Show what v V the gray U sellia ou hid v THE STORY halton ton tranby prosperous new york rn merchant ha has li purchased a country place the irwy house near pine plains altos Selo Se lonos noa a former tenant of the gray dray house warns warna hini him that the house la Is under a curse further alarm ienir details are impressed upon adolf hanaya sevra tary by a man who claims to have been chauffeur for sir stanford seymour former occupant of the place the die laugh in tho the warnings as some form of bof practical joko joke nut but they ther are shocked when they hear that the caretaker whom they pave have put in char charene geor of the gray house a mn man named kerr has been mysteriously mur murdered derel hanby consults his friend pelham the family starts for the new home appleton el a clerk of douglas and smith the agents front from whom hanby bought the oray graj house explains to pelham that a dan kerens pond near the houseen hou house seln in which several children have been drowned has bag since beert been tilled in but he urges kelham to dissuade hanby from occupying the orny gray house hanby and junior learn that the caretaker was known to io the allce rolice an aa ned chapin and had a bad record CHAPTER III HI continued it was his first opportunity to see I 1 a man with a price on his bend deaths death had revealed with marked emphasis the unsocial qualities with which tied had been dow lowered ered what be had bad tried during life to hide bide was now plain for all the world to i see the loose mouth the short brazi urn um the thrust forward jaw junior I 1 shuddered a little 4 what do you suppose he wanted the ejob job of looking after an aa empty house 1 for its my belief he be was ll hilling IdIng said bold I 1 the policeman from kings kingston ton ive checked up on him pretty well ue ile kept himself to himself in kingston lie he received no cullers callers or wall mall ells 1 landlady says he was suspicious of strangers red was always one to fre quent pool rooms and places like that I 1 hu fla Is trip lie kept away from thera them SIZ why 1 he knew they was after him i T juljo junior asked eagerly angerly en gerly y fo for rt 1 that he was listening open eyed to a policeman ignorant of apsy cb I 1 the man mah that thai bumped him ot oft we ta shant pro probably bubly ever eat r know who weve gofred go tRed and somebody else easell pick up hla ants when their time cornea comes i the policeman pointed to the dead i mans big roughened hand band thata tho the hand that squeezed the if lire fe 0 out of a soli salt lake city detective strangled himin him in a telephone booth he did ond and not a soul near dear by heard it thatis ilie hand band that shot half a dozen men look a at that face mr air elaney it and aid w when lien you see another like it watch jut 11 t 1 will junior setd quickly 6 4 no lie envied the professional his bis poise f ata tj moment tike like this so occupier ja scar waa be vath ith this intimate touch of i crime that he did not notice until the i car slowed downto down to pass annelin that rhe he had again missed the gray Grayl house louse ii illow Vp wl I 1 he fie said a mile or so further on ion you missed that truck by little liess iless than an hinchl you sou exaggerate replied his father it half bolt an aa inch im to in a hurry burry to get home bill pelham may have news they did not speak again for some time then thein hanby surprised his son iby by asking questions concerning leal leslie ie jabarron JB barron arron the youth to whom celle cella go geive ve i a good deal of her time tim e tests les ta impeach a il peach sold said junior warmly it if I 1 were he be I 1 stand the way cella behaves one day sugar and the next vinegar 1 I 1 r e seen that hanby returned h a t not dot unusual I 1 did aid not mean chaty athaly la he courageous would bebe be he be a useful maelda ronn man lda id a tight place you ought to have seen the scrap I 1 the h out pu up against a strung armed walter that tried to put him out of a I 1 roadhouse last ink april I 1 the walter waiter was an old pugilist and he cert certainly athly could punish les knew ile he t was outweighed and outclassed and he had athance a chance to duck but he that sort of at a mothers boy bay ue he ans out ouk for t twenty minutes interesting fils father corn com mentee Bien ted 1 I 1 think the file inguld Inn lari guld uld f les lea had a fight in n him but you dont elpe expect cottre roe to approve of a rowdy buy boy i twing thrown out of a roadhouse I 1 hope i it a questionable once junior 0 retorted youve taken mother wre les aes rowdy hes just tits las tie complained of a b big J fly lo in 11 his i k cochee off that roused the walter waiter i t tu fury ry bad and he fie said that les could ia drink wor it or not but chehad he hal to pay junior wrin any y nia his should asu about lesliea Le gani gangeness eness A ar r nanby hanby was la in an unusually R PA i thought Vil mood ff W youre pretty husky he suld said pres prea S i f abat do you feighl wt t 4 A hundred and cven ty stripped ftc junior told haus lars imy my to d hair les so HO A much uch Is laell bey y tle aad bill weigh 4 u hundred und fatty fave stripped chyl going to 1 1 I some boxing exhibitions ahava on your mind dad k lupin it would more i tian talen dour skill to find out y I 1 tit twease ause I 1 dav dot kaow myself I 1 apul agulo k alzo for le it alfor for the first tinie time the me Ss bruy house gave me a shiver as 1 0 ditl mul elul ul ul darwas r the cause 1 p ty fali dont doall revel I 1 hute hate it I 1 0 alse pc ilK tit in be doiy lial jpy ind and barmont X f M CT ja v us aj sli ld lj me tend leaa siaa the mentery of a haunted mansion 21 sj V wyndham martyn W M X U service copyright by wyndham martyn almost invariably to dependable depend uble people I 1 have picked this fellow red chapla to have watched a dog if he fie was halt OR as bud bad ca as you say I 1 took that man Sr over with mhd business the d d dirty I 1 caught myself calculating my forces if iny anything thing unpleasant happened hupp ened up ht at the gray house bouse bill fulliam would tackle a lloa single handed lies hes been proved I 1 won dered a 0 tittle little about leslie lesile idad dad you dont really think theres anything wrong with tant new place placey im not going to be frightened out of it by any rudo rude old woman inquired junior his eyes sparkling tit at tile thought ill have to disappoint you by bj saying no it t was just juat a passing tit ol of depression it has gone ill be gone too if you dont cut th the speed down tits his son cautioned slow down I 1 theres a motor cop lu in the offing 11 CHAPTER IV bill pelham was waiting for them wont tube take me ten minutes to get into nto clean clot clothes bes said hanby ive got strange news dina so has 11 she ret retorted alna Is s of a tragic nature youve nothing do 0 0 roe me said bill im tn in the wholesale tragedy business dina pelham and tranby finnby discussed the matter in the fib library listened is to what appleton had find told his hi friend then Sn lying he remarked appleton App teton corroborates hid 1114 story it means that some one wants to prevent us living there what could tile the reason possibly be 1 I give it up tip said lel Ile hum thum do di you think the police have the right lope on tile the chalpin murders mur derl whit what else could it ile he that these same people who want to keep you gift out started to terrorize you ou by murdering him it may be that he was an innocent ln avent vIct victim lin of course we know that he was wanted by the law alv and that la laa a sense his removal la is a blessing to society hut but till nil the same he may have intended to bo be un an honett honest wat watchman elimon for the line lime beilic dino dind said hanby presently again conscious of his cifes unusual debrei de slon allf if you arg ar seared scared at the pr hect of going ut up there ill open nago tiati flattens ons with aless who pur par lanthes und and m mit willit allt about 10 U think twice before you answer bill bil I 1 warned her 1 I 1 lauve lt even evan seen tile place i ce yet tet I 1 she said smiling ini im not going n R be frightened out bt bf it by uny tiny rua oll old woman fill 1111 I 1 believe aws atthe hot torn tom of ull chist ni mystery alery ini im not to rub rob my iny housatonic of his alsi mamorl BM led what Wh that ellla real name at college collage joo called callea him ailin tony its a 11 new 0 one ale on nie me said imald hill minie itlane your aunt selina fur it hatibi hanby decla declared she got tile nie going w with ith tier her california rivers I 1 tell tall you that old ling hns has a face like the furles furies slie she may be mad und tind vindictive but bui theres something oo on her mind more than a passing whim I 1 dont know hut but donaa right sho she said I 1 should disaster ruin and aid even death theres some mystery about my pleasure house in dutchess county nothing will keep roe away from it now dina asserted we shall have four able bodied men la in the place all tho the auni summer merl foury Fo uril her husband demanded you are not counting fourteen year old tim as an aa able bodied male are you there will tie be you junior leslie and bill me le belham cried of coursel course 1 on your you rown own bonfe slon youve nothing to do until your company Is a reorganized in the fall danger calls and we need you ive already picked out on your suite dina you are taking great chances sven kven dull witted 1111 the he last to scent the he danger knows that im in love with you that makes you so much the safer you shall work believe me im crazy to have some stately old world gardens you shall be my man with the hoe 1 I 1 sign on here and now said bill where are you going 1 I promised to 16 tell tim about the inquest quert In uy my children have the modern interest tn in crime dont got I 1 shant be very long pelham looked at hanby almost wistfully ulf hit was that a joke on me ma or a genuine invitation dont you want to comet comel 4 except for the reason that your wily la is my family that I 1 shall live rent free and make enough out of YOU yon at pool pilot to spend an affluent winter ano no I 1 settled then amid canby honestly bill I 1 shall be glad to have a man like you with nerve und and courage around the house that sounds as lf if you anticipated trouble oddly enough I 1 do I 1 must be get ting old but driving back today I 1 be gan gab to make excuses for fornet 09 living in the gray house bouse subconsciously I 1 was actuated by fear most moat people patron ize their subconscious mind nowadays but its the subconscious mind that thai gives you tile the real danger signals im ruing going up there hut but im not going up there with the idea that every prospect Is ns as pleasing as it looks look im on gu bardl a rd I 1 if so BO I 1 demand a salary as well weil ns as trpe free board and entertainment male make it five dollars a day and replace all clothes stained with gore in ID UK the 1 exercise of my duty with ones of equal e or greater value the trouble with you la is that after along on thirty thousand a year and a mere duplex apartment youve got twice chilt amount and a thirty roon room man slon it has gune gone to your poor weak head you are paying too much atten tion to poor aunt sekna ayou you see or hear her jan elan by reminded hloi him ashes merely a crank one mom ing thirty long years ago in the bosky dells that are now yours she met a rustic swain and pursued him with love wisey he jumped into the lake lind and was drowned oneL dr tt it Is a sacred apoi to tier her what about tha seymour chaut beur an ignorant gnon int good hearted gene generous rout man fund fond of children his sl simple untutored mind believes that evil spirits dwell there because his boss ventured on an unsafe bridge and wre ere drowned probably he be hap ha a dozen kids himself As to red chapin thap ln he took refuge there and wa k hl aed led by tits his whom he had bad double crossed perfectly plain as I 1 see it ft 11 maybe hanby sald slowly it 1 it merely annoyance tent the house I 1 bought for vina should be mixed up in n this tragic business he spoke al a most irritably 1 I hilte gloom and tears und and death when I 1 first drat saw ahr gray aimse I 1 suld said here Is a where people have been happy prett rotten picker ell eh bill yur your family far rilly will take the curse on oft anything said the other dina alna wilt will have us nil dain ving us dappley as ever junior will wili bring his crowds crowd and cell will import hers hera I 1 miss my guess li 11 he result wont be a very ery interesting dince dance on I 1 he concluded dramatically outside your win dows monr faithful falin ful house detective will he watching the simple minded sleuth whose meager pay lis is tf 11 dollars ollars a da ind and extras during lie the day I 1 shull shall he be hoe man an in chief to 0 dina at dusk I 1 ani am the house detective ril ill set et a deputes deput ys badge to in case I 1 have ha e to make arrests was a knock on the door anti mary blonn entered TO BE CONTINUED |