Show 1 iF v J 4 The ne House of JOHNSTON By WILLIAM J JM WhIspers ers Little C Copyright Brows Brown by A LC C Ce t r H CHAPTER IX IX Continued I I 12 As I pondered over It I decided that my chance meeting with Barbara Bradford Bradford Bradford Brad Brad- ford In the park had bad upset th the plans of ot a blackmailing band and that they f were avenging themselves on me for formy fory y my unwitting part I was certain that a. a Wick Vick and Lefty Moores Moore's wife were In lf connivance with them and that the ther r pang gaug possibly Included Claire Brad- Brad V for folds fold's ds d's ex Wick had a a. a passkey passkey pass pass- err key th that t enabled him to enter the Lul LuI Lutan Lu Lu- I l r tan taD apartment Undoubtedly he e could r also enter mine as JiS well But Wick could have nothing to do with the thelA f lA I planting of or the revolver In my rooms I was positive about that He had hadnot not been out of ot my ray sight for tor a single c moment from the time that we had discovered dig dis covered co the body The only way that f- f tt it seemed possible to Involve him in it t that was on the theory of a prearranged I to ranged plot to make me appear the theY Y murderer Was It possible that Claire Clairet c t Bradford had participated In this I knew she had been In my rooms after sa i the murder It must have been she J who put the revolver there l One of the detectives who had ari arrested ar are i r rested me appeared at my cell door i Come along he commanded gruffly c As As I 1 came out I was again shackled and and led to the patrol wagon that was was r. r i I waiting I ha had bad supposed that I was li being taken to court to be arraigned but such was not the case I found myself at police headquarters where IV both my photograph and my fingerprints finger linger l prints were taken I refrained from u giving any Information about myself be beyond on giving my name and age bey being be be- y 1 ing careful to have my name recorded as John S S. S Nelson Out in my homer hometown home hometown r town everybody for years had known c me by my middle name Spaulding and I was hopeful that they might rj fall fail to Identify Identity me if f f they read anything anything anything any any- fir thing about me everything that might serve to Identify m me had been recorded I was was was' wasi i J taken Into a large room where perhaps r r half a hundred men en were assembled most most of them wearing masks I looked l r about with curiosity I had read of It r. r k this tIlls ceremony I Ivas was vas being lined up before the members of ot the city's detec deters t r 1 tive force to see If It any of them could 1 identify me and to give them an opportunity opportunity l' l to familiarize themselves with zt t my fe features tures In Ia case It should ever be necessary necessary to arrest me again Never ever saw him before belore I heard lt one one of them say Guess he must be bea a western crook I f. f Hes lies no amateur amateurs said another t That Job up at tile the was wast Rr t dope by a professional li J Many slighting comments were c. c too on my personal appearance I learned for the first time that I had bad bada Y I a bad ear and that my eyes were ri shifty The only emotion these com corn comments corni i f v i ments aroused in me was a feeling of r 1 i 1 t pity not for myself but for all poor unfortunates who fall afoul of the i law Even though a man Is presumed i to be Innocent until he has been cont con- con 4 t I had observed that since the Jo first moment of my arrest everybody i had bad taken It for granted that I must J.- J. be guilty and had treated me with little consideration IX s respect or From headquarters I was taken to the police court and without further delay brought before belore a magistrate I 4 f t t John S. S Nelson arrested for thet thead the I t ad murder of Daisy Lutan said the deT de de- T f y Have you counsel asked the mag mag- i istrate Nos No I replied L r I I Oil will assign Mr Myers as the prisoners prisoner's prist pris pris- t oner's onee's counsel he announced A young chap evidently Just out of law s school hool stepped forward and drew I me a little to one side f Plead Not guilty he directed t and be careful to say nothing more t Of Ot Of course e I Im rm not n replied guilty I ha had nothing to do with It IL I c could uld see by y his face that he did I not believe me and as I turned again l. l to the court I made up my mind that I IY Y even eYen If It the court had assigned him himas 1 as m my counsel I would tell him notha noth noth- a ing ng How do you ou plead 2 asked the thet J t court F j Not guilty I replied j Remanded without bail ban for tor further examination n until Thursday morning snapped ped the court and I was led back into an ant anteroom room Mr Myers and the detective accompanying me The Inti latter lat Int- i ter there surrendered me to some thin frO dill elal presumably a prison keeper I J Looks pretty b d b td d for you sal said 1 r f Myers as we were left alone for tor con COD I suppose it does look that way way I i No chance to make It self defense he went on plainly amazed at my manner No ever stand for a burglar in shooting self No I I. I admitted I suppose they y wouldn't wouldn t. t Fortunately Im I'm no burglar bur- bur Ziar glar ar If we wa could make out It was a lovers lovers' quarrel he suggested If Ie I had ever known Miss Lutan 1 I admitted that might not make a abad abad abad bad defense Look here herl he replied Indignantly young you linw you you- are arc up against It fc ti you s seem m to tn realize L. L r They've got the goods on you and It'll be the chair for yours If It youre you're not careful Youve You've got no chance proving an alibi Why WIlY not I never saw Miss Lutan until I 1 saw her body In her bel rooms I Ineer never ne was In her rooms until I went In n there with Mr Wick after we had heard the shot What's more 1 I never owned a revolver In my life Ufe and never saw the one the detectives found until they pulled It out of ot my dresser drawer Incredulously he listened I could see sec that he did not believe a word I Iwas Iwas Iwas was saying You dont don't look like a dope fiend either he observed scathingly Look here I retorted it Is bad enough to to have the police take It for tor granted that I am a criminal and a murderer but when the counsel the court assigns assigns' me starts out on the same course we quit right now Ill I'll get a lawyer of my own when I need one Ill Til come around this afternoon and see you again he said coolly A few hours In hi the Tombs will make you see things differently A few minutes later I found myself ensconced in n a cell again still confident cone dent of my speedy release but somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- what puzzled as to what would be my best method of procedure I was unacquainted unacquainted unacquainted un un- un- un acquainted with any lawyers In fact with any anyone one In the whole city with i whom I could consult My immediate hope lay In my friend Detective Gor Got Gotman man There was nothing for me to do but to watt walt until I heard from him Fortunately I had had the forethought forethought fore tore thought when the detectives were arresting ar arresting ar- ar resting me lne to take from Its hiding hiding- place in In the bookcase my little hoard of money This enabled me to send out of the prison and have a luncheon brought In Making myself as comfortable comfortable com com- as possible I sat down to wait waft for Gorman occupying my mind meanwhile meanwhile meanwhile mean mean- while with thinking of Barbara Bradford Brad Brad- ford The thing uppermost in my mind was how to prevent her from being In any way Involved She must never ne er know that only by her testimony would I be able to prove an alibi Should she ever realize this I knew that her sense of Justice would make her come forward and tell the truth even though It m meant ant the loss of her own reputation and the scandalizing of nUber nil all her ber acquaintances She must not be permitted to talk She must not even try to see me while I was In prison The one way way the the only way I way I saw by which I could escape from the laws law's toils toUs without implicating her was through the speedy rounding up of the band of criminals wh wb I 1 was positive were responsible for Miss Lutan's murder as well as for all our troubles I was relying on Gorman to do this A keepers keeper's voice Interrupted my chain n of thought Youre wanted down In the counsel room he said There is a visitor for you JA LA visitor I cried excitedly Who Is it I thought of course It must be Gorman come to my rescue Its your sister he announced My ly sister A thrill shot through me at his announcement I knew of course It t could not be my sister Bothof Both Bothof of t them were mere children far away In to the West Vest It must be Barbara fly M MI I I Stood There Astounded It Was Not Barbara It Was Her Slater Sister Claire Undoubtedly she had bad re resorted to this ruse to make sure of seeing me while white at the same time concealing her own I identity Overjoyed at her coming delighted I to o know that I had read her h heart rt aright and that my confidence In her trust In me was Justified I hastened with the keeper to meet her ber Delighted as I was at her coming I 1 Iwas Iwas was formulating in my mind how best to make it clear to her that she must leave at once and that no matter what happened she must keep her lips closed about the events of last night Under no circumstances would 1 I permit permit per per- mit her ber to sacrifice herself hersel to save inc mI me meIn In the tile counsel room a veiled url figure awaited me mo I sprang forward f en eagerly eager r ly toward her The woman there put up one hand In n It ri p nr gesture esturo and then ten flung dung back hack her r tn I t uC 1 a. a b hr c w c I 1 stood there astounded It was not Barbara It was her sister Claire Clare CHAPTER X X For a full minute Claire Bradford and J stood there observing each other other oth oth- er Even before belore a word was spoken I 1 think we both sensed our mutual distrust As I studied her I was tryIng trying tryIng try- try Ing to conjecture what could have been the motive so Impelling that she had dared to come even within prison walls to see me Had Barbara sent her I doubted It I was sure that more than likely her visit was to plead with me to keep silent about her part In to the tragedy I was certain certain cere tain she was going to ask me to pledge my word to tell teU no one ne of her second visit to the Gaston apartment Yet as I studied her weak beautiful face so like Barbaras Barbara's and yet so different different dif f ferent rent with its Us sensuous mouth and roving ro brilliant nt eyes I still was was' wondering won won- n- n dering how It was possible for a girl of her refinement and social position to have become enmeshed with such common criminals as the two employees employees employees' employees employees' em em- of ot the Wick and the telephone girl To what am I indebted for the honor of this visit I asked at length adding with some sarcasm from my sister Never ever for a second had I imagined that other than a selfish motive could have brought her thither and the conversation conversation conversation con con- that followed was all the themore themore themore more surprising to me on that account ac ac- countI count countI I had to say I was your sister she answered quickly I wanted to tobe tobe tobe be sure of s seeing you and I did not wish anyone to recognize me You Youk k know ow I believe who I am You You are Barbaras Barbara's sister I re re- re- re plied why I came she cried for tor Barbaras Barbara's sake I have come to plead with you for herTo her To plead with plead with me for me-for for her I echoed in n astonishment Yes she cried passionately young She's little more than thana a child She did not realize what she was doing You must not let anyone know you even know her ber You must never never tell Never tell what I answered noncommittally non- non S She answered with a convulsive sob I thought for a little that she was going to break down completely Her manner and the pallor of ot her face attracted the attention of the keeper who was in the room with us and he started forward as If expecting her herto herto herto to f fall ll in a f faint Resolutely she pulled herself herselt together and went on on in calmer tones Oh I know all ll about It I know that she Is completely fascinated by you I know that she has haR been meetIng meeting meeting meet meet- ing you In the park I know v that she has lunched with you at the Astor She hesitated and her face crimsoned I I know that she has even visited you In hi your looms tooms rooms late at night Oh please please I beg of ot you If there is a spark of manhood In you do not take advantage of a silly girls girl's weakness Please help me protect my little sisters sister's name promise prom prom- ise you Ise you will wont won't you Why should I U I replied carelessly careless careless- ly repressing my ray desire to leap at once to Barbaras Barbara's defense and explain how pure pure and honorable her conduct had been and how lofty the motive that had governed her actions Tempted though I was to defend her I realized that this might be an opportunity opportunity opportunity op op- op- op to learn something of Claire Bradford's associates and I determined determined determined deter deter- mined to make the most of It How else could she know of ot all aU my my meetIngs meetings meet meet- ings with Barbara unless she was In league with the persons who had been having me shadowed How the knowledge that Barbara had been In hi himy my apartment could have come to her was a mystery beyond me I would have sworn that that was a secret sacred sacred sacred sa sa- sa- sa cred to our two selves Listen to me she commanded speaking In n low tones Barbara Is Ismy Ismy ismy my baby sister Innocent of the ways of the world I must save her from herself herselt and her heedlessness Never never If I can help it shall she suffer the agony and shame and disgrace that I have known Years ago I Just Justas as she Is now became Infatuated with witha a man far below me In the social scale He too was a criminal I sniffed indignantly at the he too but she paid no attention I ran a away way from school and married married married mar mar- ried him and learned too late that he had a wife and child already All my life ever since that terrible thing has followed me Its It's like Uke a specter ever rising to confront me Even If I have to kill you I am going to save my littie little tittle lit tit tle tie sister from following In my steps Where is Gaston Maurice now I asked Have IIa you seen him recently She gasped and aDd shuddered sh looking at me Incredulously You she breathed excitedly who are you How do you know his name flame Never mind how v I know it It I re- re plied What I 1 wont want to know Is here r Is hp he now When did you see Mm hits last InI Not 01 for far years years not not since long be- be be rS t I fore lore my fathers father's death not death not since the marriage was annulled Nor heard beard from him I persisted No nor heard from him she hesitated hesitated hesi hest unless Unless what I Insisted as she she- stopped abruptly I cant can't tell you she said firmly I dont don't know They must have come from him from someone that knew knew knew- the letters What letters Tell TeU me me about them I cant can't tell what I 1 dont don't know I haven't ha the least Idea where Gaston Maurice Is I 1 had hoped he was dead In the war Yet he cant can't be I have had anonymous letters threatening me They m mIst st have come from him himor himor himor or from someone whom he told of ot our marriage How else could they know Her lIer distress was so real and her manner so o convincing that I decided that she must be telling the truth Well said I I. I if It you cannot |