Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1920-08-05
SYNoPsIs.

CHAPTER i-C,rcums,ancea having
prevented spaiding nelson. clerk, jOiuing
the American forces going to France, ne
Ia In a duspondsut mood when HH re-
ceives an invitation to dinner from ms
great uncle. Rufus CASTOR, On hiS way
To tho house he meets. under peculiar cir
cumstanCes. "A Young girl. apparently IN
trouble. to whom hc has an opportunity
TO he OF slight service. She lives IN the
same apartment building as Rufus Gas
ton. and he accompanied hor to the house,
Castor ana his Nifu are going 10 MAINE
Tor a trip and want to leave Nelson IN
charge OF tho apartment; lie accepts
CASTOR and his wife tell their gTent-
nephew OF mysterious noises-"wh.sters'
which they have heard In tie house.
CHAPTER lion his way to the Gas
ton apartment next sunday Nelson again
meets his accidental Acquaintance OF a
few days before. Barbara Bradford. she
urges him not to allow the fact Of thor
being acquainted to be known Al the
apartment Nelson meets the supcT'ht.hd-
ent. Wick. and instinCtively dislikcs him.
In a wall safe he finds a necklace OF
magnificent pearls. worth a small fortune.
Meeting Barbara In tho hallway shs
passes him without recognition DINING
Ia II restaurant he Ia conscious Of the uH-
pleasant scrutiny OF a stranger, but y
man whom he had seen before.
CHAPTER III.-Next day Nelson finds
the pearls nave disappeared from tlt
wall safe. His FIRST idea OF Informing the
police Is not acted upon because OF pc
cullar circumstances lie has been dis
charged from his position without ade-
guate explanation or reason. and feeIs
himself Involved In something OF Il 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
no finds a note In his ROOM. asking hin!
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 n runaway marriage with an al.
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 u large sum OF
money for their return, threatening 70
forward them to Claires fanCe II the de-
mands are not met. Neither Barbara nor
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 tn the apartment besides
Nelson, tells him she has heard whispers
and footsteps, apparently In the wall. lie
begins to suspect his groat-uncle of some
knowledge OF the affair Barbara tells
him she also has heard the footsteps, In
the morning he discovers his pockets
have been searched during the night, In.
contestable evidence Of the presence OF
someone In the apartment during the
night.
CHAPTER yI-Neison 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 In a known associate
Of criminals. and the wife Of Lefty
Moore" a convict In Sing Sing He tells
James G~orman-and makes an appoint
ment for the next day, Returning home
he nnds Claire Bradford In his apartment
She tells him she was trying to trace thu
source OF the whispers. which had alsc
disturbed her.
CHAPTER Victorian agrees to take
the case In "A professional capacity. That
evening Nelson discovers a concealed pas
sageway In the wall Of his apartment
While he Ia investigating Barbara Joins
him, making her way across a ledge con
Meeting the two apartments. He shows
while they are talking they hear a
scream, followed by a shot, from the
apartment beneath them, Barbara has
tens back and Nelson hurries to The
scene or tho disturbance. tie meets N1CF
at the door OF the Nat below.
CHAPTER withdrawing, they md
the oCcupan Of the apartment. Daisy l.u'
tan. IN actress. dead. Wickts opposition
to calling the police arouses Nelson's sis'
picions. and he insists on their being In
formed. Answering the detectives ques
tioning. Wick apparently tries to throw
suspicion on Nelson. Returning to his
apartment. he sees Claire Just leaving
Detectives md a revolver concealed In q
bureau drawer In Nelson's room, the
weapon with which the crime was com
mitted, and arrest him AZ the murderer
CHAPTER TX. -Circumsta initial evidence
son. and after "A preliminary investigation
he 10 rernanhed without bail. Claire Brad
ford makes him a visit.
"Suy. young fellow" he said, "if
didn't know that you were innocent
I'd swear that you were II dope h"h'
with this TILE of II secret passage
You've been reading too many lhrill
ers or going to the movies too nuch
They don't have secret passages II
modern apartment houses. You bet
ter keep quiet about thnt. You can
get anybody to believe you, and you'll
only hurt your case
ITO Be C~ontinued.)