and Incredible that I feared that I was suffering from the hallucinations of ot old age Now that I know that the whispers are real there Is nothing to fear tear And I observed I believe I am nm almost positive I can explain the origin of the whispers Tell me he lie cried his liis manner now entirely changed He seemed elated at discovering that his brain w was s still sUll dependable It was as If It f a n burden had suddenly been lifted from him Here was my opportunity Gorman had utterly refused to credit my story of ot a secret passage and had ridiculed it There had hind been no way vay that I could prove it nor was It possible for Gorman to have haye investigated the walls rt t t t the e even even en If It he he had placed any allY credence In my ray story With my nay uncle great-uncle It was different As th the occupant of ot the apartment he would have every right and opportunity opportunity to explore and verify verIty m my statements state state- ments I 1 told him how while speculating speculating speculating lating as to the origin of the whispers I had observed the discrepancy In the measurements of ot the apartment and had hud verified my deduction deduction that there was space for fora a 3 passageway big enough for a man to traverse Inthe In Inthe Inthe the wall wail between the room I had occupIed occupied oc oc- copied and the long hall He listened latently Intently J as itS I l I. I described the plan of the rooms In detail and nodded his ap ap- And what Is more I 1 added triumphantly tri tri- Barbara Bradford and I had Just discovered an opening into it It II by pushing the Ule wall Avail panel in my room hack and then sliding sliding- It along We were Inspecting It when we heard the shot In n the apartment below I closed d the panel and ran downstairs and 11 have e had lead no opportunity since to In Investigate estate est gate ate but I am sure the passa passage I Is there I am convinced that it was the sound of ot voices there that made the th whispers I suspect It was used by h hoe er left t the e anonymous notes note In to Inthe the 10 robin 01 and that the person or 11 persons perSons per per- sons on who ho looted the afes safes entered and mill escaped by hy that means I would not nol he surprised Url If It It was wa not by means menn of this dais passageway that the murderer of Miss Lutan escaped after he ho hud hand left lett his r revolver olver in the drawer of m my dresser My uncle great shook his lils head perplex per per- plex It sounds Improbable too Improbable too much like a n romance They do not build build modern apartment buildings with wini se secret secret se- se ecret e- e cret pas passageways Space Is far too valuable and besides all plans hn have e eto to be filed med with the city's bureau of or buildings But Hut Its It's thorp there I cried desperately I I saw v It Barbara Bradford saw it ft It Well Vell he lit comforted me we will soon find out about it I 1 have llave many matters matters to attend to today but tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row I shall go up to the apartment and If It there is such a passageway Ishall I Ishall shall find It and see Bce where It leads Then you are not staying In the the I apartment No I shall remain at a hotel until my wife returns At this Juncture a prison attendant approached and Informed him that the time of ot his visit was up Imperiously my uncle great-uncle waved the man away Somehow V o the possession of great wealth carries with it a n manner of expecting expecting ex ex- obedience from from- fromeyer eyer every on one that g generally Is Is successful The The- Theman man roan withdrew muttering to himself and andl l left tt us undisturbed Now tell me about the murder Mr Ir Gaston directed C Concisely I stated the facts fads as I knew them It It was a shock to him to hear that at least two of the trusted attendants at the Wick and the the telephone girl were of the criminal class Tut tut tut he exclaimed Just think of It 1 That That's s the worst of living In a big city You Yon never know what sort of or people there are a about out you Ill I'll call up Mr Kent the owner of ot th the building this afternoon and have him get rid of or them at nt once Please dont don't I cried Gorman and I are arc both convinced that Wick an and the girl know something about the murder Dont Don't do anything thing to let them know that they are under sus sus- So long as they are employed at the we know where tolay to tolay lay Jay hands on them when we want them so he admitted Ill say nothing for the present As I wont won't be living there until after this is isI isa isa I i r a v J r rY rI I r a Y I areas j Youre Wonderful Liar You a Are Was His Surly Greeting cleared up it can make maIm no difference But look here young youns man why doesn't this Bradford girl come forward and clear you ou of ot this charge She was with you at nt the time She knows you ou dl didn't nt do It Because I will not permit her to doso do doso doso so 1 I replied with heat I love Bar Bar- Barbara Barbara bara Bradford 1 I TImes it Is It he commented givIng giving giving ing me Inc a quizzical glance from under his bushy white e eyebrows I II wouldn't for tor all the world I I continued con con- I have her ber mixed up up In this Her sister Ister Is to be married tomorrow and the scandal might stop the wedding wed wed- wedding edding ding and besides Im I'm not going to have It known that she was there alone with me that night In n my rooms I love her too well for that Some day dayI I am going to a ask l her to hei JO to be my wife He lIe raised his eyebrows And on what hat do you jou OU expect to to tomar marry mar mar- marry ry he Inquired s Of course I have said I nothing asyet as aset jet yet et I hastened to explain Ive nothing nothing noth noth- ing to offer her No 0 he agreed youve ou e nothing to offer her her and and then with a meaning glance he added a little word that In spite of my predicament made m my heart henrt sing with joy and stirred I my expectations expectations expectations ex ex- mightily youve youve nothing to offer her her her- her yet et But heer up he lie advised as a parting part part- parting In ing word of counsel Ill get In touch with Gorman and your law lawyer er as soon as ns I leave here today todar and tomorrow n we e will find out about that secret passage passage passage pas pas- sage you OG think you have have ered discovered Compunction that I ever had doubted doubted doubt doubt- ed the inte Integrity of his liis purpose toward rne nw smote as he departed I 1 tried d to think of something to say Y I to express m my gratitude ute to him hint to let him know how v much I appreciated his cumin comity coming at once to my aid uld but the only thin thin I 1 could o think of slipped from m my lips 1 am ala sorry about the pearls So o am I he Ile answered grimly and went his way 1 One thing now I certainly was wa sure of hIs of-hIs his was not mind master the that had planned all the criminal deeds but the tn mystery of the was still as us much of ot a mystery as ever CHAPTER XII It was as the second day after utter this this this- the day set ct for Claire Bradford's wedding wed wed- ding that ding that In the morning much carr earlier earlier ear car lier r than customary Gorman came to toi i the prison to see m me MY n uncle s sk D U. U 1 met him biro jubilantly and his city k return turn to the expected offers or of aid convIncing generous and hopes J I had bad fIll filled cd me with neW old old Rufus keen eyes eye trusted too that the secret pas pas' would discover quicklY to IndIcated that I had sags r noW confidently him where to look for It 1 was resulting de- de developments that the dently e expecting would ire tree free me quickly of being a suspicion tram from even the murderer The minute however that I knew that I laid eyes on Gorman something had gone wrong wrong the cried What is It I matter now I IY Y Youre oure a n wonderful rul liar flar you are ore his surly greeting with your |