The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, June 16, 1920, Image 12
The House
of Whispers
IOUNSTON
01ht Uvtl Browa*",
(Continueq from 1st page, this section)
1m1paicttle luil II your crime," she ejac
ulated. "It's abrmurd for you I try
to question ame this way."
"Lady.," Interrupted the keeper,
"you'll have to lie going now. Time's
uip."
"l'rotise mile," she begged hastily
in n undertone, I's she deirted,
"vhatever you think about te, you'll
keep tmty sister ouat of it."
"I'll promise nottinag, inless you eon
fes;s everything,'" I repeated. detetL.
imined. if I cuthil. to drag her secret
froint her, even thiough I., as well as
she. was eager to shield Hlarhara's
1linl;i.
Chaire Bradaeford's attituade, I must
confess. puizzled ile grat ly. 11er de
nill that she had seen the revolver,
or that she iad been working in con
.ucttitona with Wick seetnled to ring
true. 11n)d I was also incliied to he
lieve her statement that she knew
nothiig of her fornier hushmaid's pres
ent wheranhouts. While I was pon
dering over her statements. nay cell
door opened ai 1 Gornan was let In.
"Well. young fellow." lie akli. "this
sleuthi ing busIness didn't tuirn oit ex
actly 1he waiy we expected it to. did
it?"
"1% .a do't hink I'm guilty, do
you?"
I waited in 'gony for his fuswer.
If he failed me, there was no one
absolutely no one, to whom I could
turn.
"It looks like you were guilty from
reading the morning papers," he an
swered with a grin. "But I don't be
lieve all I renL They've made out a
strong case against you, though."
"I didn't do it I" I cried passion
ately.
"If you didn't, who d1d?"
"It mast have been Mr. Wick."
"There you go, jumpinpig at conclus
Ions. Why not Claire Bradford?"
"Why d1o You mention her? Do yon
suspect her',"
"If she didn't do It, vh.' (11d she
Comie down htere to see yiu ?"
"Ilow did you know she1 was here?"
"I was watc'hing you till the time
SCuit IO tulking to eaa ir. "
"6B11t how did You know~m who sit(.
was'"
"I saw the other one tls, morning.
They look alike."
"Flat howv did y-oul know which sigler
it was'?"
"You didn't s to:n It g't :v-oil
enouighI inl Yourv I :Ik for it to lo1. Palt
It ain uI'.ni ni been my ' h ei n to r,
v'enl iave to himia ('hinir.' Iti'a a
secondti ili to mya' aig:mona', hmI' I
saw howu fohit w nh! I i 1.1a tubXi ia'Iii
Iilumainrtaion from 'si'u a shio'wd uih
W'ithut rewrt'ivC' .aiul w~i th the it
mIost deutail Iui(rc('lh l t-u ielate IieV
erythaiig that luul haiial sincle I
hadl Seen hiina Ih af' l ternouui on befor.
I tobi1 of ray discovery' (of the seci'et
panel ina any roini tul iiif t In- blindu
passaigwayv int o whliuih It appua runtly.
perilous jiitrney' ('Oer the wituI'iw hIleri
to ispec't iiiy fil.l iih the s eenmts we'
laid haenrui, folliowed byv the slat, of
howv Ilaaamrharnul flied back byv lii- wvay
sihe 'nmie,a ad I hadliim run downstairsl
anid wvih WleIuk lad discouveredi the
body,,. I lohl himt ever'y iletail so far
inag iy aipma'rtntist before mOy tr
rest and the tihal ing of thle revoldver.
"You dlon't think the (letectlives
thenmselvyes phim ed the gun on you ?"
he asked. "I've hard i( of them doing
things like that."
Hie spouke with such an air of inno
coc that I haul to smile. I doubat if
therie weie nim iy trks ofi uletect Ives
that Gormtan uiI not know all a bout.
"They hadl no opuportuniitIy whoateve'r.
Nei thei' of t hemn hadl bieen near the
diresser before, antd I wais watchinug
thuelr (every ntmiment."
"Well, who dhu hide the revolver
there, if they didn't ?"
"I don't know."
"Coaudn't Wick hiiave done if ?''
"I was with Im a every miomenat after
we dlis.covered thbe body.''
"Maybeli It wvas Clanire Urndt~for'd?"
I shook my haendi.
"I thbought at first it might havie
been s-be. hbut I'ma convinced slice tallt
ing wIth her that It was not. Shie's
eIther entirely innocent or else the
mnost wiondlerftul act ri'ss in the wiorl."
"I think we ian leave her otit of it,"
Ventured German.
"Tlh~t leaves only Wick."
Gorman shook hIs head positively.
"No, Wick idin't (10 It. H e's a had
oneO all right, and he lasg done time,
buit he's only a tool."
"'Wick has~ done time I" I exclaimed.
"How dlid yout find that oiat? What
have you learned about him ?"
Gorman ririnnedl at my engm, onne
"I don't ow much :about :him yet,
but I'm sure 'he's an er-con. While
you were in -court this morning," he
explained, "I went up to the Grand
deck to take a 'look at things for my
self. Wick showed -me through the
Lutan apartment, thinking I was from
the coleyner's oflice. I spotted him at
once. A crook that -has done time
is always sure to give hinmself away."'
"Iow?" I asked.
"Well," said Gorman judicially,
"inen's businesses. 14hvy their inarks
on them. A' clergynnin don't hav'e to
be wearing a high vest for you to spot
him, and nobody ever took g ,dancing
teacher for a pugilist. A man that has
looked at as inany crooks as I have
knows them by instinct, and then
there's little ways you can tell. As
I was going up to the apartment with
Wick he just naturally fell Into step
with me, showing.he had been used to
marching with other prisoners. He
talks, too, without moving his lips.
That's a sure sign. They learn tiat
in prison so they can talk without
the guards knowing it."
"That's so," I cried. "It struck toe
that there was something funny about
the way Wick talked, but I couldn't.
have told just what it was."
"Wick's a crook, all right, "but I
think he comes from somewhere up
state or maybe out West, but he
hasn't intelligence enough to be any
thing more than a runner for the
gang."
"Well, what's your theory?" I usl:ed.
"If Wick didn't murder Miss LutUn,
who did?"
"I don't know yet. Wick Pin't big
enough. Big jobs tnke big men to
plan theim. This whole thing is a
big affair. carefully planned out. It
takes more brains than Wick ever
dreamed of having to plant anony
nious notes and terrify people nearly
out of their senses with mysterious
whispers and then to steal the Brad
ford papors and the Onston pearls and
then wlien things get hlot to have you
already framed as the gont to blame
things on."
"Tten you think my discharge from
the office was part of the plot?"
"Sure it was. You butted in on
their h.:.ekmnail plans, and they want
ed to get square with you, and a youmg
fellow out of work and discharge4d in
disgrace Is always an easy mark fw
sispicion."
"And was it part of rthe plot to
blame Miss Lutan's iurder on me?"
"I don't think so. The Lutan niur
der was an accident. Even the big
gest crooks seldom deliberately plan
murder. They're all afraid of the
chair. She came In and surprised
some one of the gang in the apart
ment. Ie had to shoot her in make
his getaway. It was quick thinking
oil somebody's part after the murder
to ptnt tit gun in your rooms. That
sort of schetming takes branl4, and
WVIck hasn41't got thlem."
"Who wa-s It, th11en?",
"We've got to find," aid (orman,
speakitg slowly and with emp llsis.
I ill r..,.
"We've Got to Find the Crook That la
Back of All Thio,-the Mauter Mind."
"thei" big croo1k that is back of tall this
"The'l runst er-lunind(," I echuoedl.
"Ye ls,"' hei. sabl, "I heIre's a big crook
('( brinI somlhewhlere Ilthati as(been dI
ph14one girli, an may ii~ be of CiaIrme Brnd
ford, t'oo."
'I Vonder if it could he itr ex-hus
hand. She toh me, thboluhi, a few
mmaenits ago, thant shue laid not herd
of hinm for yieari', amd she semied to
me1 to be telling thle truth.''
"'I dlon't think It was' him,'' satid
Gormani. ''le was only a chnuthiir.
If ho's in it lit all, he's only one oft the
gang, ie's noit the masti'r-mimd."'
"'I hope wel ennl keep the Bradfords
out of It altoigether4,"' 1 said(. "You
see, Goru!tnm-'"
"I ule(rstalnd," lie I nterrupltedl. "I
know how the land lies. You need
nlot wori'y atbout that. It' Claire Brad
ford had aiiy part in the plot, you
can het she was forced liuto It amId
driven to (do what she dlId. I lave you
seen1 11Cr sister?"
"No, and1( 1 hope she'll muake no etf
fort to see me. Shie iurtn't. You'll
see her, won't you?"
"Leave it to mle," said thie detective.
"I'll tmnige to) reach her without
even her own famidly knowing any
thing about It. I'll make her undier
standi~ that if she tr'ies to see you or
says anything, Shle'll only be tnamag
lng your case. D~on't wor'ry about
her."'
"There's one thing, though," I said,
"that I wishl you could do."
"What's that?"
"Ca~n you find some way of getting
to thn Onhuinn uno trimant nnrl ovniin'.
iuiw Wt*teet bidlmiVrg~46 vndt
it leads?"
He turned savagely on me.
"Say, young fellow," he said, "It I
did4't know that you were innocent,
I'd swear that you were a dope fiend
with this tale of a secret passage.
You've been reading too many thrill
ers or going to the movies too itich.
They don't have secret passages in
modern apartment houses. You bet
ter keep quiet about that. You can't
get 'anybody to believe you, and you'll
only hurt your case."
"But I know there's a passageway
there-along the hall. I found the
opening, a panel in my bedroom.
The'e's a place there big enough for
a ntan to walk in. I saw it."
He looked at me pityingly, and I
could see that he did not, believe a
word I was saying..
"All right, there's a passage there,
and we'll leave it there. A young fel
low in love is apt to imagine all sorts
of things."
I saw there was no use in my insist
ing' further about the passageway.
Ills iind was stubbornly made up
that it could not exist. ' was the
only friend I had in all the gi'eat city,
and I must leave it to him to work
the thing out in his own way.
"What about a lawyer?" I asked.
"Didn't the court assign you one?"
"Yes, but he took it for granted that
I was guilty, so I got rid of him."
"Weil, there ain't auich a inwyer
could do yet. I'll dig up one when
we need him. Balil is not Issible in
a murder case, so there is nothing for
you to do but to sit tight and take it
as easy as you can. Ity the way, have
you heard anything from old Gaston
since you were arrested?"
"Not a word." I answered. "I have
not the least idea where lie is or how
to reach him."
"Ilusph, that's funny." said Gor
mani abstractedly. "Good-by, I'll see
you again tomorrow."
Ile pounded on the cell door, and n
guard released him. leaving mie alone
to ponder over my plight, and espe
cially over his last question. What
had he meant by it?
Where was old Mufus Gaston?
Once more uiid0on of my aged
relat'e :,not through may brain. Was
it possible that his was the master
mind behind all this plotting? Gor.
man had insisted that the arch crim'
inal behind Wick and the others must
be some man of intellect. My aIreat
uncle Rufus had brains. Out of a
clear sky lie had summoned me to live
in the Granddeck and then had mys
teriously disappeared. Certainly lie
had had opportunities for knowing
Wick and the telephone girl. Bar
bara had reen!!ed onte having heard
her fathor speak of hin in disparag
Ing terms. Had it been he who wag
plotting ngainst the Bradfords and
had brought me into the case as a
scapegon t ?
Was old Rufus Gaston the masttz
mind? Where was he?
CHAPTER X1.
Fortunately for me, there had re.
cently been a wave of public criticism
of the (courts for the long delays ini
bringing criminal cases to trial, and
tho district attorney was moving With
all (ielrity to bring my ease to a (on
elusion. An indietieit agaiist iime
for* thie Iiiure5-r 1-f Daisy Luttan ihal
hieen guilekly fomund and thle date hadl
heeri ailreadt~y set for thle t riat-one
week htete-so that the periodl of my1
inareaiIon antd doiubt as to may ulff
nuat' faute seemiedi likeiy to be verb
birief.
t'tterly abe~surd as t he si tutio iwas.
accusedt of imurdrhn g ai woman wh vloni
hearsd ofm until I saw' heri lying deadi~ ini
her~s atlt rtmsenits, (onlou~~tts ats I was of
miy enitire. ininocenci n the lin titerot
srili, ais in the s''ltitl of moy 'eli I
r'e 5'viewd te (last, I fotsiun yself' fae
lug tlwi ''rdetal of a trilI for murdsiem
withi consihidrab app'lrt'hi'nison's.
'irui stnces (cerltainly3 lootked
much2.~t a ist rite. Th'ere wats abso-0
hitt'ly ii' way~ in whtlih I c''ubl retfute
Ithe test imnony of t h' twvo dett'ect Ive'
that they hadui found thei rev'olver wifh
toiine s hame d ischa rged( ini te drawerv
of 111y dre*issi'r. I mlyS elf hadl seen
thernt fid It. W~hile (l'tnans still held
thatiI tere was a1 pt'ssibl'iity thaet t hey
themtse'lv~es had' put it there, I kuimv
thait neJi(ithler of themci hado beeni niea
thte dhresser afteor I had c astaittIed theta
to miy riooms. T1hse oinly peson whomtis
I hatd the slightest groundio for' sus
lpecting ' uns Claire Blradfortd, yet what
mlot ivoe coulod slie hiave hasd?7
W'iek undoubtedly wvousl testify
that lie liad me~t me at the door of thti
Lti ispa rtsment dirsectly aufter lie hadi
hteard te shot, ie msighit say thaet I
appeared to be gretatly excited. Th'lis
would ho the exact truth. Thtere was
eveni the possibility that lie might
swear that lie hadi fousnd tme comiiing
out of Miss Lustan's apartmoent. Even
if lie did not make thte statemnent dIi
reet, shrewd qunestiosinag on the part
of the district tattorntey couild easily
mtake it appear tht I hind just left
the Lutan aupartiment. IHow could we
possibliy cosntrovert hlfi testimonty?
Then, int addition, there wer'e the
dlamaging statemeats that would lhe
offered by Nellie Kelly. She would
swear that the evening before I had
taken hier out to dilnner asnd hiad been
questioning her about the other ten
ants In time house. Even though we
knew that she wvas a tool of Wick and
was the wife of Lefty Moore, the lhur
glar, unless (Gormnan was tle to (11s
cover thant she herself had a criminail
record, it seemed utterly hopeless to
attempt to cogfuite her statemuents.
It would also militate against me
that at the time of the murder I was
out of a job and almost without ftunds.
Theyv were likely.-ton. to ht not ebae
=XIT'5" 1* 0911 0001111 UiteOlby de Uwa W fter tne testnmoay -~ .0
4ischarged from the only positi6 I y charactw trgo and Profane Expression.
had held in Now York. The only man Rolier, my classmates With whom Iliad Do not think you are profane wheq
who knew anything about the matter, roomed ever since I had come to Now you say tha .%ou "don't .-are a dam."
Mr. Wood, the head of the firm, had York, were "somewhere In France" The truth Is that a dam was the small
been suddenly called to France in con. wit the American troops and could eat Uindu coin at a time when the
nection with an order for munitions, not possibly aid me. Englisn were Invading india, and the
and was not expected to return for expression that one "didnt. give a dam"
several months. The fact would (To be continued.) natur san n to n tatce
weigh against ing. too, that L. would mte a fnx on mottc
How carte ny Meiles
From a %Cord Tire?
Mfen arc everywhere telling remnarkable tales Tueli 7'rirdo Stage Co. of Log Angeleg,
about mileage fromo Miller Cords. sater lon g comparisons of 22 makes, say that
But remember that ileage varies ith co- c illers excel all.
ditions. Size and load, roa wi hn carc affect itrc
Onc mail who has sold an watched many d m iller factory tests, which are evere, last
thousand 'Miller Tircs says this: ven showed a rear-wheel average of 15,000
"I find that Mlilirs execl othcr tires in sDrv- miles on Cords. They proved that youMillers, with
ice from 50 per cent to 75 rare cxceptions, outwore every tire compared.
per cent." They proved the new Miller tread the best
l -Itidson Taxi Co. of of all treads by 25 per ccent.
Detroit reports a 15,000-mile a
average onl rather lieaey taxis. Test one for yourself. It will give you new
a ideas about tire mileage. It will, in all proba
TedPatented bilit)', break all records on youir car.
weighe agaens smno, too. thatio Lwoul
forfini ol onatashtit.Goaed hillr xpetsinten yashave done much
o n ideted lk tosrynar own sake, learn what
cocajgre to dirt they. hav dne
How Manyilss
Fro M Talked About Tire in America
ot Cords or FabriC o Geared-to-the-Road
dictoen's Name and Address
Vincent Motor Car Co.
Laurens, S. C.
ThA udo LeadC.o faltd y2er cen
Dbwletromtnreort, 1,0-ml
ti average thi frther heavy ta inTestnl poriyoursef tht kwil iume
yong atlavs imfretopusu ides aout t mind Itwu nldeba.
Tii nrg nmred tne iiy ra alrcrso orcr
cuch halt res outofththeustion for, iile- exrs on ten youarae onsti-c
pated, Ain d laxtiv an cta they pills onagaae.n ofr
th osiainhbtheM akdAou iei mrc
Instea of frcing o rittn h ytm tsml FarcsGae-oftsthe-R o od
wast. Ths eable th man tiy mucle in he allv~ts o h n tes
tinsconratin a depanding's Name anoradt squeess
Nacko his energtey hamssn het, and attbake Try hishat. ssef
dic 0n thoatwy Nprov ork for betglarty noebt of an tig, eecsn
-bowelIelimination.
It is lely thisfredm rminetna oiosthtkep i