Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1920-07-22
SYNOPSIS.
By
WILLIAM
JOHNSTON

CHAPTER circumstances having
prevented spalding Nelson. clerk. joining
the American forces going to France, he
Is in a Respondent mood when he re-
ceives an invitation to dinner from his
great-uncle. Rufus CASTOR. On his way
to the house he meets, under peculiar cir
cumstanceS, a young girl, apparently In
trouble, to whom he has an opportunity
to be of slight service. She lives In the
same apartment building as Rufus Cas-
ton, and he accompanies her to the house.
Castor and his wife are going 70 Maine
for u trip and want to leave Nelson In
CASTOR and his wife tell their great.
nephew of mysterious noises-"whispers'
which they have heard In the house.
ton apartment next Sunday Nelson again
meets his accidental acquaintance of q
few days before. Barbara Bradford. She
urges him not to allow the fact OF their
apartment Nelson meets the superintend-
ent, Wick, and instinctively dislikes him:
In a wall safe he finds a necklace OF
magnificent pearls, worth a small fortune.
passes him without recognition. Dining
In a restaurant he Is conscious Of the I'M
pleasant scrutiny of a stranger, but q
man whom he had seen before.
CHAPTER III.-Next day Nelson finds
the pearls have disappeared from the
wall safe. His first idea of informing the
police is not acted upon because OF Pc
culiar circumstances. He has been ois-
charged from his position without ade-
quate explanation or reason. and feels
himself involved in something of a mys-
terry. He decides to conduct an invest-
cation himself. That night Barbara sig
mails from the window of her apartment.
which In opposite his. and they arrange
a meeting for next day. In the morning
he finds a note In his room,. asking him
why he had not informed the police OF
the loss of the jewels.
CHAPTER rV.-Barbara tells Nelson
her sister Claire had some years before
made a runaway marriage with an ad-
venturer. from whom she was soon parted
and the marriage annulled. Claire Is en-
gagged to be married and someone know
Ing Of her escapade has stolen documents
concerning the affair from the Bradford
apartment and demands d large sum OF
money for their return. threatening to
forward them to Claire's f1ance II the de-
mands are not met. Neither Barbara MOI
her sister have the money to satisfy the
demands. She tells Nelson she has also
heard mysterious sounds In the fiat They
agree to meet frequently.
CHAPTER V.-The CASTOR laundress.
the only person In the apartment besides
Nelson, tells him she has heard whispers
and footsteps, apparently In the wall. lie
begins to suspect his great-uncle OF some
knowledge of the affair. BARBARA teiis
him she also has heard the footsteps, In
the morning he discovers his pockets
nave been searched during the night, In
co%ntestable evidence Of the presence OF
someone IN the apartment during the
night.
CHAPTER VI-Nelson invites Miss
Nellie Kelly, telephone operator in the
building, to dinner, hoping through her to
find out something that will help him.
During her temporary absence from the
table Nelson Is informed by the house
detective that she ID a known associate
Of criminals, and the wife OF Lefty
Moore" "A convict In Sing Sing. He tells
something Of the affair to the detective
James Gorman-and makes an appoint
ment for the next day. Returning home,
he finds Claire Bradford In his apartment,
She tells him she was trying to trace the
source OF the whispers, which had also
disturbed her.
CHAPTER VII-Gorman agrees to take
the case In a professional capacity, Thai
evening Nelson discovers a concealed pas
sageway In the wall OF his apartment
While he In investigating Barbara john
him, making her way across a ledge con
Meeting the two apartments. He show,
her tho entrance to the p~assageway and
while they are talking they hea q
scream, followed by a shot, from the
apartment beneath them. Barbara has
tens back and Nelson hurries to thu
scene OF the disturbance. He meets WITCH
at the door Of the fiat below.