Show The House of Whispers ers ersBy I By WILLIAM JOHNSTON I 1 r Copyright b by Little t Brown Browe Co 00 r r f J. J I CHI PTER CHAPTER Continued 1 d. d 14 14 While I was debating the situation in my my mycell cell a keeper opened the door Youre You're wanted downstairs ho he ani announce an an- i r F What Is it I asked wonderingly Youve got a visitor Who I questioned eagerly Could it I wondered be e Barbara Had my L sternly repressed longing to see her herIn herIn In some way communicated itself to her through the ether and Impelled e her to throw caution to the winds and come rome to the prison to see sec me mel melI I dont don't know the tho keeper answerl answer answer- l ed Its a man I dont don't know who wh-o he Is A man Who could it be bel In all nil the monotonous time I had been b bey hind the bars only two men had come cometo to see me Gorman and McGregor It f could coald not be either of or them for both were well ell known to the prison attends attend attend- s ants As I hastened down the long corridor past the dismal row of or barred doors I was revolving in my mind the thes s possibilities of or my callers caller's Identity Who could It be Spurred on by t my curiosity I hastened Into the ilie counsel coun tm sel eel room There sat my mf uncle great I Rufus He ne looked In much better physical l lo condition o than when I had last seen him more vigorous and healthier His Ills skin was browned from exposure exposure- to toa a th sun and wind and his eyes were clearer clearer and brighter As I studied his face I could trace no vestige there of or orthe r the terrible fear that Chat had bad seemed to obsess him on the last lust occasion of our f meeting m cUng For For Fora a n moment we eye yei ey ach each other other without speaking I was wondering wondering- and well I think I might whether might whether tb the suspicions I had at times In regard to him had had been wholly without fount foun foun- t dation Could Gould It be possible that the crafty miserly old chap was the master master mas mas- F ter mind at the bottom of all the K mystery and plotting As my previous suspicions came came up In my mind I de tie- determined deter ter to be be- wary In what hat 1 I said to hUnt him The The fires of anger toward 4 l him lm began to kindle within me we as I looked at him I felt that it it Tas as iras his fault that I Iwas was lacked licked up h hire re Meanwhile he had been studying me Ills His ke keen old eyes eyes had had surveyed ed me Ine e front from head to foot returning to rest fixedly on my face as ns though he was r trying to read my thoughts I wont wondered wondered won won- t dered what was passing in his tr mind Was he Inwardly chortling at nt the plight in which he found me Was he distressed to see seea a 11 relative blood-relative behind the bars Did he believe that I was guilty of ot the murder of Daisy Lutan Lutan- How had he learned of my arrest What was his purpose in coming to see me But Buthis Buthis Buthis his expression was was- unfathomable so far as I was was concerned w TIe lie was the first to speak So you Sq you didn't do It did you 1 t Of course not I I retorted Indigo indig Did you suspect that I was wasa a 11 murderer tie no Te shook his head disparagingly smiling an inscrutable smile The evidence against you OU certainly looks convincing J I I dont don't care I exclaimed with beat Im as Innocent of ot the killing of t Daisy Lutan as I as I hesitated hesitated as r ns as you Ton are t He TIe nodded hi hl his head approvingly i There there boy dont don't get excited Of 01 course I know you are tiro r innocent Youre You're of the Gaston blood and there 4 never mever was a Gaston that was a murti murderer murderer mur mur- ti derer or a lawbreaker I never suspected suspected sus sus- G petted you for a single second I was was' off oft In the Maine woods twenty miles from a n railroad I didn't see a newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper until day before yesterday ever eve eve- r sing ning My eye just happened to catch paragraph about the It It t was about your trial for the murder of Miss Lutan being set for next week e t That was the first I had heard about It I traveled all night to get to you u My feelings toward him underwent I tt sudden revulsion There was every evidence of sincerity In his manner The knowledge that he believed In me I was Ras the most welcome news I had I beard heard since my Incarceration Well soon soon soo have hava you out of ot berehe here bere he be went on now that I am here to help bmp you I got you into this and Jm bil get you out of It 1 If It takes every everyL L cent I possess Theres There's more than ono one fight left In old Rufus yet Now v I f start tart at the very beginning and tell me everything that has happened J since I have been away auay What a relief It was to talk freely I i With my mind once and ana for all cleared cleared cleared clear clear- I ed of all suspicion toward my old pe uncle treat uncle t-uncle I began my story SomeHow Some- Some How Dory the tie of blood Is strong in time of trouble I found It vastly easier casler r to too talk with m my aged relative than It bad had been with either Gorman o or my e lawyer I F began with nUh my chance meeting with Barbara Bradford in the park parkas as the blackmailers awaited her there 1 II told everything that had bad followed y 1 whit the utmost detail even een to such small matters as my first meeting r I 1 with Wick arid and rid the he undue curiosity c lie c had hall exhibited as to my acquaints acquaint acquaint- t s axe KC C with the Brad fords I 1 recited the story of my dis- dis chars to disgrace from m my position j. j i r and told of or Gorman's unavailing efforts efforts efforts ef ef- ef- ef forts to learn the reason The day I was discharged I w went wenton nt on I had drawn out from the savings bank all aU my money with the purpose of or sending it to my mother to whom I Iwas Iwas Iwas was In debt I still had It with me when I arrived h home me at the apartment and I decided to put it In the wall safe to which you recall you had given ghen me the combination Out of or mere curiosity I I made this confession confession confession confes confes- sion with a blush of or shame shame r I had inspected Inspected In In- the contents of the safe the day of or my arrival and had examined the two caskets The minute I opened the safe this second time I saw that it had seen been looted What exclaimed my uncle great starting from his seat not the pearls 1 1 I nodded Everything The casket with the pearls was gone The other with the trinkets was undisturbed Good heavens I he exclaimed My Iy wife's pearls stolen I Why boy I paid a hundred and fifty thousand dollars for that string Tell TeU me everything about It everything it-everything at once I could only repeat what I had told him already When I had opened the safe sare on Sunday the pearls were there When 1 I had opened It t again on the following following fol rol- fol- fol lowing Saturday the pearls were gone Of or course you told the police at once I explained to him why I had not done so and my reason seemed to satisfy him Go on with your story he calmly directed He lIe seemed to have himself well in hand again After Arter the first shock at hearing of or the loss of the pearls he showed no sign of or emotion or displeasure He TIe listened intently as I told him of my second meeting with Barbara Bradford when I had learned t that lat the Bradford wall safe had been looted too and the papers abstracted abstracted concerning concerning concerning con con- the of or Claires Claire's first marriage He nodded his head bend slightly when I told him of or the anonymous anonymOus anonymous notes found on the floor In both apartments Did you hear bear the whispers too he questioned Yes I answered I heard them several times Barbara has heard beard them and the laundress too A look of or unspeakable relief came over his face Im glad to know that others have heard them besides myself W When en a aman aman aman man gets old 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 or old age Now NOTY t that atI I know that the whispers are real there is nothing to fear And I observed I believe I am almost positive I can ban explain the origin of ot the whispers Tell me he cried his manner now now entirely changed He Ill seemed elated at discovering that his brain was stUl still dependable It was as 1 if f a burden had bad suddenly been lifted from him Here was my opportunity Gorman had utterly refused to credit my story of a secret ecret passage and had ridiculed It There had been no way that I could prove It t nor was It possible for Gorman to have investigated the walls Ct rt the he t. t e even if he had placed any credence In my story With my uncle great-uncle it was different As the occupant of ot the apartment he would have every right and opportunity opportunity to explore and verify my statements state state- ments I told him how while speculating speculating speculating lating as to the origin of the whispers I had bad observed the discrepancy in the tile measurements of ot the apartment and had verified my deduction that there was space for a passageway big enough for a man to traverse Inthe in inthe inthe the wall between the between 0 the room I had occupied oc oc- and the long hall ball He lie listened Intently as I described the plan of the rooms In d detail and nodded his his ap ap- And what is more I added triumphantly triumphantly triumphantly tri tri- Barbara Bradford and I had Just discovered an opening into It by pushing the wall panel In my room back and then sliding It along We Wo were Inspecting It when we heard the shot In the apartment below I closed dosed the tho panel and ran downstairs and have haTe had no opportunity since to Investigate investigate investigate gate but I am sure the passage is there I am convinced that It was the sound of voices there that made the whispers I suspect It was used by whoever left the anonymous notes In Inthe inthe the room and that the person or persons per persons persons per per- sons who looted the safes entered and escaped by that means I would not be he surprised If It it was not by means of this passageway that the murderer of Miss Lutan escaped after he lie had bad left his revolver In the drawer drower of m my dresser My Iy uncle great shook his per head It sounds improbable too Improbable too much like a romance They do not build modern apartment buildings with se secret secret se- se cret pl passageways Space Is far tar too valuable and besides all plans have to to be filed with the city's bureau of ot buildings But Its It's thorp there I cried desperately I saw faw It Barbara Bradford saw It it itell Well ell 11 he be comforted me we will iII i p t soon find fled out about it t I 1 have many matters to attend to today but tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row I shall go up to the apartment and If there Is such a passageway I Ishall Ishall Ishall shall find it and see where it leads Then you are not staying In the apartment t No I shall remain at a hotel until my wife returns At this juncture a prison attendant approached and informed him Mm that the time of his visit was up Imperiously my uncle great waved the man away Somehow the possession of great wealth carries with it a manner of ot expecting expecting expecting ex ex- ex- ex obedience from every one that generally Is successful The man withdrew muttering to to himself and left us undisturbed Now tell me about the murder Mr Gaston directed d. d Concisely I stated the facts as I knew them It was a shock to him to hear bear that at least two of or the trusted attendants at the Wick and the telephone girl were of ot the criminal class Tut tut tut tnt he exclaimed Just think of or it I That's the worst of or living In a big city You never know what sort of or people people there are about you Ill I'll call up Mr Kent the owner of or the building this this afternoon and have him get rid of them at once Please dont don't I cried Gorman and I are both convinced that Wick and the girl know something about the murder Dont Don't do anything to let them thel l know that they are under sus sus- suspicion So long as they are employed at the we know where to tolay tolay lay hands on them when hen we want them s so he be admitted Ill say nothing for tor the present As I wont won't be living there until after this is 7 7 l www j. j Youre a Wonderful Liar Liar- You Are Was His Surly Greeting cleared up it can make no difference But look here young man why doesn't this Bradford girl come forward and clear you ou of ot this charge She was with you at the time She knows you didn't do It It Because I will not permit her to do doso doso doso so I replied with heat I love Barbara Barbara Barbara Bar Bar- bara Bradford 1 I That's it is It he commented givIng giving ing fug me a quizzical glance from under his bushy white eyebrows I wouldn't for all the world I continued continued con con- have her mixed up in this Her lIer sister Is to be married tomorrow and the scandal might stop the wedding wedding wedding wed wed- ding and besides Im I'm not going to have haye it known that she was there alone with me that night In my rooms I love her ber too well for that Some day dayI I am going to ask her to be my wife He lie raised his eyebrows And on what do you expect to malry marry mar mal marry ry he Inquired Of or course I have said nothing as asyet asyet asyet hastened Ive nothing nothing nothing noth noth- yet I to explain ing to offer her No he agreed youve Jou nothing to offer her her and and then with a meaning glance he added a little word that in spite of my predicament made mado my heart sing with Joy and stirred my expectations expectations ex ex- expectations mightily youve youve nothing to offer her her yet yet But sheer cheer he r up he advised as a n partIng partIng parting part- part Ing word of counsel nil Til get In touch with Gorman and your lawyer as soon as I leave here today and tomorrow we will find out about that secret pas passage passage passage sage you yoa think you have discovered Compunction that I ever had doubted doubt doubt- ed the Integrity of or his purpose toward me smote as he departed I tried to think of ot something to say to express my gratitude to him to let him know h how w much I appreciated his coming at once to my aid but the only thing I 1 could think of slipped from my ray lips Ups I am sorry about the pearls So am I he be answered grimly and went his way One thing now I certainly was sure of of his his was not the mind mastermind that had planned all the criminal deeds but hut the mystery of or the was still as much of a mystery mystery as ever t f CHAPTER CHAPTER XII It was the second day after this this this- the day day- set for Claire Bradford's weddin wed wed- din cling th t In the morning I much earlier ear ear- lier tier than customary Gorman came to the u to see sea mo me J 0 S 1 I met him Jubilantly My uncles uncle's unexpected unexpected unexpected un un- un- un expected return to the city and his hla generous and convincing offers otters of aid had bad filled me with new v hopes I J trusted too that old oll Rufus Rufus' keen eyes eye quickly would discover the secret passageway pas passageway now that I 1 had Indicated to him where to look for It I 1 was confidently confidently dently expecting that the resulting developments developments developments de de- quickly would free me from even the suspicion of ot being a murderer The minute however that I laid eyes on Gorman I knew that something had gone wrong What is It I cried the ma matter now Youre a wonderful liar you are was his surly greeting with your pipe dreams about secret passageways and stolen pearls What do you mean I replied ed I had not the least idea what he he |