Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1920-05-27
SYNOPSIS.

's-eeu SpSautns Nelson, clerk, JOINING
- In a respondent mood when he re-
ceiVes an invitation to dinner from his
erest-unole, Rufus CASTOR. On his way
nne nCose ne meets. under peculiar cir
trouble. to whom he has an opportunity
TO be OF slight service. She lives in the
same apartment building as Rufus Gas
Castor and his wife are DIN to Maine
tor a trip and want TO ave Nelson in
cnarse OF the apartment He accepts
CASTOR and his wife tell their great
ney lew OF mysterious noises-"whispers"
which they have heard In the house.
CHAPTER lion his way to the Gas
ton apartment next Sunday Nelson again
few days before. Barbara Bradford. She
urges him not to allow the fact of their
being acquai2ted to be known. Al the
s .p: W,ss S Sas n, meet: the S s.Rs,.ntssnI %
In q wall safe he nnds q necklace OF
masnincent pearlA. worth Q small fortune.
Meeting Barbara In the hallway she
n a restaurant he Is eonseious Of The un.
pleasant scrutiny Of . stranger, but .
man whom he had seen before.
CHAPTER III.-Next day Nelson fnds
the pearls have disappeared from the
wall safe. His first idea of informing the
police 10 not acted Upon because Of Pc
culiar circumstances. He has been dis
charged from his position without ade-
Quate explanation or reason. and feels
himself involved In something Of q mys-
terry. He decides to conduct an investi-
cation himself. , That night Barbara sig
which ,FI q opposite 1Ts M" his. an he she SpI arrange
. meeting for next day. In the morning
he finds q note 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 a unaway marriage with an ad-
renturer. 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
money for their return. threatening to
forward them to Claire's iance II the de-
mands are not met Neither Barbara nor
d der She She tell. Il Selson she has also
heard mysterious sounds in the nat They
agree to meet frequently.
I'm not saying I've seen anything"
she began, but there's thugs l could
be telling If l was minded to open my
lips"
IF you know anything" I said, "you
must tell me. Mr.. CASTOR put Inc here
TO find out what was wrong"
There's no doubt there's wrong
here"
What makes you say that? What
have you seen? What do you known
IT'S neither what I've seer nor
what l know" She nodded mysteri.
ously. ITS what I've been hearing
myself"
For heavens sake. woman" I cried.
losing patience, what is 1t you've
heard?"
I've heard them walking" she an
nounced with an air of triumph.
You've heard who walking?'
THE little people Of course. Who
else would it be doing it,"
'Oh, bosh :" / exclaimed. I was well
enough acquainted with the supersti.
tions of the Irish TO understand who
she meant by the little people" It's
the habit of the old crOnes from the
Emerald isle TO attribute anything |
they cannot understand to fairies.
you may laugh" she retorted indig-
nantly, but l heard them, l tell ye."
where did you hear them, these
footstepsT
Coming right out Of the wall, here
in this room, and in the kitchen, be-
yond."
1T WIS probably somebody in an
other apartment you heard"
1T was not. The floors do be dead
ened Ike. and it's nothing at all you
car hear. 1t was somebody walking
soft-like right there in the wall at me
back"
Well" / announced, "if there is
anything like that going on, 1 am 60
ing to stay here until / hear II.
want to make sure no one can come
into the apartment but myself, so
am going to ask you to give me your
key. I'll be home here all the morn.
ing, so ! can let you in when you ring"
Its me key you're wanting. is it,"
She produced It from a pocket Of
her gown and handed It over, first
unknOtting it from a corner Of her
kerchief where she had tied II for safe
keeping.
And indeed If it's meself you're not
trusting with a key after Mrs. CASTOR
me have 1t for these ten years
back, it's your wi bed you can be
making. I'll not be coming lear the
place again"
In fBe indignation she founced out
Of the place. To tell the truth I was
not sorry that she had announced her
decision not TO return. While my i'm
preston Of her was that she was q
supplemented old woman Of utter1nost
/ was just as well satisfied
hat nc one but myself should have
to the apartment until l had
my Investigations and had
made further progress in solving the
Mysteries that were so rapidly devel.
ping. ,
Left ono more to myself. I sat down ,
It my great.uncIe's desk and made
ut g list Of questions that must be .
answered: :
]. Where was Rufus CASTOR? Had
he old gentleman really gone away ,
# was he In hiding In the building? n
2. Who had removed the CASTOR j,
from the wall safer 1t must
someone who knew the combina- I,
lon. .
8. Who had written the note found -,
o the floor Of my bedroom? How y
nd when had 1t been placed on the +,
0or there7 ;
4. Who were the persons who were =
rying to blackInail the family next
oor7 a.
8. How had the anonymous notes :