Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-06-25
The House
Of Whispers
BY
WILLIAM
JOHNSTON
oopyrlshs b. Ll..ls, brown . %
CHAPTER xl-continued.
Illustrations BY
nSWIN MYERS

what is lt7' asked. wonderingly.
you've got a visitor"
"WhoT l questioned eagerly. Could
II, / wondered. be Barbara? Had my
sternly repressed longing to see her
I'm some way communicated itself to
her through the ether and impelled
her to throw caution to the winds and
come to the prison to see me?
III don't know" the keeper answer
ed. ITS a man. l don't know who
he is."
A man. Who could it be2 In all
the monotonous time I had been be-
hind the bars, only two men had come
20 see me, German and McGregor. 1t
could not be either of them, for both
were well known to the prison attend
ants. AS l hastened down the long
corridor past the dismal row of barred
doors, was revolving in my mind the
possibilities of my callers identity.
Who could 1t be7 Spurred on by
my curiosity, hastened into the coun-
sci room. There sat my great-unCle
Rufus.
He looked In much better physical
condition than when had last seen
him, more vigorous and healthier. His
skin was Drowned from exposure to
the sun and wind, and his eyes were
clearer and brighter. AS / studied his
face could trace no vestige there of
the terrible fear that had seemed to
obsess him on the last occasion of our
meeting.
without speaking. / was wondering
and well l think I might-whether
the suspicious had Mt times in regard
to him had been wholly without foun-
dation. Could 1t be possible that the
crafty, miserly old chap was the mas
ter mind at the bottom of all the
mystery and plotting7 AS my previous
suspicious came up In my mind l de-
termined to be wary in what l said
TO him. The fires Of anger toward
him began to kindle within me as 1
looked at him. l felt that 1t was his
fault that I was locked up here.
Meanwhile he had been studying me.
His keen old eyes had surveyed me
from head to foot, returning to rest
fixedly ON my face. as though he was
trying TO read my thoughts. / won
dered what was passing in his
mind. Was he inwardly chortling
at the plight in which he found
met Was he distressed to see
n blood-relative behind the bars2 Did
he believe that. l was guilty of the
murder Of Daisy Lutan? How had he
learned Of my arrest? What was his
purpose in coming to see me2 But
his expression was unfathomable, so
far as l was concerned. W
He was the hrst to speak.
"So-you didn't do 1t. did your"
"Of course not" l retorted indlg-
nantly. "Did you suspect that was
a murdererT
He shook his head disparagingly,
smiling an inscrutable smile.
'The evidence against you certainly
looks convincing"
'I don't care" I exclaimed with
heat. "rm rs Innocent Of the killing
Of Daisy Lutan as"-I hesltated-"as
you are"
He nodded his head approvingly.
There, there, boy, don't get excited
OF course know you are innocent
You're Of the CASTOR blood, and there
never was q CASTOR that was q mur
derer or a lawbreaker. / never sus
pected you for single second. was
Off In the Maine woods twenty milei
from a railroad. 1 didn't see a news
paper until day before yesterday eve
ming. My eye just happened to catcf
a paragraph about the Granddeck. i
was about your trial for the murder
of Miss Lutan being set for next week
That was the first l had heard abou
1t. travelled all night to get to you
My feelings toward him underwear
a sudden revulslon. There was ever!
evidence Of sincerity in his manner
The knowledge that he believed In m,
was the most welcome news hat
heard since my Incarceration.
"Well soon have you out of here,
he went on, NOW that am here t
help you. got you into this, an,
I'll get you out Of 1t If it takes ever
cent L possess. There's more thal
one fight left in old Rufus yet. NOV
start at the very beginning and tel
me everything that has happene
since / have been away"
What a relief 1t was to talk freely
With my mind once and for all cleal
ed of all suspicion toward my oil
great-uncle, began my story. Som,
how the tie of blood is strong in tim
of trouble. 1 found it vastly easie
TO talk with my aged relative than
had been with either German or m
lawyer.
l began with my chance meetin
with Barbara Bradford in the par
as the blackmailers awaited her ther
told everything that had followe
with the utmost detail, even to sue
small matters as my first meetir
with Wick and the undue curiosi
he had exhibited as to my acquain
nnce with the Bradfords. / recitC
the story Of my unaccoutable dI
charge in disgrace from my positiC
and told of Germans unavailing G
forts to learn the reason.
"The day ! was discharged" wel
on, "I had drawn out from the savinl
bank all my money with the purpo
OF sending II to m. mother to whom
was In debt. / still had IL with n
when arrived home at the apartme
and / decided to put 1t in the WI
snfe, to which, you recall, you hi
given me the combination. Out
mere curiosity"-I made this confC
sion with a blush of shame-'T had
spected the contents Of the safe Z
day Of my arrival and had examin
the two caskets. The minute I open
the safe this second time l saw that
had been looted"
"what," exclaimed my great-unc
starting from his seat. mot t
pearlsl"
nodded.
Everything. The casket with (
pearls was gone. The other with t
trinkets was undisturbed."
anood baovana ~ no avcIafnnad tsl