The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1914-12-25
CHAPTER II.
The Sleeping House Mystery.

NHE clearing or JOnn STORM WIS
a nine days wonder. In court
HaSsam Ali testified that
Burns had been seeking some
facts regarding the past and that
he, Hassam Ali, had succeeded in
aiding him to a certain extent. But
the name of Bienreith had never been
mentioned during, those seances. He
could not Imagine why Burns had com
mitted the crime. There was no evil
dence~ to be found that the two men
had ever exchanged n word. He was
rather COMPOUNDED at the turn of events.
The broken phrase but S2pther'
was as much a mystery TO him as to
the court. 1t was ineXplicable. Has
sam Ali received good deal of con
temptuous grilling from the district at
totney. but the witness answered every
question calmly and in detail. He ad
United that he was disciple of the
Hindu cult; admitted that lie had the
gift of second sight at times. There
were many who could testify to this.
Hassam Ali finally left the witness
chair with, honors in his favor.
4 subsequent Investigation by the
police revealed nothing t. his dis"red
il SO far as the law was concerned.
His past. from the circus days TO the
present day. was as an open book. In
deed, HasSam Ali was himself the il
stigatOr of this research. He wanted
it definitely understood that. while his
cult was not looked upon favorably by
the police. he was not the object of
any justi6able suspicion. His grave
air, his unfailing patience under the
gibes of the interrogation, his frank
EeSs. all won him at least the respect
of his detractOrs.
The man Burns was buried ut the
expense Of the city. and what was
known as the Bienreith case went into
the public archives as one more un
solvable mystery.
1t was remarked, however, among
his associates that John Storm lost q
deal of his impetuosity and that in his:
subsequent cases he was no longer
brilliant and cratic. but calm and
steady, always extremely well fortified
within his facts.
New York city has without doubt the
most conglOmerate population of any
city in the world. The only alien PACE
which does not find habitat in New
York is the Aztec, and that is merely
because the Aztec is extinct And
each race has quietly formed a city of
its own within the greater city. There
are Little Italy, the Ghetto. China-
town and heaven knows how many
others. all familiar to sightseers. Blu:
there is Il lot going on in New York
among these aliens that even the pc
lice never hear about except by purest
cident Who can say he knows the
TT of Chinatown unless he actively
thongs to it?
2 : 4 certain night two weeks after
> Bienreith case, recorded in the pre-
ding chapter. Zudora heard the clock
'Ei.ne the 49, Of 8. She went up
stairs TO her 10, and threw up the
shade for 4 final Ssnce at the heavens
and paused in amaZement. Coming
toward the house was the strongest
procession she had ever seen. Tur-
bans. flowing robes and white panta-
lets here in this workaday city of
New York. She rubbed her eyes as il
striving to awake. She looked again.
They were trooping silently up the
steps. She next heard the thunder of
the knocker. which nobody used in
these days of electric buttons. She
t:.en became alive to the fact that this
was reality. She reached the head of
the stairs just as her uncle's Hindu
servant. AIMED. opened the door. He
bowed deeply aud tremendously. He
was dressed good deal like his
strange visitors.
Zudora came down the stairs unde-
cided as TO whether she was frightened
or merely upset. The man who was
evidently the leader of this strange
caravan advanced toward Zudora.
II WISH" he said in broken English.
Ito see him who is called HaSsam Ali.
the giver OF light.
oh you wish 10 see my uncle?" said
Zudora. greatly relieved.
And thou art his daughter?"
His niece. will call him."