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The House of Whispers S I y WILLIAM JOHNSTON A SCWUT PASS@L a3mswds a-CaM Nela $s ec-= -s lag tb. . Cs w Sas et his grtt LILrrt~ n The bwin a - 1aa sobs ais *hi r'. timt bs. a sn" th.w "I" F wt - wh u, t rSa .. _ sd ois s th s st - ~ Ri~- I~ UsC dpLm (Ilb 'T s agaltse nl' Ir 1ýIs ~timgsum. hat is~ his iua +ý rasr.ý bow . tta talc a y b Yom +IItM LOO -uk sti hb is ftat "a - f .I- &vkr ari +Pit- w t, ial ~~~a~~ -~ } ýerPrrr ir s i ir tl rd krn~ - cam b srs-t- 'M7' isis S F aiý ~~ lb -~i wr ·L that' a start. era the man who shadowed o.u-would you know him asaln If you sm himar I shoak my head doubtfully. 'Tn afrad noet," I admitted, you see-" "D ont bother to aetan. You either would er wedI't, and that's all we aed to know new. There's old Mr. Oatem and his wife Its queer about their dcking out m sddenly and leaving no imdres, but maybe they're only seared Let's we who else is tw--th e Brduigr servants and the ei man's, the ld washewoman- and the famesl who live in thebosMe. Wolve ge the clrcee pretty woln co rea, have't wer Mere and more I had begun to ap Iprlate bw valuable the services ae an eqperleaoed detective would be likely to be l helping to solve the "Leak here. German," I said, "why at't on tak. charge o this case for -r "What'S in It? he asued. My ~he ell, and my eathuelam detd a undim death. Once more I poverty. rt what use my talkg to a b ghprle tanvtiaor like Ger. Swhn al the money I had to tihe weld was s than two hundred d4 laMr oute which I had to live unWtl I aled ~legtE et I must erve n y" u clear . p this cae." I an t s.me e, - t giveTo every cens 1 e gut it the wreeo ilt sa bt has sad. "It ain't emeug. if take this Case, It aent he for the mowe thta in itt ! fat matter I ar'i ' al I want ft do eitsasdo , arse g his pdis I k111 'Zat' be mm.aw S skem TOa will -bane the ase," I 6Du rag geidBIltis. Tt Dral.L E i es ep :efarai g 'Sway feea t* S. i S hat r ayuit eand s . a. tihat was aI L e o alatno e a "* was 'sst' e at Iar i se It e h e -4% ' ~ *steat os $a~ittsA tale 1-~m~ ~ 4 t~iilb It was nine-thirty when I reached home. It had been arranged that Bar barn abott ten would signal me that n we might have a chat from our re- b spective windows. As I sat In my fi room waiting for the time to come. I '1 was reviewing the case in all Its as- a pets. Indeed there was hardly a wak- Ii lag moment that I was not thinklpg of the many mysteries about us. I was wondering If, when the case was If dcared up the mysterious whispers a that we a11 had heard would also be explained. I recalled Claire Brad- a t~ad's unexpected visit to my apart- p meat the evening before and her con- u fusion when I had captured her. I wondered If- the explanations she had I offered had been the truth. Was she really trying to locate the source of r the whispers? I looked Interestedly v up at the seetion of the wall that I p had found her inspecting. What had she hoped to diseever there? a I decided to make a close ispee b tion of both sides of the walL As p I lighted up the sitting room and ball a for this purpose, ompthag unusual came to my noftiee that had hitherto I escaped me enturely. 1 THE INNER WALL OF MY ROOM b -the one running along the hal of t the apartment-HAD THE APPEAR ANCE OF BEING AT LEAST FOUR t FRET THICK. It seemed so abasrd that I refused to belie the the evidence my eyes had given me. In these modern days of steel constredekM there was o reason for a wall being of medieval proper- a tions. I sprang to my greatmt's t work basket and began rummaging to s see If I could Mad a tape meosre, and luckily my search was quickly re- d warde. I sktcied a ragh diagram at the ruar room, and began -messaring them of, l checking my fres t as I went aleg. I oun myself row lag wldly excited as the tape mas gs oeamrmed what my opn already P had teld me. The Inner wall. was at least sfur feot thlt. Wtb tLhels at the h t of the I pegdb-l of a seet passage there, I elmbed up ea ebdlr Sot as oaire o sed bad doe,- ad began at spe4tting the wal Inch tI.aeh. Eva iLii I7 ww.i~ gHWS~E ~ B: 4, :- · l "What is it? "A secret passageway leading into my room. It seems to run along the ball. TPe wall there is at least four r feet thick-room for a man to walk. [ There is a panel in the wall in my Spom leading into It. I was Just pry - g it open when you sgnaled." "Oh. how I wish I could see it!" I "Why can't yod? Slip out of year Sfront door, and I'll be slt-my door to I admit you." "I can't do that. Mother sad Claire I are in the front part f the house I playtng bridge with some guests. Trhey will be sure toiear moe oing out." t [ "Come in tomorrow morning, them." I I I suggested. ' She did not answer, and betore I realised what she was doing. Barbara I was out on the ledge makiag her a C perilous way acres to my wiandow. I "If Claire ean do thin. I can." she e announced trumph tly, as I. tram- I Sblin all over at the thought of the e peril she had been In. put my arms c I about her and helped her In. e I "Darling," I cried, still bolding her .t r In my arms, "don't ever do that again. It's too dangerous. Promise me. Bar- a [ barn, deear, yeoul never again try r that." With her pretty face ishlu d at tke t L teroa of endearment that had uwit tingly escaped me. she laghngly re- I I leased herself from my arms. c ! "That was nothing," she said In a Stease whisper. "Where's the paenld" t Relieved to Sud that she was n t nt angered by my presumptis, II has Stined to turn up the light and olted Sat the bole n thr wnlL As I had do.e, she sprang up ea the chair and ea deavored to push the pel further , back. but was unable to badge It. Quicker witted thean I. a thea tried t Ssliding It talong. At th dilghtmst t Stouach it slid back In a reove, reveal- 9 . Int the opein. -leadng Intot whatn ? S triking a match, We both et ai - peene t. The toeo betwo n the t wafs was certainly tih enough ea a shide enough for a aa to- walk ther I in ssodrt. So or as the Hckerint a Sgh et the mateh eha as to jdg *tr rea he* auth atto heaB ai5 ar ,It further end tiher appeared to be aMene mtepa. "O.me," cried the Intrepd Barbersa "oa" I asid Brmly. "We m.it do nothing antB I have seea the do - teette We have put ths cae In his a hand" ." %at we Smut iad out eabout it" a peagatued the uix a "Tmeine," I said. "We tknw a where it i-. We know Where tle t . .. e a titwM it in a . rm m. I ` *b e e o wal snt attest to splse " A- we ariged *u t a weboth f Sý hee t ai d wi th blachM ieg Doteneda. Prim erWhr it to m a fr i as ighi below tWe '21e e a woen's i 5latr a Elid ais I the death u r bir aE. asuw tr rame art ae du am' t , - ' a 'seemed u .:W . sei dthooIS*thuk "aWha is-It? eh t ' d- 1 Ii::; ;·· I-~· PROBLEMS FACIN STRICKEN WORLD Shal Chaos or Reconstruction in Europe Felibw the Great World War? CLASH OF FACT AND THEORY .I t e socialile Idea of Ceatlenis In World SWhere All Ia Are o an Equality t r Takes No eut, Overlooks t Sals Fast In Nature. Article XXV. t r By FRANK COMERFORD. a . On November 10. 1917. the bolsbe- I vlk government was born. On Dec. 10, c e 1917. the bolshevik government abol- a a IMhed private ownership of land, de- I Scldaring all resal estate the property of I the state. On February 10, 1918. they I » Issued a decree declaring all state t lesas, Internal and foreign, null and I I void, confiscatin all maritime enter- f a prises and all private banks to the r state, and nationallzsing foreign trade. p The '-onstitutlon established the 1 e communam of .land in the following t F words: t s "YPr the purpose of attaining the so. I e clalisatien of land, all private prop- I erty In land In abolished aad the en- e a . tie land s declared to be national I . property, and is to be apportioned a r among agriculturoi ts without any can- I 7 peasation to the former owners, In the I measure of each one's ability to till aIt.I t- he peasants of Rssia seised the Sland. They wilintgly followed this command of the new order, but they a did not take the land as community Sroperty. They are noet eommnists. STheir experience with communal hand I owning ha never satisfed tam. Us Sder te old regime the peasaets were Saeted lanad by the communal Mr. " Thott held title to the lamd addl a vided It by lot. The tenany of a farm Ser n the la.d was uncertain under d the Mr sstems. The average length of the lease was about thirteen yers. Then came a new distrlbatlo aof the Mi. land. a new dsawlba. The psmut ' was eompelled to moe to the new strip of land allotted to him sfrom the drwlng This plan tooeek roam the peasant all Indument to put his but Into the land. He had no motive for Imp. iag the land; it was not his. IAt the anet drawing t woad poebably ' go to an sther, and he In tbn be shift ed ea piece of hnd wih had ben t negleeted and allowed to detererate. Uxperleiee Bred the peasant with eae Stltegg et, ome mMtr, to onw n his Sland, to have a pgmanent hben.. I somea t hing.t n wn kd i, a er. So at the outset of the pregram t sedalise th lend we fad the belsbe. lak etmaR t atd mpt a commun Fha e pream cefulet*t a sig enIs to the wtshe s et the pen t Led tG Sameral iese it º, Setween MW"gs to Ubea are I se preat eM seestaes, te pressi- I -ey nt The.se samis wem th.a t I hses .it 'siekityr and i wok - emestd 'r. When the safer t°o sagl it d tiwud the puepia ey b l Te G townes t aghts 1opetrr i*r the a - I- assn eaob was et k se a benw emg m ~ eSi*i pu I - *qeI i; '. · ai ·~ii ~fj~ r l e*.4 nd · we~U~um: - - jr4C of their labor belongated to themselves. Both, clasimes were indivLduallsat Neither group were communists in practice, particularly when the opera tion of communism came home to them. For a time those peasants who had a surplus sold their product to the government For it they received questionable paper money with a doubtful value. Then began the hoard ing of farm products. The peasants de manded manufactured things which they needed. In exchange for their farm products. The. government did net have the manufactured articles the peasants needed and wanted. The proletariat of the cities was hungry. It was up to the bolshevik government to feed them, or fall .. Ralding parr ties were seat oat. The "Red" army was used. The peasants stood together to protect their property. The sedalb. zation of land failed. Production an the farms fell. General poverty re salted. The problem of the bolshevi government to provide food for the cities stll remained. With the failure of communism of the land, the pvern meat set to work to cultivate the great proprietary estates on a ca-operate plan. Graft, inmeelecy of adglnqstra tion. and the unwfltagness of the peasants to work, eaused this plan to fall. Kersheastey In the "Isvestia" oe the provincial executive committees of January 22, 1919. gives a pleture of the situation: "The facts describing the village soviet of the Ursa borough present a shocking picture which is no doubt ty*al of all other corners of our previpelal soviet lifae. The c - Sman of this village seviet, Rekhale, and his nearest eo-workers, have done all in their pwer to antagonise the population against the soviet rles Rekhalev, htimelt, has o8te been found ti an intocated condition an he has frequently asauted the local inhabitants. The beating up of visit ors to the soviet leo was an ordinary occurrence. In the village of Baera sova the peasants have been thras* ed. met only with fists, ht have been amullted with stclks, rbbee at their footwear and cast into damp esims, en bare earthen Boers. The mmbers of the executive committee, Glamv, Merey, Makhov. and ethers, have gaas even further. They hare oran.mza "requilitiea parties," which were th iag ele but organised pillaging, i the crse of whieh they have use whtrwrapped sticks ea the recalet tramts. The abundant o~n y.s, veri fed by the soviet cemmision, per trays a very picture of vie Imae. When these members et the - eective committee arrived at the towe n ship at 8ademv they eomsmeeha c to asault the population ad to rob tae of ifdatauf and of their hsubeshld beloeging., snuc as quilts. cledms bares, etc. No selpts . r thebre qui.tinted se were t e anv as meony paid. They even ress o .oth ore in the spot s , o the bead sta which they had reuslitiened." mThis i testimony at a w mmes.wa leyst auer 1 vi e aer ý peste FIlg at Panaaato Tie bdo i, thsei, recie&se in theas 7ssti' a osmmr .a "a tint the Vteeeb en V qt as pMac ofit bs haen te anrs e ý r bar dae t saft Te lS s q o, nmeil ., 20- wsage toe t " P AMsage . r geea; atig *an lteeleth - ee k !a e taba emls. 'Ifma: S- e we the p imthand g wV, aO as e q r s a - t ag -e so- gb -- - .i "i~