Mansfield mirror., 1920-06-24
SYNOPSIS

SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER I-Circumstances having
prevented Spalding Nelson. clerk, Joining
the American forces going to France ne
Is in . Respondent mood when he re-
great-uncle. Rufus CASTOR. On his way
to the house he meets. under peculiar cir
cumstAnces. q young girl apparently IN
trouble. to whom he has an opportunity
same apartment building as RYfu: Cas-
ton, and he accompanies her to the house
Castor and his wife are going 20 Maine
for q 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.
CHAPTER lion his way to the Gas
ton apartment next Sunday Nelson again
meets his accidental acquaintance OF .
few days before, Barbara Bradford. She
urges him not TO allow TIE fact o. their
being acquainted 70 be known. A the
ent. Wick. and instinctively dislikes him:
In . wall safe he finds q necklace OF
magnifcent pearls. worth ? small fortune.
Meeting Barbara IN the hallway she
In a restaurant he Is conscious OF che un-
pleasant scrutiny OF 3 stranger. but .
man whom he had seen before.
CHAPTER In.-Next day Nelson nnds
wall safe. His frst idea of informing the
police is not acted upon because OF Pc
culiar circumstances He has been dis
charged from his position without ade-
himself involved in something OF . my.-
tery He decides to conduct an investi-
CATION himself. That night Barbara sig
malls from tie window OF her apartment
~ l ~. arn -
q meeting for next day. In she morning
he fnds a pote In his room. asking him
why he had not informed the police Of
the loss Of the Jewels.
CHAPTER fv.-Barbara tells Nelson
her sister Claire had some years before
made q runaway marriage with an ad.
veHturer. from whom ste vas coon parted
gagged to be married and someone know
ing OF her escapade has stolen doeumsnt.
concerning the affair from the Bradford
apartment and demands large sum Of
forward them to Claire's, fanee II the do.
mands are not met Neither Barbara nor
demands She tells Nelson she has also
heard mystsrious sounds in the nat They
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 He
begins to suspect his great-uncle of some
knowledge of the affair. Barbara tells
him she also has heard the footsteps In
the mornings he discovers his pockets
have been searched during the night. In
contestabie 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
detective that she IL known associate
o: criminals, and the wife OF Lefty
Moore" convict in Sing Sing. He tells
something Of the AFFAIR 70 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. That
evening Nelson discovers a concealed pas
eageway in the wall Of his apartment
While he is investigating Barbara joins
him. making her way across ledge con-
meeting the two apartments. He shows
her the entrance 10 the passageway. and
while they are taking they hear a
scream. followed by a shot, from the
apartment beneath them. Barbara has.
tens back and Nelson hurries to the
scene Of the disturbance. He meets Wick
at the door Of the fat below
"Iyho was Miss Lutan?" | asked.
"Why. Daisy Lutan, the actress"
said Mr.. Wick in surprise. u sup
posed every one knew her"
"Tve heard about her." fastened to
say. but had no idea that she lived
in the Granddeck. Did she live here
alOne:"
"She keeps maid, an old woman
tina. has been with her for years.
"Where's the maid tonight"
"Out to the movies, s'pose. That's
where she goes every night when Miss
Lutan isn't playing. When she is, she
goes to the theater with her"
"Then Miss Lutan is not playing
now?"
Not for the last month"
Had there been any one here with
her tonight?
"I1l ask the elevator boy"
"JOhn says she came In alone about
fifteen minutes ago" said Mr.. WicA
when he came back. "She went Out
about seven. Her own chauffeur wal
driving her then, but when she came
back she was in q hired taxi. That's
something can't understand"
"How do you suppose the murderer
escapedT"
was trying every avenue OF ques
tioping TO see IL could not surprise
Wick into some damaging admission
! was beginning to suspect that HI
knew lar more about Miss Lutan',
murderer than he was telling. ! fell
somehow that his whole search for thu
man who had killed Miss Lutan hat
been entirely perfunctory, blum t
deceive me. In my growing dislike
for the man. felt that II would moi
be beyond the range Of probability fol
Wick to have been standing guard al
the door while confederate rified tht
.Sa-:me:>'
Ito Be Continued.)