The Pulaskian., 1920-07-15

1
 "The day was discharged" I went on, q had drawn out from the savings bank all my money with the purpose of sending 1t to my mother to whom I was in debt. 1 still had 1t with me when I arrived home at the apartment and I decided to put it in the wall safe, to which, you recall, you had given me the combination. Out of mere curiosity"-I made this confess sion with a blush of shame-"I had in- spected the contents of the safe the day of my arrival and had examined the two easkets. The minute opened the safe this second time saw that it had been footed"
 What" exclaimed my great-uncle, starting from his seat, mot the pearls p
 I nodded.
 Everything The casket with the pearls was gone. The other with the tripkets was dndisturbed."
 Good heavens !" he exclaimed "My wife's pearls stolen! Why, boy, paid hundred and fifty thousand dollars for that string. Tell me everything about it-everything, at once."
 could only repeat what I had told him already. When I had opened the safe on Sunday the pearls were there. When I had opened it again on the fol lowing Saturday the pearls were gone.
 "Of course you told the police at once"
 explained to him why I had not done SO and my reason seemed to satisfy him.
 "Go on with your story" he calmly directed. He seemed to have himself we'll in hand again. After the first shock at hearing of the loss of the pearls he showed no sign of emotion or displeasure.
 He listened intently as told him of my second meeting with Barbara Bradford when I had learned that the Bradford wall safe had been footed, too, and the papers abstracted con- corning the annullment of Claire's first marriage. He nodded his head slightly when I told him of the anony- nous notes found on the floor in both apartments.
 Did you hear the whispers, tooY he questioned.
 'Yes," I answered, T heard them several times. Barbara has heard them and the laundress, too"
 A look of unspeakable relief came over his face.
 ''I'm glad to know that others have heard them besides myself. When a man gets old his nerves sometimes play him strange pranks. The whis- pers seemed so unreal and incredible l that feared that I was suffering from 1 the hallucinations of old age. Now that I know that the whispers are real, there is nothing to fear
 And" I observed, q believe, am almost positive. I can explain the origin of the whispers"
 'Tell me-" he cried, his manner now entirely changed. He seemed elated at discovering that his brain was still dependable. It was as if burden had suddenly been lifted from him.
 Here was my opportunity German had utterly refused to credit my story of a secret passage and had ridiculed 1 it. There had been no way that l could prove it, nor was it possible for German to have investigated tie walls of the Granddeck, even if he had placed any credence in my story. With my great-uncle it was different. As the occupant of the apartment he would have every right and oppor- tunity to explore and verify my state ments. I told him how, while specu- latlng as to the origin of the whispers, I had observed the discrepancy in the | measurements of the apartment and had verified my deduction that there was space enough for passageway big enough for man to traverse in the wall between the room l had oc- cupied and the long hall. He listened 1 intently as I described the plan of the rooms in detail and nodded his ap- proval
 And what Is move" I added tri, umphantIy, Barbara Bradford and had just discovered an opening into Il by pushing the wall panel in my room back and then sliding 1t along. We were inspecting it when we heard the shot in the apartment below. l closed the panel and raa downstairs and have had no opportunity since to investi gate, but I am sure the passage is there. I am convinced that 1t was the eo,,nd of voices there that made the whispers. I suspect it was used bS whoever left the anonymous notes 1T the room, and that the person or per sons who footed the safes entered, ant escaped by that means. l wo9li no be surprised If it was not by IT uthns ot this passageway that the muraerer o Miss Lntan escaped, after he Lad lef his revolver In the drawer of my dresser"