The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-03-09
Help!
There Was Mystery In the Call,
but 1t Was Revealed at Last
By ALAN HYNSDALE

but one other house on the block. BY
block l mean the area inclosed by -four
streets. The streets in this case had
hecn laid out, paved and curbed, but
thus far there was but little building
en them. The other house that l have
R,entfOned faced on the street running
parallel to the one on which 1 lived
and the rear part of the two houses
were exposed to each other.
had recently been admitted to the
hsr and had swung out my single
All day l sat In my Office waiting for
Slients, but clients did not come. A
young lawyer is more apt to hit upon
clients outside his Office than in 1t. !
vas destined to do so myself, but the
xay my first client came to me was by
no means usual.
had come to my room after business
hours-it was hall bedroom In the
esnse have described. l was board
ing at the time and sat down by the
window. 1t was springtime, and,
though it was 9 o'clock, the sun was
Stitl high. The day was warm, and the
window sash was thrown up.
The view was not attractive. In
deed, there was nothing for me to look
at except the house on the other street,
AID I could only see the rear Of that.
I noticed that the window shutters on
tue third story were all closed, while
those on the lower floors were open.
While l looked square, white sub
stance-it was cardboard-was slipped
between the Stats and exposed to view.
Yhere appeared to be something writ
sep ON it, but 1t was too far distant
for me to see what 1t was. But l had
q pair Of opera glasses in my bureau
drawer, and. getting them, l brought
them to bear on the writing. There
vas the single word:
Help
. had no sooner lowered my glasses
shan the cardboard was WITHDRAW n
From this l inferred that some one
bad seen me at my window and had
put out the message for me to see But
Who this person was had no knowl-
edge.
Nevertheless felt it incumbent on
nc to respond. But how? l could not
communicate with the unknown. He
or she could put out message or
signal for me without its being seen
by any one except me. If put one
ant it could be seen by any one In the
rear Of the other house. The card
would not have been thus displayed
unless some one was in trouble. If
held a prisoner or Ill treated there
must be others who were responsible
fer this. Surely it would not do for
me to sct openly in the matter.
BY way Of reconnoiter / concluded
70 20 to the house with something to
SCH, l could at least see who would
seue to the door. With a few pack
ages of court plaster / rang the door
bell. A woman, not a servant, answer
ed the call. She had disagreeable
scok on her face. Certainly it was not
inviting, but repellant, with a bit of
suspicion in it. l asked her IL l could
sell her some court plaster, and she
declined very sharply, at the same
time taking me in with her eyes from
head to foot. Then it occurred to me
that | was rather too well dressed for
cue reduced to such a beggarly Occu-
pation> However, the interview was
sut short by her shutting the door in
my face.
Tsbfe, fn INV lA1inf hnt
some one was held under duress in the
hause. While l would not refuse to
attempt to right a wrong, / have al
ways had fancy for minding my own
business. But a lawyers business is
other persons affairs, and it struck
rue that this matter might lead to pro-
fessional work. SO l concluded to fol-
low it up.
Being young and inexperienced, ii
drst occurred to me to break into the
house legally-that is. armed with a
search warrant or some other docu-
clent issued by court, but l was de-
svred from this by fear of making
fool of myself. Suppose my suspicious
we're incorrect, suppose some half wit
ted person was held in the house in
stead Of being sent to an asylum, how
would appear if interfered? No; !
aust first learn something of the con-
iitions.
resolved to go about 1t as II it
had Il been a case of law. Some de-
eective work must first be done, and
[ would have employed a detective ex-
.ept for two reasons-I had no money
with which to pay him for his services
and had plenty Of time to make the
Investigations myself. began by TAX
sug position near the house in question
aud waiting for a delivery wagon to
Nave supplies there. Half day was
consumed at this before a meat market
wagon stopped at the house. refrain
ed from asking the young man who
took in the goods who lived there, for
I could not do so without being seen
by those in the house, and that would
excite suspicion. But noted the name
an the wagon and the telephone num-
Der.
Going to my, Office. l called Kroeger
& Co, the meat market firm, and asked
IL they would give me the name of
their customer who lived. at 10 Elm
street They replied after much delay
chat they had. not been Informed of
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