University of South Carolina Libraries
VOLUME XXXV. LAURENS, SQUTH CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1920. NUMBER 43 Johns (Continued from Last Week.) CHAPTER V. I was deternined to let the disap pearance of the jewels elone until I had found some way of getting tke Bradfords out of their troubles. ~b key to *!e mystery surely lay in *0 notes that had been found on the fve to both apartments. If I could disceo er how the notes had been put there and who put them there, I would be on the trail of the miscreants. The placinr of the notes indicated the necessity of a confederate in the apurtilent house. Could it be hiat one of the employees was in league with the plotters? Was one of &V Bradford servants betraying thea? Was iy aged great-uncle in hidf somewhere, playing malevolent prnak on ts? How had that note gotten in to my own apartment? Nobody had access to the place but mnyself-yes, and Mrs. Burke, my great-aunt's trust ed old laundress. I determined to re turn to the apartment and lie in wait for her until she came in to do up my room. In the week that I had lived there I had not even laid eyes or her, although each evening when I cuae ill I iouni lmy imd nealy made. While I awaited her arrival I busied myself with studying anow the differ ent rooms in the apartment, hoping ever to find some new clue to the - methods by which the anonymous notes lhad been delivered.. I went to the back of the house and looked out of the rear windows. An ornamental ledge of stone, perhaps eighteen inches wide ruf along apparently on theievel of the flooring. Any agile person might easily have crept along it if they dared risk falling six stories to the ground, but there was no means of access to it save from either my bed room or the sitting room or from the corresponlding roois in the Bradfor.d tipartmet. Certainly no one from lily apartment hlad been flipping mysterl ous notes into the other apartment. Could -the converse be true? Was ther'' some uinaitlnneed personi in the lrlndford family who was d(oing it? (ould it I ono (if the serviants, or po assibly Claire Bradford? She aiways lad4 been flighty, iecording to lir sis ter's deseri pt io. H1ad ler trolble unhlinicted her to such alt extent thnt Sie was playing miysterious hysterlea pr -1ki oi all of us? I sat dlowi at moy unmcle's desk. The pigeoniholes eraoimmied full of paperg caught my eye. Under ordinary Or Under Ordinary Circumstances Wouid Have Hesitated to Examir Them, but Now I Felt No Scruples. cuimstmances I would have hesit ated I examine thema, but nowv I felt serupIIles. Old Rufus had wa rned a that there was some mnystery abol0 t ho plnce. The pearls had strange disappeared. I faced the necusath of hgiving stoalen themi. Suriely I wi entitled to examine anything and e orythinig In my efforts at solving ti maystecry. Pigeonhole after pigeonhole I extd1 inied without result until at last I enai to a little leather-covered (diary. read it with interest, noting that was for the present year anid that il last entry hadl been mande only the 1 before lhe had departed for Ma 1 About six weeks iprevious to .tho~ paa ent date I found this amaini nts "heard whispers last nighi A week later there was another ( try- "Wlhisners again'." flho cot The [ouse hispers ton by '"' . Irw i Mye tw be no question as to wvhat he meant. The ghostly noises that had been heard by both Miss Bradford and myself had been heard by him, too. No wonder the old man had been so terrilled. Other entries In the book recorded hearing the whispers at intervals of about one week. I wondered which had been his bed room. It was hardly likely that he had occupied the room in which I slept. As I debated the matter I heard someone moving about my room and went to investigate. It was Mrs. Lilren. mnking n my bed. She would know which room my great-uncle had been accustomed to occupy. As I entered the bedroom for the purpose of cross-questioning her, my first Impresson-and philosopers tell us that the first Is most likely to be the correct one-was of a simple-mind ed, kindly old Irish woman of the ut most honesty. I was certain 'ust by looking at her that there wasn't a crooked hair in her head, even if she had had the intelligence necessary for crimes beyond the ordinary. "It's Mr. Nelson I'm seeing at last," she exclaimed with satisfaction. "I was wondering when I would be lay Ing eyes on ye." "-Yes," said 1,"1 "I"Mr. NI'elson, Mr. Gaston's great-nephew." "Sure and I'd have knowed ye any where. It's as like ye are as two peas, barring the old gentleman's white hairs." Ifer statement rather startled me, for while I never had regarded myself as an Adonis, on the other hand I nrver had supposed I looked anything ike Old luftis. - "Was this my great-uncle's pedroorn whee 'hv wis here?" I asked, trying to wake my inquiry seen casunl. "It was and It wasn't." Mrs. Burke replied. "Ie gets queer notions, the ould gent lenan does. In the last few weeks he's slept in every room in th house." "What made him do that?" "It's not for me to be saying." Do voutly sho crossed herself. "Some "Sometimes I Do Be ThInking i House Is Haunted." times I (10 1)e thinkIng the' house haunttted. Thle old manii was all tl She heusitted and1( looked furtive "'About whilipers," I su:.ge'st ed. I stenid of repilyitng to miy question al shot antotlher one11 at tie. "Anid have ye been hearilng thei too?" e I laughed, trying to put a note merriment Into my tones. "I dlon't believe In things likec that The old wvomian noddedl her lie: sagely. it "It ain't believing in themt thin that makes you hear themi. Elthv you hear thema or you don't. The ( nman heardl them." "IHow (10 you know?" "Didn't I hear him asking mese about it? le hoard them, ma times." "How about the othiers-the sol ants-did1 they hoar theml, too?" it "They may have that. Niggerds 10alwvays hearing things anyhow. I what tho whIte folk hea'r that count S"How nhlout the other apartments Sthe house? Do the people in the Shear whispers?" "N'evor that I've heard toll of, 1 ,how should I know? ThIs is the o1 1placo in thep house that I work." "Did Mrs. Gaston over speak to you about it?" "She did and she did not. Sho nev er in so many words asked me If I heard them. All she siys to me was, 'Nora, if ever you see or hear anything strange or unusual here, you're to lot me knowt at once,' And I says, 'Yis, Mrs. Gaston, I will.' "And have you ever seen or heard anything?" The old woman buised herself with minklng up the bed for a moment be fore she answered me. "I'ml) not saying I've seen anythIng," sho began, "but there's tlugs I could be telling if I was minded to open my 111)s." "If you know anything," I said, "you mnust tell ne. Mr. Gaiton put me hero to fibd out what was wrong." "There's no doubt there's wrong here." 'What makes you say that? What have you seeni? What do you know?" "It's neither what I've seen nor what I know." She nodded mysterl ously. "IL's what I've been hearing mnyself."# "i1or heaven's sake, wonian," I cried, losing patience, "what is it you'vo hea rd ?" "I've heard them walking," she an nlotInCedI with mum air of truinph. "Youi'veU ead who wal Iking?'' "TIhe little OOmtle, of course. Who (Continued on Page Five. ) o W E N BROS. -MARBLE & GRANITE CO. DIOSIGNERS MANUFACTUREIRS ERECTORS Dealers in everything for the nemo tery. The largest and best equipped mon uimontal mills In the Carolinas. GREENWOOD, - - S. C. There are some things a man can forget faster than a horse can trot One is to mail his wife's letters; another is to see about his haberdashery. Remem bering who pitched tast Tuesday is easy. Recalling the newest story is child's play, but---the need for new furnishings seems to go in one ear and out the other. This is to remind you of what your wife mentioned yesterday: "Your wardrobe needs freshening up badly." AND THIS IS THE BEST PLACE TO FILL YOUR NEEDS. SHITSNeed Pajamas? Uncommon Ties SHIRTSj 110A .14 00 11NI-il 110 1, m laiteri. W\e have soilelo' 'LOA DS1Y OIl 'll-in nieat Y011 IC li~i O)i ' and attractive , pat teris vdh1(s livre ill "allless' w(11t(1i pleity ofI olor-the liva x rip d pat I eia 1, fliie work illaltslip i llii k illd yol'll wa lt t o we li tlld when youI I o arollnd with . ut a vest . bSilk Shi rts 1 la on, T They're a necsiy to the " a t manl who sitrives toim prtvp e his appearai4e. pat terns here inl Silk anld Fis Bett e i A 1-1111 th esto h) 1 sT (l0 part .ersey Silk at W1a rs Better (ti* is ad Jil $8.50 to $15.00 li i I('ll, r 'r I 'i' Fibre Silk Shirts II~~~~~~~~V 11(l.iil xi ix 1111 Ii i Tlre is evmoomy in ll -se I'ihreSilk Shirts. hhe Se silyoutst inlg t hiO rich appelKane of pure silkat ns-iderbly le ti e but Owhey havI ,n unusuil rab Ill ity. $5.00 to $7.00 Satin Stripe ShirtsIIvrei 1dnvai'ath Sai Stripe Shirts seem tohave the enll hese dys. I They vomle inl colorful, pleasing patternls, inl line heavy dosIo lt h eual- ~l ~I teR D H T as(I ity fabrIivs-julst. the Sort. of! Shirts that tonei up1 a uno ls out fit. al po li whv n tr ly fi w nd ily $4.00 to $6.00 evv rae tal lI Aehv evr vl cor I lii\ s i I 1-li l i ' IIm 'lii1l vi M adras Shirts 44144'S -, hl it's s it lit Id 111111' (l~~i'/.(.'il at l('li~t * \So 11,1 'Vt'-r is noi ij it 4 hll t s1I I I I ii I11 sl l.r 0 tore Shirts that lit in withl "vestless''. days. Youlp i t 1,4c enn buy theln With the von lhdilne thmt thley w il Iook rigt ttis s r, a stillCTh Ca 14, ~retainl their hull color. after. $"3.090 to $5.00Sta it . Lha yues, h. C. GeenwodliveC ir n o w u k dA :' ha[ dozen;a1 dieast.' *