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The House of Whispers Dy WILIJAM JOHNSTON Ilusrations by IRWIN MYERS Oopyright by Littlo, Brown & Co. 'e.'ontiletled from Ist page, this sctlion to 17-.f 1 that T vns :ail it(eof on(e sinlln h Althipti:'h wev h:tl hoen netpaninted 1,-t it a fl-w dlays, fndt a01ho-:-h har11lly a wvord of lojve! had as het wvonl 11", I k 0. th t her feel i- for o . lrl- ed ws.:nIAething~ ::rint orthnrivralsbl.!p I kiww th.t she trus:'--i III(. nrill that s!. eoild 1eri n f it hrl in lor it* fection fir fire. no untt Itr ilat nc erlsati cons wro bironr::het mw:ttn t ,ie. I had liol inlilly in love vitlh h fron atlinost the 'irst time ' I S:iw her. Wlt evelr Itilenei d', I ruu(3st kl; la- 'er (ilt of it. I nii t finld Irne oen' is of wariglm" her to sayi% lothing tio :mny one. I knew that ie'r first Inpulse is soon as sho lIPierd of liy arrli4t vol bllt to r"oFni to rmy rescue, r('ga rdle(ss of th facvt that fin establishimgr an alll for mv' sie( wvould Ie hlastinir bor )vi reptiation. Under ino ('cicll sta..eos, evel if I was convitoil, raust sim hio perinitterl to sli tc No exiplalation (.11n ni'etlint for I 10 Ic, '5presnen e eef a youaii girl alone in a i:ai's roOris at (lVen o'clock a t. iith ii t, evel thouhl .-hp andl( I both k;lnew howv ut pr*i1'esence tlerIei' .Is Irel lho.w t1:1)1l1'rtt hail heen her mtltive in vorniineg ther. Meiition of Blarbara's 1:i1n14 ie anely waly 11) ronniection with a1 roircase woild e rin to wrock hir sister's Iinntrilinonial 101:11S. It wvould Ilnoan the ruin of her ruther's araibitions midl tim uninasling of tho parills conll tion of their fininves. It wrild rman Mhat the! recproaches- !if her rnother andl v!-f- o!j! !-f htroped~t oil ray I~r hart's poor head. I vats still liesalU tfled In imly (ow'n mindl as to just whamt patrt ('iniro 11rull forld w s playing Inl lte w%.4.h1 (of Ifiy!4 tcry nhout its. She w%:as eiotioel : :111( flighety, given to doi.g rish thilln;. I felt th;it there was ,;f.*trong po:Lh; l Ity thait. rl'IItIons w 11ith her1 <'-llhusbanl d hnil heeln In s rne waity re-l stibili hed. I felt at tline(s that sIll was be1ing tused as a tool by the. con11spira-tors In the Granrilock inysterivs. If ClIre w l as involvi-d In any wany, It bl-hooveod III( to moove enre-fully lost .,:th- sill mbf h betrayed in rIey ef'orts to t'eint Irey self. Thiwere was . let!tin for lite to do but to sit tight nreol takieo mey plight ,es plili soplielatly aS I vouili until I iould g.et. in tOuichti h G rire i n. .\s 'litn Its it w"as5 li, )m, Inre Z, I brilted a jil fi t tendaint ti britw li rt.- a I rnio rein! rOwws pIm n-lr. (1n till- !irst paive J finnid :In ('(eon:11 Of the. ill e11rl11 ' '111 'r vi r (111 la I r'li's ':' reid I t w\.illh Iil wllOth fl on I '.ine c t hat I el ' thelw tll' p)(i,11 oll.'.as n;: i st. 1113 wasel for et' thisl i p that n rI-t lit1er Iained .''jit Ths re ind the i t oat l' h-'. eel miyct(21 niin nevert luiene to bel i ee Ayltg purlelyA ireunsta tni S Nelon. N(o-k ino t eI waslC iif that ero, ht~owlup rigt roy Lt toiniic la NIOwS' Yorkiese h111 bten, litndl ' h w astf~ r(y riitvst forlt all roy '.rcn ne'. tion 10( uIu'i ( lwen yet thisreslwhat1' r'ot' oin ofthle newimper:~ I '.Ile l't11 .\lonil :ItIls C iW l,1, M'ists Dlisy' Ltain ulu Fod'.vyers oosl teloI . pInol' her( te L fxurious Aprt h rot a rvlrderrwt 011d CotdIter Plleet Arret:n . elsn a [1 Crkrt tc Thfndey ouser. tvlvr rifnoitlI~t ainirshl recently brougtpher Iinrdered itno' hi t ofarifsnt i thle kIicll b iOly isle wtidi thro lht thoti wherle'li5t(kf herahn ldtried out of wor, who hado~ Ien ne l ng lvao carotaket to lgotn of thennt ei t int iTh''stee was loodft 11(1 hE'is oit when Deter C'is A tulle and cil' le 10dadsto himl1(~ pr iser and theyi('u fuI in hutlis he( 'partmnt Nelson1~'5 ~isccupying~ ui3UIcions were aroused by his man. tier, andi he r11n(e Neisoni cole With 11irn into tih! apartIent und kept hill) there intil the arrival of thie police. Little Is known -it the Granddck about young Nel:on, and lie sti)born ly rvrfti'es to ranke any staten:.4nt about 11l3solf. Ife was eiployed C/ily a few days uai by R1tuftis G(aston as Caretaker' for lls ap:rtin tit. As 2ir. Gaston is absit froni the city it Can not be 13:l3nrofld hoiw he h aImppened to give Nel -pn einloyminint. The 4ollcee believe he il: v iive obtaiuned the p0 sition througliae references in or der to gair al l i11 portiunity to liot the aipartinlents InI 1.1Ihliling. Supe(xrinnrt WVick hand aiscer tailied thrit.Neiton was once emiploye!d by i shilijlug li t in the Wall street (listict but had ben'Ii discreditably discha rged. Ills triner entpliyer :onl irneid tisl., blit woultI say nothing about Nels ong Sta(ing that he haid 1)wn disci3irg'di for cause. Althouiigli NIlson wits not over well u lid cwith ioney Ilie id been seeii recently ordering cahiorate 333'nIen.' Ill Solle of tlie lost exininsive res'tnui rants. Miss :.l,1 Kelly, tie t'liphoni girl tit thl. Grudd 1 rported Oluit only the llight hlfor1ii3 Nelson hnd 311h taken her to (1i1nner, orderliing chalinngne and hiring- taxicab~s, fil( had tried to purnip Ier about tle teilnts inl thll, building. ''lhe on fact that stick out inl the whole article that soeiniee of vast 1ln portun31( to MiV was thle fact that Wick hald lnfortned the police that I had he-n diseredita)ly scharged from my last pltce of vroployniint. Hlow did he know that? C'r'taily I haI lnot tol 1111. 1 had tol 11) -onte of tilhe occ'urr(li-e ex-:t I rban iIidford, inl I was sure she had not reivealetl It to anyneiliP. It was ilndublilie proof to ine that Wick, or soneone with whon Ie was coiniivlig. had,1i beirn having iie shad dIld not know where iy place (if emn iloymient. waIs. Elivitly the plot to (iiscrfdit liie hind in-gun the dIny I ar rivedi at tili Graid('leck. I had been dischail rged on necoint of Srne115 inlyste rious note lily iti,loyer hail received. I biegarii now to hellieve that WIck rnust liaive hat rue foiowed to miy liac or buissl '111d to liive sfnt that note for the express purpose of brillginig aliolt ry diseli-irge. But why? That was i the puzzle. As I pond i-red ovi ' -r it I deelfled fat mY ehin(le ineetii vith iarhmrt 'rad foird li it imrk had lupset tlh- 'ins of IL hilekiniliniig hand1)(, 11nd that Wiy were wvvging themiselves on inie for iiny unwitting p:irt. e wa . 1ertain that Wick ini i rfty Mioore's wifi werp iII connivance wIth) thornl. 11114 tha t thet( -rang po-sibly included ('hiire IBrad ...'........ishand. Wiclhel a n pass key tha3t iiiblil hin to iter the Lu tnn33 11nartiriienit. 1I'oubtedly lie could also ('liter iiiine 1as; wi-lI. But Wick emil have niothing to (10 with the I filantng of the revolver in mny rooms. I was positive about hint. 'f had not been out of 1n3 sight for a siigle rnioliiil froi titim ta lint we hatld dis enverel tIlie body. The only way that it seeiied possibIlei to involve hun in In flint was on ti thiory of i prear raned plot to innke iie npinar the mnurderer. Was: It posbethat Cinre Blradford liall partiielpaltl in this? I knew sli h:d ben in liiy roomns sifter illh. 1311-der. It iust have been she who puit the revolver there. (Int f the ditetives whio had a restd el 3131 d ai ('llt 13y cell door. i"( 'rne alo ng,'' he coriinaniiided As4' 1 an u 131 waii)(si attint WIkld hilotg talkeni to court to lie arruinedii'i, prints were talken. I refr'ainied froi giviig any33 tlufntii onfii n3int rinslf, befyiondl givinig iiiy inaiiie and31 nyi, be th' (enrefuil to ha:vr' 11ny 3nonw3 re'corded'( tw evierybody fiori yershlknw tili I wa'1s huomf'ul tha It they' iniight fll f tieitify' ne If they.3 rend( 3any-' When'3 evferyth!ig thait inighit ser've to i(l(3t ify~ ini" 1hd1 been3 recordedlil I was1 ft eerinonyi3. I waVs binig "'liin'd uip" before'111 thinfernhors of th ly 's d'- ec tivef f'orce( to see if' anyi ,,if the 11: 0001ili Identi f'y 33n' :131l toI giv thi m 13n1 133ppteir tunity13 to futlliizex thlemisel-ves with 31y3 featur11es 13n (13se It shinui ever lhe liet-('ssrtl3'y to f )133(st lie itgul Iii, "Kever(,3 53w himii before,"pi I he-ard onle of the lioshy. "G(uess he1 13at1st he "'Ile's n10 nlinleurl," :( aid 1anothfer. "Thaint job ip lit lit h Grambleek wais done by 13 a3 lirofessionl."i .\1an 13'51iliht ing commityats w5 IreU made~if, too, on3 3333 piwrsomil3 appenrnu3aicC, I learn'ied ffor the firist tilne thalt 1 13ad( a "ba~d iar,"i 33nd( tha3t lily eyes wierei shiffty. Th'le (13ly elliot ion t hese com-ii mlents 1aroused~'( ini 333 wasi~ 1a feel inig of pity, rot for mysel3'if but for' all poor unfor'tunailtes who full ilfoul oif the inwy. I-venI thlouigh i tunin is priesmniied toi be innocwent unot il he ha3s been con.. vietedl 1 had1 obse0rvedi( tha t since(2 the )lrst 33n333''nt of 1my aIrre.'t e4'orybodly had takenl it for granihted thllft I mutst be gilty13 1 and hadi ' tretd ' me with little r'eiet 03r coVsideratl ion. 4i'romu hl3Ci Inr11lt ers I was taken to the polleeC 'ourlt and3( withioutI further d.elay brought bief'ore a mn11gistrane. ".Jfohn S. Neisiin. arrested for the murder('l Of 1)13isy t I~uan," sa3i thle de tee('ive. '*jh .'',' you counsl8?" ask~led theo uag --No "lt-'1iir.,. "I tviii assign Mr. Myers as the pris oner's counsel," lie announced. A young chap, evidently just out of lfw school, stepped forward, and drew me a little to one side. "Plead 'Not guilty,'" he directed, "and be careful to say nothing iuore." "Of course," I replied. "I'm not guilty. I had nothing to (1o with it." I could see by his face that he did not helleve ile aId is I turned again to tile Court I made 111) lily iidIl that eveln if the court had assigned himza as my coiusei I would tell him noth in. "llow du you plead?" asked the COUP'(I. "Not guilty." I replied. "Itenmaied without ball for further ex.minhmtionl until Thursda~iy inornIng,." simpped thieni couiilrt, tid I was led back into anI alint''room, Mir. Nlyers and the dle ctive avccompainyling mile. The lat ter th're!urire me to sonme nlm clal, predsuimbly a prison keeper. "Looks pretty haid for you," said Myers. as we were left alone for con sulitationl. "I suppose it does look that way," I Iaughed. "No chance to make it self-defense," he went on, plainly anazed at my 1mnr. "No jury'd ever stand for a burglar shooting in self-defense." "No," I admitted, "I suppose they wouldn't. IFortunately I'm no bur glar." "If we could iake out it was a lovers' quarrel," he suggested. "If I had ever known Miss Lutan," I admitted, "that might not make a bad defense." ".ook here," he replied Indignantly, "young fellow, you are up against it harder than you seen to realize. They've got the goods on you, and it'll be the chair for yours If you're not careful. You've got no chance proving an alibi.'' "Why not? I never saw Miss Lutan until I saw her body in her rooms. I never was in her rooms until I went in there with Mr. Wick after we had heard the shot. What's more, I never owned a revolver in my life and never saw the one the detectives found until they pulled it out of my dresser drawer." (To be continuea.) Rheumatism is complliely w:i-ed pllnt of tie lmue bl the reht-brated( .5hikar Ali:wral \ ie. l itively guaranteed hv moneI1v-b;ick "ff"r TIastes finev: co+t a trilfl". DI"Aiv< rol !ny. \%her. by ourI L~auren- Agents, J.C. .hi Co. 'h nle it I. 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