Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-03-23
Help!
There Was Mystery In the Call,
but 1t Was Revealed at Last
By ALAN HNSDALE

DdL OAC thC hOAoO Oh LIZ oiONh- ~
block l mean the area inclosed by four
streets. The streets in this case had
peer laid out, paved and curbed, but
thus far there was but little building
on them. The other house that l have
mentioned faced on the street running
parallel to the one on which l lived.
and the rear part of the two houses
were exposed to each other.
I had recently been admitted to the
bar and had swung out my shingle.
All day l sat in my office waiting for
clients, but clients did not come. A
young lawyer is more apt to hit upon
clients outside his Office thai in 1t.
was destined to do so myself, but the
way my first client came to me was by
no means usual.
/ had come to my room after business
hours-it was a hall bedroom in the
house l have described. l was board
ing at the time and sat down by the
window. 1t was s%pringtime. and,
though it was 6 o'clock, the sun was
still 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,
and | could only see the rear of that.
/ noticed that the window shutters OF
the third story were all closed, while
those on the lower floors were open.
While | looked a square, white sub
stance-it was cardboard-was slipped
between the Stats and exposed to view.
There appeared to be something writ
ten On it. but it was too far distant
for me to see what it was. But l had
a pair of opera glasses in my bureau
drawer, and. getting them. l brought
them to bear on the writing. There
was the single word:
Help
y had no sooner lowered my glasses
han the cardboard was withdrawn.
From this | inferred that some one
had seer me at my window and had
put out the message for me to see. But
who this person was | had no knowl-
edge.
Nevertheless l felt it incumbent on
me to respond. But how? l could not
communicate with the unknown. He
or she could put out a message or a
signal for me without it's being seen
by any one except me. If l put one
out it could be seen by any one in the
real 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
for this. Surely it would not do for
me to act openly in the matter.
BY way of reconnoiter 1 concluded
to go to the house with something to
sell. l could at least see who would
come to the door. With a few pack
ages of court plaster 1 rang the door
bell. A woman, not a servant, answer
ed the call. She had a disagreeable
look ON her face. Certainly it was no
inviting, but repellant, with a bit of
suspicion in it. l asked her if 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 1t occurred to me
that l was rather too well dressed for
Ouc IGuuNCu W ouNh a pCSSdiiS ~
patton. However, the interview was
cut short by her shutting the door in
my face.
This tended to confirm my belief that
some one was held under duress in he
house. While | would not refuse to
attempt to right a wrong, | have al
ways had a fancy for Winding my own
business. But a lawyers business is
other persons affairs, Inc 1t struck
me that this matter might lead to pro-
fessional work. So l concluded to fol-
low it up.
Being young and inexperienced, it
first occurred to me to break into the
house legally-that is, armed with a
search warrant or some other docu-
ment issued by a court, but | was de-
tered from this by fear of making a
fool of myself. Suppose my suspicious
were 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;
must first learn something of the con-
ditions.
l resolved to go about it as if it
had it been a case of law. Some de-
tective work must first be done, and
1 would have employed a detective ex-
cept for two reasons-I had no money
with which 30 pay him for his services
and I had plenty of time to make the
Investigations myself. l began by TAX
ing position near the house in question
and waiting for a delivery wagon to
leave supplies there. Half a day was
consumed ar this before a meat market
wagon stopped at the house. | refrain
ed from asking the young man who
tool in the goods who lived there, for
1 could not do SO without being e e
by those in the house, and that would
excite suspicion. But l noted the name
on the wagon and the telephone mum
Der.
Going IN nv office ca1lad Kroeper