| Show 1 r ir By WILLIAM Tl le H HOuse Ouse 0 f JOHNSTON Wh- Wh Copyright rl ht by b bLittle Little Brown A Co O SOMETHING WRONG HERE Synopsis Circumstances Circumstances having prevented Spalding Nelson clerk from Joining the American forces going to France he Is IB in Sn a de dc despondent de- de mood when he receives an invitation to dinner from his great great- uncle Rufus Gaston On his way to the house he meets under pe pc peculiar peculiar pe- pe culiar circumstances a young girl apparently in Sn trouble to whom he has an opportunity to be of slight service She lives in the sameI same I apartment building as Rufus Gaston Gaston Gas Gas- ton and he accompanies her home I CHAPTER I. I Continued i r 2 2 Although I 1 tried to pretend an Interest interest In In- terest terest In their conversation and absent h jy answered their questions nb about my family mUy my thou thoughts kept constantly recurring to the strange trouble of or orthe the the girl across the hall her plight Interesting Interesting In- In m me far more mor than the purpose purpose pur pur- pose pose Iose for which my uncle great-uncle had hads had's sent s 's nt for me I 1 had expected that he would broach that subject himself but the coffee arrived and still sUll the con con- con had been limited to stilted family family fl chat As we returned to the giving lhing room room I decided to give him a lead My mother wrote me me- me u me meI I 1 began r.- r. rOb Oh Ob yes said old ld Rufus lookIng relieved Yes yes of course echoed Mrs Gaston r I waited for tor one or the other of them to proceed but for some reason they both s seemed emed at a loss for words You tell him Rufus said my great-aunt great at last J His Bis tired old eyes studied my count countenance countenance coun coun- t nance carefully searchingly as If Ife be e was try trying ng to read m my soul What Is It I asked Impatiently It Is this said old Rufus speakIng speak- speak Ing ng slowly and with effort as ns If It he Abated bat bated d to disclose his Intentions j Three d days ys from now that now that will be Sunday morning morning my my wife and I are I going to Maine t to be e gone for so some e I months We have leased a furnished cottage there and shall shan take our servants ants and our motor with us We do donot not snot like Uke to leave leav this apartment wholly and It occurred to Mrs Gaston that you might occupy It In tn our absence I am afraid n my y countenance e at Tit th that t moment must have betrayed my const con- con st My sly great expectations vanished d. d blew up disappeared They did not want me for an heir but for a caretaker What a fool I 1 had been to Imagine for one moment that this p pe- pe ious old couple had contemplated doing anything for me The They wanted me mB to do something for them A sar sar- castle refusal refusal of their proffer trembled trembled trembled trem trem- bled on my rny lips but but- was stayed by my aunt great speaking x xIt J p It will enable you to save your room rent Mr GaS GasT n will Mil pay the brentIn rent In advance before we go There Therel will l be no one here to serve your our meals so you will have to get them elsewhere but I will arrange with my to come In once a day to tomake tomake tomake make make up your room and you'll be under under un un- un- un der del no expense Her IIer suggestion that I 1 would have no no room rent to pay decided me Two other othel considerations also Influenced r me It might be a plan on the par part of the old people to try me out and see eee If It I was trustworthy and then dwelling under the same roof with Barbara Bradford I 1 might have opportunities op- op of seeing her again and who knows perhaps of assisting her herout out of ot her mysterious plight ft 1 I shall be very glad Indeed to come I found myself saying It Its was ns s nice of you both to think of me S St Sr l t tt f t 1 1 i l f r r l ks Something Wrong Wong Here HereIn Here In In This House House l I Tell You Well consider the he be matter settled Announced cad old Rufus We iVe are unused un un- used to 10 o guests here so you had better Come tome come at ten on Sunday an hour after we have bave started Rufus tutus suggested nw my great aunt apprehensively steely had you Sou not better give hit hires the combination of the wall raft aft fly jeWels are there and In incase case las th there re should be a n fire fire- Why no not take tuko them with you I I I Th They y fie are n a nuisance when you arp tt cl K 01 ted i A safe deposit box would be better bet bet- ter then No said old Rufus Rufus' shortly Both my safe deposit boxes are full and there Is no use hiring another one The Jewels will be all right where the they are In case of fire you OU can remove remove re re- re- re move mo them to a place of safety This Is the combination see combination see that you remember remember remember re re- re- re member it it six six right four left two right eight left Ill remember It It I 1 replied mentally mentally mentally men men- tally repeating It over and over over again And now my dear said the thet old gentleman If you will get the keys from my desk we can cnn permit our nephew to depart My great-aunt great left the room to do dohis dohis dohis his mission The minute she was safely out of ot hearing old Rufus' Rufus whole manner underwent a startling change Into his set deep-set gray eyes came a alook alook look of ot terr terror r His face became ashen and the withered hand with which he clutched my arm was trembling vio Listen boy he 1 hissed leaning forward forward for for- ward that he might speak Into my car carand carand carand and looking about apprehensively as If he feared to be overheard Listen theres there's something wrong here My first thought was that he had been suddenly stricken with dementia but recalling his perfectly rational conduct throughout the rest of the evening I dismissed the theory as absolutely untenable His fear whatever caused It certainly seemed er very real Something wrong I repeated wonderingly What do you mean What Is It He lie clutched my arm In a n still tighter tight tight- er grasp grasps and his voice s suppressed to toa to toa toa a terrified whisper became more Insistent In In- I I dont don't know lenow he breathed I wish I 1 did He glanced timorously about and went on Theres som something thing wrong i I 1 sense It I feel It I 1 cannot cannot cannot can can- not find out what It Is All An kinds of f queer things happen I 1 am always hearing voices voices whispers whispers whispers whispers I That Is why we are going awa away My wife thinks It Is on account account account ac ac- ac- ac count of my health I 1 dont don't want her herto herto herto to know Please please pleas Spalding find out what It Is before we return 1 I have no son There Is no one else else- but you to do It Solve the mystery for me Find out ab about ut the whispers Promise me you will wUl not not a al word to her Not a word lit litHe l He withdrew his hold on my arm armand armand and laid his finger on his lips lips' as he heard icard his wife returning With a vIsIble visible vis- vis Ible ble e effort he be straightened up and when she entered the room he apparently apparently had entirely recovered his self self- possession and was his natural self again a dignified world-weary world old manI manI manI man I cant can't find your keys Rufus said my ray great-aunt great you had better get them hem yourself The minute he left the room she hastened to my side and she too began began bejan be- be gan jan to to whisper mysterious warnings exhibiting a terror hardly less than her ler aged husbands This Is a n house Hof of mystery she announced Im always always hearing strange sounds here He doesn't know know with with a nod In the direction old Rufus had gone and I do not want him lira to That Is the reason I 1 am takIng taking tak- tak Ing ng him hint away Solve the mystery of oft f fIt It t before we return Ill I'll pay you Ill I'll make It well worth your while Her husbands husband's shuffling In the passage passage passage pass pass- age warned her of his return and andl she quickly dropped my arm As he entered entered entered en en- she was telling me In quite normal normal normal nor nor- mal tones to be sure sur to remember her herto herto herto to my mother th the next ext t time e 1 I I wrote rot Old Ola RufUS Banded me the me Keys explaining explaining ex ex- ex- ex which was whit which And remember said my great- great uncle as he escorted me to the doer you are not to come until Sunday morning at ten after we have gone And remember the combination of the safe Remember safe Remember I IThe iThe The Insistent way In lu which he r repeated re the word conveyed to me forcefully forcefully forcefully force force- fully that what he most wanted me meto meto meto to remember was the strange warning he had given me rue and as I clasped his hand In parting I tried by the firmness firmness firm firm- ness of ot my ray grip to let him hin know that I understood Remember repeated my aunt too as ns she stood there In the door a little behind him at the same time giving me a significant look Yet puzzling as ns had been the conduct conduct conduct con con- duct of both of them my memories that night were not of ot their warning I Inor nor of the combination of the the safe nor of the hour at which I was to arrive They were of ot the most beautiful beautiful beautiful beau beau- e eyes es I ever had seen and of ot the haunting terror written In them CHAPTER II 11 Sunday morning came at last It was hardly hardlY eight when I set out for my new quarters taking with me only one small handbag and leaving my tny two trunks for the In the time Intervening since my mv visit to the Gaston home I had done but little except speculate on the mysterious ous warnings that both of ot the old people people people peo peo- had surreptitiously given ma mOo It seemed d so utterly Improbable and Im- Im V v HJ Vt W I VaC ViC XI U rl iUt Vi O possible that there could be any Inexplicable Inexplicable inexplicable In in- explicable mystery about a home In a modern up-to-date up apartment house houseIn In the center of a civilized city And if Ir there was a mystery why wilY did they stay there Why didn't they move Yet as I pondered over over the matter I was convinced that both my great great- uncle and his wife were rational I 1 dismissed without hesitation the th thory theory theory the the- ory that there could have been any lany supernatural happenings to affright them It was probable I Decided that their fears might have been played on onby onby b by some conspiracy on the part of or their servants to Induce them to spend a season in Maine Perhaps there was some specter from my great- great uncles uncle's past now rising to confront him him th that t he was seeking to hide from his wife It might be that she knew of or It or had received threats and was trying to conceal the matter from him There are few men of ot millions with without out some secret shameful pages In their lives As I remembered that old Rufus Gastons Gaston's dollars had been made In South America all that I 1 had bad heard eard and read rend of plots and counterplots counterplots counterplots counter counter- plots below the equator came buzzing into my brain If such should be t the e case that some betrayed conspirator now was seeking vengeance more than ever I 1 welcomed the unexpected d chance that had thrown this opportunity opportunity for adventure In my prosaic path Yet ma maybe be their warnings were Jus jus- jus- jus There was Barbara Bradford who lived Ii under the same roof on the very floor with them She seemed to tobe tobe tobe be caught In the web of ot some plot to tobe tobe tobe be living In fear of some mysterious peril perno Was s the she e I I wondered In any way connected with t tie the e mystery that overhung overhung overhung over over- hung the Gaston home Did my great I uncle and his wife know her Her mission to the park had been to get some papers Could they have been In any way Involved with what was menacing my uncles uncle's peace pence of mind How I regretted now that I had not asked the Gastons If they knew Miss Bradford How I welcomed welcom welcom- ed the opportunity I 1 was now to have of living in the same apartment house with her close at hand If ever I 1 could serve her I was gl glad d now now- that that- circumstances circumstances circumstances cir cir- cir cir- had prevented my going to France with BIrge and Roller As I arrived at my uncles uncle's corner corner corner cor cor- ner I saw Miss Bra Bradford approaching from th the opposite direction She was In riding togs I timed tuned my steps to reach the corner as ns she did Would she I wondered consider our strange meeting a few evenings before sufficient sufficient sum sum- cleat Introduction to Justify her pep speaking speaking speaking speak speak- ing to me Good morning Mr Nelson she greeted me pleasantly Making an early call arent aren't yon you 1 Im coming here to live for fora a while I 1 answered falling Into step with herThe herThe her The Gastons are going to Maine and have asked me to occupy their apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment while they are awn away As we ve chatted we had entered the building and as before I 1 went into the elevator with her As I t left her herat herat at nt the h door wondering If It she had had any Rny more encounters In the park palk y yet t hardly daring to ask she turned to tome tome tome me half apologetically and said Mr Nelson since youve you've come to live here in the house I 1 must be care care- ful We We have not been Introduced and my people will think It strange if they see me speaking to you You understand dont don't you You must not speak to fo me or recognize me until until until- Until what I cried eagerly Until we can manage to be properly proper proper- ly Introduced Yet I Insisted you promised to let me help you I have havu not forgotten Im I'm grateful really I am Perhaps t 1 may call on your services I 1 may have to If It I 1 Ido Ido do Ill I'll find some way of letting you know Some secret way I 1 suggested half sarcastically Perhaps she laughingly nodded as we separated As A. I took out the keys Ies my gr great great- at- at uncle had given me and entered the apartment I looked about me with a wholly new Interest That little word mine makes it a vast difference In th the way we regard things Now that these luxurious quarters were to be bemy bemy bemy my home mc temporarily at least I 1 looked looked looked look look- ed about curiously Certainly at first glance there was was nothing mysterious in the atmosphere Setting my bag down I began an Immediate Inspection Inspection inspection tion of or the rooms The Gaston apartment I discovered occupied one whole side of the sixth floor of or a twelve story building Around the elevator shaft shutt that came up through the center was a u small square court with four doors door two opening Into the Bradford apartment opposite and two Into the tho one 1 I was occupying The east apartments were known as Six A and the tIle west n as Six B B. The The- Thedoor door by which I had entered led a a lofty foyer connecting by sliding doors with a u great dining room and be beyond yond It In the front of the house with witha a reception or living room that ran the entire width of ot the apartment Back Backof of ot the elevator with a separate door for tor the servants' servants use were the kitchen the butlers butler's pantry a n servants servant's sitting room and two bedrooms From From the I foyer a long hall haJJ ran almost the length of the building On the servants servants' side It was blank as to doors save for the tho passage from the tile pantry to the dining room but on the other side several doors opened Into spacious sleeping rooms each with Its own bath As I Iwas Iwas Iwas was wondering which of the bedrooms my great-aunt great had expected me to |
