Show 1 T The Hous gr- gr era tI William w Johnston Irwin Irwi Myers THE GASTON PEARLS I Circumstances Synopsis Circumstances having havin f prevented Spalding Nelson clerk from Joining the American forces forcest t going oln to France h he Is II In a despondent de deg mood when he receives receive f I an Invitation to dinner from his hie uncle great Rufus Guton On ther the r f way way to the he house house h he be emee meets under peculiar circumstances a young whom J i girl apparently f In trouble trouble le to o of whom f he has hu an opportunity to be o of ot f e slight service She lives In the same samer apartment building as Rufus Rutus Gas- Gas F ton and he accompanies her to the r I hou house Gaston Guton and his wife are goig go- go 0 Inc i to Maine for tor a a. trip and want wont f to leave Nelson in charge of ot the thes s 1 apartment He accepts accept Gaston t rand kand and his wife tell their nephew great of mysterious noises whispers ers r which the they have heard in the house houle On his bis way to the Gaeton Gaston Gas Gas- ton 81 apartment next Sunday Nel Nelson on again meets his ht accidental acquaintance acquaintance ac ac- of a few tew days before Barbara Bradford She urges urge him not to allow the fact of ot their beIn be being being be- be ing In acquainted to be known The hero takes taku an Instinctive dislike to the superintendent Wick of ot the building I B- B CHAPTER II Continued II Continued 3 I a proper precaution I 1 ad ad- f. f The he elevator boy reported your arrival arrival ar ar- rival he continued but he wasn't quite q sure it was you The fact that Y yon were chatting with the young l ry bothered him and me too Mr G Gaston ton told me you were a stranger l la the te city and I 1 didn't expect to find you yon knowing one of the fit was on the tip of my tongue to say Well you see I 1 do know her when alien I 1 recalled her request that I 1 W would uld not recognize her until we had b ti been nee n introduced in some fashion I 1 contented myself with saying merely Well W ll I 1 hope you are satisfied now nov Coi EO Of course Mr Nelson of course be answered though his s loo belled belied hi his Ms words Manifestly he was still p puzzled over my acquaintance with MiSS Bradford lEI I hope you will find It comfortable er n he said plainly trying to continue con con- he fi e the conversation If theres there's ver mr anything the matter Just call cal men m mn me mer n the house phone Mr Wick the sine Jarne Is is isK K I will I 1 said and he unwillingly withdrew K If lf theres there's ever anything the matr mat- mat 5 r Was there something lIt amster n ster in the superintendents superintendent's part- part g remark Once more the warn- warn rigs of my relatives flashed Into my fad d' d What was wrong In the house bouse y y did he anticipate that I 1 might be i lUng fling him up Why did he exhibit l I ch an Interest in me me and in my Yea with the girl across the theall theall all all 11 Somehow the mans man's whole ashad as- as ast ast t had bad impressed me unfavorably I carried my bag back to my bed- bed bedon on om and unpacked It The various in the bath looked so in- in Inting ting ff g that I 1 stripped and amused my- my Ift lf for half halt an hour testing the vasty valID va- va lID lID- sty ety of showers and sprays provided it lon Binning ning my bathrobe I leisurely oLed o ed an an excellent cigar from a box d Rufus had thoughtfully thoughtfully-or or per- per aps thoughtlessly thoughtlessly left left open on on his sir sic and then returned to the J i on n of my new quarters As s It was Sunday r I had a whole ay of leisure before me and I 1 felt at If I was to dear clear up the mystery ja at had driven the old couple out it its s ads Incumbent on me to make a mite mi mite mi ml- te to study of my surroundings Only the e rear ear sitting room was re r any atmosphere of hominess AUe Alle All AU e rest of the place was done in In Inthe the thet t department store style ev even to richly bound sets of standard aurs aurs aurs au au- rs which lined the walls of the tle Hv- Hv room most of which I 1 found had hadi i e pages uncut y search of the and place lace and it was Borough rough Ugh extending even to the empty Bolsters in the pantry and kitchen kitchen- no nothing whatever that gave m 0 hint as to the cause or I n of old Rufus Rufus' fears The place Cli ed the least likely of all places e world to hide any mystery Just t modern modem luxurious apartment I lipped with every possible device for and co convenience of Its Ita oc- oc oci pants i ants It would have to be an update up- up d late date te ghost to find itself Itsel at home homet oC 1 t Jat I Sut ut wait walt I r Perhaps the safe held ne clue to the problem they wanted 1 ts tp two solve But where was the safe d not noticed It anywhere in my seated Journeys through the rooms rooms Bade another tour looking for lor or It ItC e C than likely It h had d been located ome some Inconspicuous place purposely where At last I located it It bed bea be- be d dja a faded crayon portrait of Mrs Irs Liton ton in the little sitting room the picture to the floor and wd 2 d hesitant before the e safe Sh Should uld should I 1 not open it The fact t they hard hod given me the seemed to Imply that I had bad a reet right to inspect Its contents ix to the right four to the left 10 to the right eight to the left Ix 11 I turned the knob I repeated the nation to myself There was a click and the steel door came camer cameI j. j Reaching In I drew forth two r a Jewel cases of or leather aa li 10 locked ked I took from fromm my myr I r o r pocket the keys key my ray uncle great had given me and toyed with them thought thought- fully Among them were two tIny keys that undoubtedly belonged to the jewel cases Had I 1 the right to use them I decided that I 1 had The first case I opened contained s star so far tar as my limited d knowledge of precIous precious precious prec prec- ious stones enabled me to judge nothIng nothing nothing noth noth- ing but a bunch of cheap junk bits of finery from another century coral earrings that Mrs Gaston may have worn when she w was as a little girl combs of Jet amber beads heads quaint hoop earrings earrings earrings ear ear- rings and a ring or two merely the trinkets of or a vain old woman treasured treasured treasured treas treas- from the time when the money to buy them was scarce There was was nothing in the lot that any self re tl thief I f would take precious as they may may have ave been to their owner I locked up that case and returned it t tto to th the safe and and opened the other As I raised the lid an Involuntary exclamation of amazement and admiration admiration admiration admi admi- ration escaped me There nestling In Inthe Inthe inthe the center of a velvet-lined velvet tray lay gleaming the most wonderful mass of Iridescent pearls I ever had laid eyes on surely worth a vast fortune TurnIng TurnIng Turning Turn- Turn Ing them over and over admiringly inthe In Inthe Inthe the light at last I laid them back Inthe in inthe the tale tray and began to Investigate the theother theother theother other tr treasures the casket contained In other traps in the box I found diamonds diamonds diamonds dia dia- dia- dia monds galore a great solitaire that must have been all aU of seven se carats dinner rings b bar r pins crescentS crescents stars earrings and In a n compartment aUby all aU by Itself a tiara of rubies and dia dia- monds There was also a variety of other gems pins and rings wrought In curious designs with rubles dIamonds diamonds diamonds dia dIa- monds sapphires and pearls some un up- upset unset unset set diamonds di monds and loose fragments of pieces that had evidently been torn tom apart to add to other settings the collection of a woman with unlimited money to spend With trembling hands I restored the Jewels to their hiding place twice testIng testIng testing test test- ing the knob to make sure that the combination had set The unexpected sight of such a vast fortune in to gems had filled me with strange emotions with thoughts so evil I 1 hardly dared admit them tb m to myself There must have been nearly half hat a million dollars' dollars worth of precious stones In that one casket The Gaston pearls In themselves themselves them them- themselves selves were a fortune If only they were mine I r ITo To every honest man at times come temptations as great as come to any criminal No man knows whether or not he Is honest until 1 he has been put putto putto putto to the test I knew I I was tempted strongly tempted to take my great aunts aunt's Jewels What was to hinder The old couple were to be absent for months They h had d left me In charge and had given me their keys and the safe combination There would be abundant time for disposing of the Jewels before their theft was ered With the money they would bring I could satisfy my craving for adventure I 1 could travel traver the world over Yet as I look back at It all the time I 1 was thinking these thoughts I knew I would not take the Jewels A normal man cannot steal Even when his desires lead him to theft his mind points out the folly and his c conscience the wrong Resolutely I put the thought of the Jewels out of ot m my head or head or tried to to- to 71 Ij v ve c. c l e V 4 y r na s There N Nestling In the Center of a Vel Vel- vet-lined vet Tray Lay Gleaming the Most Wonderful Mass of Iridescent Pearls I Ever L Laid td Eyes On Onn t I and stretching myself out on a couch gave myself my el up to pleasant reveries about my delightful new acquaintance the girl who lived Hired just across the hall ball I pictured myself finding some way of winning her confidence and of helping her out of her mysterious trouble And what If eventually old Rufus should make me his bis heir Surely I would need a mate with whom to share the joys of having a fortune With visions vIsIons visIons vis- vis Ions of Barbara Bradford bedecked with my great aunts choicest Jewels I fell asleep It was almost dusk when I was awak awakened ned by the arrival of the thel I ex ex- pressman with my trunks After Atter I had receipted for tor them and had unpacked on- on packed I suddenly realized that I was hungry for tor I had eaten nothing since breakfast Hastily I 1 donned my ray clothes stopping only to count my money With a w weeks week's ks k's salary In my pocket and no room rent to pay for several months surely I could afford a good dinner to celebrate the change In my fortunes As I went out I stopped in the lower hall to chat with the telephone girl ostensibly to ask her to take any messages messages mes mes- sages for me me though I was wall expecting none Youre Mr Nelson aint you she I asked eyeing me me with curious Interest Yes I replied Mr Spalding Nel Nel- NelI I son I 1 am occupying the Gaston apartment apart apartment ment while they are away A flicker of amusement crossed her face with just the suggestion of a sneer I hope you'll enjoy living here If Why not I 1 replied carelessly any one calls say that I will be home by ten Miss Miss Miss- Nellie Kelly she added As 1 I chatted with wih her the elevator had descended again and three persons persons persons per per- sons emerged one of them being she for a sight of whom I 1 had been intentionally Intentionally loitering One of the two persons with her was plainly the mother and the other I took to be an older sister She resembled Barbara strongly but there was a world weary look in her face and her beauty seemed seemed seem seem- ed to me to be marred by a weak sensitive passionate mouth But I had no eyes for her so absorbed was wasI I in the appearance of the girl I had met in the park If I 1 had thought her beautiful then she was ravishing now Her raven hair was piled high and caught back with a great Spanish comb An trimmed ermine-trimmed evening coat of or brocade swathed her figure opening at the front Just enough to to- give me a glimpse of her bared white neck Involuntarily my hand went to tomy tomy tomy my hat but Into her ber eyes came a haughty look and one hand went vent to her lips for just a second as if she were warning me again not to recognize recognize recognize nize her I stood there abashed as she swept by me to the waiting motor The telephone girls girl's voice Jarred me back to my senses I r thought you was a friend of the sh she said sarcastically Sure he Is said the voice of Mr Wick behind me you hear the boys telling me he came In twice with Miss Bradford Well what o of It itT I answered lamely and fled from the house Indignant Indignant indignant Indig Indig- nant at this open prying pry ng of the employees employees employees em em- Into my affairs yet entirely at a loss to know how to stop It How could I tell them I knew Barbara Bradford when she had just cut me dead Feeling vaguely dissatisfied with my first day in my new home bome I 1 boarded board board- ed a bus and rode downtown to a little French cafe where my comrades and I had been accustomed to go when we we were ere in funds All about me were merry Sunday evening dinner dinner dinner din din- ner parties and I was alone Birge and Roller Boiler had gone and Miss Bradford Bradford Bradford Brad Brad- ford had refused to recognize me I hurried through through-my through my dinner paid my check and was wa's leaving the restaurant when at a corner table I spied the sc scar scar faced faced r-faced man whom I had seen In the park parka a few evenings before He looked up and caught my glance glanc Into his face came a strange expression expression sion a look of malignant hate not un- un with fear Boldly I returned his bis gaze I was tempted to walk right up to him and ask sk him him hlin what he had been doln doing In th the the park and why he be had warned his mate away when he saw me there Yet I had no right to Interfere re Miss 1 Bradford had bad not taken me Into her ber confidence I had only suspicions to go on that the two men had bad been there to attempt some wrong on the girl Slowly I left the restaurant puzzled more than ever by the malevolent glance he had given n m me and perplexed as to how I was going to serve l Miss ss Bradford when she she she- would not even recognize me CHAPTER III My great aunts aunt's aunts aunt's pearls were were gone gori gone gone- stolen stolen vanished vanished from the wall safe sate 1 l Still discrediting the evidence of my myown myown myown own eyes I lighted a match and peer peered peered peer peen ed Into the steel-lined steel recess It was empty On the tab table r Reside beside me was one ono of the two Jewel boxes It had contained the one filled with worthless worthless worthless worth worth- less trinkets The other which had contained ont the priceless Gaston pearls and the other other- rich treasure bad had van van- Today was Saturday I Six Sir days before before before be be- fore I had bad arrived in the apartment There had been two Jewel cases then With my own hands I had put them both back safe la In n. n their hiding place I t re recalled hav having ng tested t the e knob to tom tomake tomake m make ke sure that tb the combination had set Yet since that time someone had opened t the e safe sate Someone had bad removed removed re re- removed re- re moved the j Jewels wels Who could It have been To the best of my knowledge there had been but brit bu two persons in the rooms room old Mrs Burke my aunts aunt's trusted laundress and myself Certainly Certainly I had not taken the Jewels and It seemed absurd to suspect Mrs Burke who bad been been in in Mrs Gastons Gaston's employ for years and had long been entrusted with a key to the servants' servants entrance Yet who else was there to suspect Recovering a little from my bewilderment bewilderment derment I hastened to the telephone I must must notify the superintendent and also the police pollee that the apartment had been robbed I 1 decided too that I 1 should wire my uncle great Rufus of the robbery and then it dawned on |