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Show BEGIN HKHK TODAY I Mystery aiirrounds the suddonj coentrir.lty of throe wealthy and sedate brother1;, one of them thej father of youthful PATRICIA DIIAKK Alarmed bc-oauso bc-oauso of the evident terror which h;w gripped the- trio. Patricia asks the advice of her K'l'irdlan, ATTORNEY JOHN WELLS, an tella him that two weeks ago her father fath-er , HOBAJtT DRAKE, a Wall Street broker, brok-er, clothed himself in a shoot and went to tho town square whoro he dallvomd a mock oration. A few day. later her uncle, ROGER DRAKE, an eminent scientist made a burlesque o' a sclntlfle address ad-dress That morning. tho third brother, her uncle ANHREW. was found seated on the floor playing with toys. Tho threo are sane, sober and respected mon Vclla asks OWHN MILES. detective sergeant to Investigate QO ON WITH THE STORY. HAl'TEK II "I have never encountered ho strange ,t ra.-," J.ho lis remarked Whsp the offlcu door closed behind their ;. "unK client I have- beon the attorney for Ho-bart Ho-bart Drake ami his sister Jcrusha for the past twenty years and their affairs are In perfect shape." The attorney sat pack in his chair and placed the tips of his fingers to-I to-I aether refjeotlyelj "Roger's brilliant Clentlfio caroor speaks for llselt and t Andrew made a big financial success j of his shoep ranch I had known the family ypars ago um not Intimately- They held themselves aloof from the neighbors with the blttor prldc of poverty which resents thp memory of l j;int affluence 'I should like to know how they ' Improved you before prosperity returned re-turned to them " the dstecuyp asked "I want to gaug'' it hat changes tho I past twenty years have made in their sevorn' characters It s evident from i the widely different careers which they chose that the three brothers are as far apart In i emperament as th" : noles. ' "They always were " Wells remark ed remlnlscently "Roger is the old- si of tho family ho must be about ; fnriy-olght- and except In outward ap-pearancs, ap-pearancs, he has changed tho least, In 1 my estimation. He was always a r samor, s shy sort of youth Andrew two years his Junior, was Just- the j opposite; boisterous and fun -loving ! and more sociable than any of the I rest. Jeruslwi Mtes Drake comes next She was dignified and austere ' even as a mere girl." "What of the third brother, the father of the young lady?'' There you will find the greatet; change. Sergeant " Tho attorney ' hastily and in a more confidential confi-dential tone as If to make amends for his implied suggestion. "Ilobart was a drab, colorless young bank clerk at twenty-three, wholly without with-out ambition to get out of the rut N'uw he la a dynamic fo?ce on the Btroel and until this unfortunate episode epi-sode tho leading citizen of his community com-munity I cannot believe that his sanity is In question, much less than all three brothers should be attacked virtually the same time I I feel .hnt there must be some other explanation" expla-nation" 1 The attorney pushed back his chair and rising, moved t the window where he stood for a moment Then he wheeled. "Sergeant, I haven't a theory, a suspuclon, un idea of a pos-:lblo pos-:lblo solution! The whole thing la monstrous, incredible! If I were ignorant ig-norant and iiperstltious. If I believed In the Evil Eye !" Ho left the sentence unfinished and twatl Miles smiled slightly once more "But science has proved the existence ex-istence of the modern equivalent of the Evil Eye, hasn't It. sir." Isn't that what you're getting at?" "You moan hypnotism, of course? It comes too bizarre a thought to entertain seriously. If th'so three brothers arc not the victims of some strange drug, self-admlnlstcred or otherwise, which Is slowly driving them mad, what possible alternative explanation la there?" The detective roso also and picked up his hat from the desk 1 We shall see " The afternoon was well advanced When Sergeant Owen Miles approached ap-proached the Jong lines of glistening greenhouses near a country club and , then paused aa a hoarty voice hailed him from tho golf links. Turning he beheld a stocky robust figure clad In golfing clothes striding igorously toward him. "What the dickens I" Miles starod I as they clasped hands. "Scottle. svhat's com over you that you are j fooling around with tho Idle rich at ja country club"" , "Didn't you bear. Owen, my Ind . Fergus McCreadv beamed Joyously 'on his youthful friend. "This community com-munity has seen fit to take mo up i social like, and I've taken up nr.y own national game to keep id shape." ' I've got a bigger jams on than golf. Scottlo. and I hoped you would like to tako a hand In It with me. He paused sugxestlvely and Scot-tio Scot-tio rose to the bait "wht Is the case, laddie?" "When tho story was concluded he remarked briefly. " I'm with you It may bo a niad-houso niad-houso wo'ro going to but it sounds to me like something very different CHAPTER III Juert after the dinner hour that eve nlng, Sergeant AUIos, alias William Brown, the new houseman, presented himself nt tho kitchen door of the squaro old Colonial house In which so munv generations of tho Drake fam lly had lived. ' An elderly butler made his appcar- ' a nee "The new houseman? Miss Drake will SSS you In tho servants' sitting I room " I Almost Immediately a tall, gray-haired gray-haired woman entered. My niece engaged you at our usual agency''" Her '. oi was deeply con tralto and it seemed to .Miles that hor bright, dark oyes beneath tho strong brows wsr attempting to boro him I through. "Did She explain the duties whloh would be .-equlrpd of you?" Everything Is quite satisfactory William," she said, after he had an ! swered the routine questions. ''Wo I will give you a trial. Carter will show you to your room and Plerr'. will have some supper prepared for you In tho servants' dining room." Carter, tho butler, reappeared nnd led the way up two flights of back t.ilrs to a small but Immaculate room at the side of the house. Miles Waited until he- heard the other's . footsteps descending tho stairs before he extinguished the light and raised t h' shade. A. h I n f iL t A 1 t r-1 m n tU,iiv ruiinrlfl a shambling male flguro strolled down tho drive. It was assuredly neither the rtound chef nor the eldorly, dignified butler. Could it bo I'1' itside man' or was there an eavesdropper, an interloper hanging j about the place ? Descending to the ground floor I Males wandered out through tho I entry and across the driveway . The hour was growing late and II i wok probable that ho would have no opportunity that iiight to encounter th- three brothers. Miles turned Just as the shambling figure camo I sauntering around the bushes. 'What you doing here?" The no gros teeth woro chattering In his head "Who are you?" Miles countered amiably. -'I'm WUliam Brown, tho new houseman." Dat's do truf? I'm Klpldes Lunt " Is there njiy joke in what has do-s do-s ( iidcei upon uV." Hip. for short, night watchman till midnight an most ev ythlng else outdoors in do daytime." "Why. what's the matter?' Miles laughod. "There- cant be any danger dan-ger of tramps or ourglars " Rlpldes chewed rumlnativcly for a moment. "Thercs more dan tramps an' thieves can conic snshayin' 'round i Some might tunny things goln" on In his hers neighborhood lately an S hsn do next comes off it's goln' to be where Hip Lunt ain't I got lo be movln'l" CHAPTER IV Without encountering the reluclaut night watchman again, Miles ontered tho house and made hjs way up the I hack stairs to his own room J All was dartc on that side of thd house now save In the room Just be-j be-j low his own. Someone -,Vas pacing the- floor or that room below with a measured ! tread which told of deep concentration concentra-tion I Drawing on a dark bathrobe and slippers Miles opened hie door noise-and noise-and crept down ono Uight of ; stairs, making for the door whleh ho I calculated as being directly under his own He had gone but a few steps when a door across the hall op ned with a Jork. and a short, al- rnost burly nsur0 Wlth touselod ! rown ,halr ar,d a hiayy . sun- br?Wnid countenance crossed to tho j other door and turnde the knob coft- Milss was close enough to hear tho subdued, yet urgent tonea of the ric-wconier to "?"'" ,C- mC 1 Want to sk "What is It, Andrew? Am I never to have any peaco'" cr w1hSnOC..ClOBOd agaln bch'nd -hs rwo and Miles crept to It and laid his ear close to the pane' I It's Just this. Rower wnn'll . Pieces f you're' not5carefu. "" 52ST' Wresslve tone of Andrew Drake were louder now but roughly affectionate. ' Y0 ' : ' yourself dead away tonight to H friend btHmTKH,0bi! y?Ur and talk in,, ih begin to think aSSt"Siil?orpL? ',hht ,0" ' ll.lns oft a, a joke " who' out and mado that Turn. h wen' speech and vonr iV Jul1119 Caesar advised bTt SfleSSrvWM Tn jras only Play.ngP a TrlcT this 16 1 mg to scare th.-t fool i , morn-thot morn-thot straight"" Edward . Qet A moan was Roger's oniv . and Andrew growled y anwer "What's your Idea, then- r. want the whole town iff .v.. ? you we are afflicted?" Th thK,nl, a0pa.pahl. pause Ij&EP with fJ3J3 vole, was Haven't wo been for vM r, ,ray thOUgh no three, hav. even now to conceal It r, m an", Untl1 the world" What u ti the rest of to be" r can sheael tJ end goinR wall and I tell vou r nff 0n ,ho endure It untl, VtteJ Kdh ff'nfc' to There Is a qu ck way oul 81C,mes! sure ' ' J out' aulok and (Conttnoefl in 0ar Kcxt Igeue) |