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M IffsTZ: MTf U III rv HHM
P.P P.P.P..PPJLgJULPJLPJLPJLSJL
The Mystery of the
Shadow on the Wall
I
ooooooosoo sao oooooooooooo oo
.ONFOUND it, Duncan,"
said Hand, "what do yon
think that I am, anyway?
Take your spook stories
somewhere else. What
that hysterical family
needs is a doctor, not a
detective."
"Do listen, Rand," I
urged. "When you have
heard mo out you can
refuse the caso just as
isily as you can now. I'll tako only
minute or two of your time."
"Well, get on with it, then. But
)u know "
"I know that you haven't a supersti.
ous cell in your brain, and I thought
hadn't either, but when I tell you
lat I saw "
Rand smiles In that ironical way of
s. and I hastily beiran nnothpr utm-
"You know," I said, "that I knew, in
general way who tho Danvers were,
'cause my mother lives within a few
ock of their house. However, they
ivo not occupied it for a long time,
:causc Mr. Danvers stayed in Europe
r many years, as most of his lnter
ts wero there. There Is a caretaker
ho has a cottage In tho grounds, and
I the servants havo been retained,
that the placo is beautifully kept
i. .nr. .Danvers aieu suuacniv or
imp iroumn wn cn no on linrmrstnnrt
id was burled on the other side in
aly, I believe. The mother and Miss
anvers, who is about twenty, and
r brother, who is a year younger,
ive just returned to America, with
le inieniion or livinc in tnn stiarinna
l uijiiKf. uiipi II iiiiiii ill I ii n ninmrpn
ere uorn.
"As you know, I went there to call
nfr-hf T'linv wnra -Mnntlv frlpH
renew the acquaintance and tried
make me feel very much at home,
it I Eoon saw that they were all
f.;iumv iiprvniiM. niiiiiinmv I iprn
as n choking kind of a scream from
le back of the house. Danvers and I
lRhfMl out. following thn sound. Hn
. - .1 ..I "111. r. nnil
ie s o"rase, meeting, on our way, a
aid who gibbered out her terror at
i and 'hen ran on.
'Yu can smile, Rand, all you
.eare, cui i ten you wnar, l saw ac
iay in that commonplace back
ill uouid take that smile off of your
ice r first, it Just seemed to mo
ct hfo was a very queer arrange
cii cf shadows along tho floor and
i the wan and then I saw that
ic. e (shadows moved, and that they
ado 'he figure of a tall, thin man. I
luldt t make out what tho motion
3ii Mte. until the shadow seemed
drlYlv in IntaMolfv. lrti llfitii'oru
nd I backed out of that hall, and wo
ere cold with fear, Rand say what
3U lii'o to me. but I tell you I don't
ant to see that shadow again, cut
ng its own throat with a long, ugly
loklng knife ugh!"
"Is it always in the same placo?"
"YeE."
"How Is the hall lighted?"
"With a single gas jet."
"Was the gas lit when you saw tho
i-mIow'"
' Ye, but it was turned low."
"Whero does the shadow appear I
ran where, in relation to tho posl
n of ho gas Jet?"
Iteond it as you look in from tho
on i'1trance down tho hallway."
I'oc it ever appear when tho gas
net j t
tl t think not."
H' many tervants havo the Dan-
' Five or six, I think."
"I c rides tho caretaker?"
Yes "
'ocicn. or eight, In all. Quito a
etinuo for a small family. Did you
ay all tho servants wero retained dur
lg the years that tho family wero lu
lurope'
"Yes, they were."
"What was tho nationality of Dan
ers?"
"EdeIIeU or American, I suppose."
"You suppose, eh? Whero did you
ay he died?"
"Ho is burled in Italy, but I don't
now whero ho died."
"Mies Danvers is a dark, tropical
ort of a looking girl, isn't she?"
"Why yes; but how"
"It's tho sort you always admire,
n't if"
"Yce, I must say I am rather par
lal to dark hair, being such a sandy
aired Scotchy myself."
The boy la dark, too?"
"No, ho has light hair and palo bluo
yes, like his mother, but his skin is
warthy. It makes an odd combina-Ion."
P.P.PXP-PiUULPJUUlPJLPJLg.,
. IK
ooooooo ooooooooooaaaoooa
"What did you say tho mother was
like?"
"I didn't say," I retorted, pleased to
catch Rand at ono of his tricks.
"No? Well, then, I will. She is a
palo blonde, with nsh-colorcd hair,
rather long, pointed teeth, a tall, grace
ful figure, an aqullino nose and a
face which may havo onco been cold
ly beautiful."
"You know her!" I charged, resent
fully. "No, I never saw her in my liro."
Rand's smllo is often frank and kind,
but when I am trying to follow him
through ono of his bafTllng calculations
deduced, as In tho present case,
from the very things that his Informer
does not know I feel that smllo to
bo a very exasperating one. He gave
no heed to my protesting "Oh, come
now, Rand!" but whistled softly as ho
stepped about, getting into his coat.
"You'll tako the case?" I hazarded,
watching him.
"Yes, I might as well. Tom!" ho
called out to the tall Sioux who Is his
cook, bodyguard, chauffeur and friend,
and who Is never far away, "Tom, Just
run out and buy half a dozen sulphur
candles the kind you uso for fumigat
ing, you know. And Tom get out tho
cur. We're going to whero did you
say tho placo is?"
"201G Old Roston road."
I knew that tho whole Danvers fam
ily felt a distinct sense of disappoint
ment in tho "friend" whose shrewd
ness I had recommended, but whom
they did not know as the great detec
tive, for Rand seldom wanted his per
sonality exploited.
Tho long hall whero I had witnessed
tho ghostly apparition of tho night be
fore was, of course, tho first thing to
which we gavo attention. Rand walked
its length twice, had us tell him ex
actly where tho shadow was always
seen, and asked to bo shown tho rooms
and passages over it. From there he
went to tho laundry, which extended,
under the whole back of the house, but
declined to let any of us save Tom
accompany him.
Dinner was announced soon, but it
was an utter failure. Mrs. Danvers
could not eat, young Danvers looked
too serious for such a young follow,
and even Rand looked graver than I
had ever seen him. Happening to
glance out into tho hall, from which
tho dining room opened, I saw Tom's
tall figure lounging among tho shad
ows. Evidently we were keeping closo
formation.
"I want mamma to leave hero nt
once," Miss Danvers told me, under
cover of some light conversation which
had arisen between her mothor and
Rand.
"Whero will you go?" I asked.
She shrugged her shoulders wearily.
"Back to Europe, I suppose. Matthew
and I wero wild to return to America
and to this house. You know wo lived
hero when wo wero children, and it
was tho happiest time of our lives.
We were always talking about Ameri
ca and wanting to return, but father
didn't care for it, and would never
allow us to talk about it."
She continued to talk of Europe,
but I replied absently, for, In reality,
I was listening to a conversation bo
tween Rand and Mrs. Danvers, and
the thread of connection which ran
through it teased me.
Was Mr. Danvers English? Ah,
Welsh. That, no doubt, accounted for
tho typo of beauty to which Miss Dan
vers belonged. Mrs. Danvers "sup
posed so" in so faint and disheartened
a tone that I felt sorry for her, but
Rand went on, praising tho old houso.
How fortunate to havo servants so
faithful that they would remain with
a deserted houso for how many
years? Fifteen, perhaps? Yes, It was
fifteen, corroborated Airs. Danvers,
again faintly.
Of courso sho would ndvlso with tho
family lawyer before disposing of tho
property, as, no doubt, sho had deter
mined on doing Yes, it was indeed a
pity that ho was so far away. How
did it happen that Mr. Danvers had all
of bis business interests represented
by an Italian? Sho hadn't said that it
was by an Italian? Sho hadn't? How
odd! Then, of courso, ho must havo
known It In somo way; one hears all
sorts of information. Strango though,
wasn't it? Mr. Danvers must havo
bad somo strong partiality for Italians
even tho servants wore Italians and
Sicilians, nt that Oh, but Mrs. Dan
vers must know that those English
names did not mean anything. All tho
servants wero Italian oh, yes, ho
knew Italians well.
I knew that Miss Danvers must no
tice my abstraction and sho, In her
turn, began to listen to the one-sided
conversation. Utter perplexity cloud
ed her eyes as she listened, and finally
indignation filled them, for her moth
cr's voice was fainter and fainter and
terror shook unmistakably In it.
Wo both turned toward Rand in tlmo
to sco tho. pale lady cast ono look at
him, become paler than before and
gently sag down in her chnlr. I sprang
to my feet, but young Danvers had al
ready caught his mother and was hold
ing her up, his faco filled with dis
tress. "Don't bo alarmed," Rand said to us,
"sho will soon revive. Glvo her a
drink of water, Miss Danvers, and
loosen her dress n, little. Tom," as tho
big Sioux came softly through tho
door, "carry Mrs. Danvers to her room
and stay with her, please. Miss Dan
vers, please precede him, make your
mother comfortable, and do exactly
as Tom tells you."
"You frighten mo," tho young girl
said. "What is all this about? What
did you do to frighten my mother?"
"Nothing serious, I assuro you, Miss
Danvers. I merely showed her that I
understood something which sho had
thought a secret. Pleaso go with her
and trust me."
Rand moved easily to tho door as
they went, and continued to stand in
tho doorway until we could hear that
they had passed into tho room above
and Bhut tho door. "Well," said he,
coming back, "now that tho ladles are
gono, let us go and visit the hall. You
know, I haven't seen tho shadow yet."
Ho slowly measured young Danvers
with his keen, clear eye, and then
quietly drew a pistol from his pocket
THERE THE SHADOW
and gave it to tho boy. "I can't stop
to explain now," ho said, "but thoro
aro reasons why I am glad you are so
strong a fellow. Perhaps you will
trust mo when I tell you that my
name is Rand."
"Not Lawrence Rand?"
"That's my name."
"Tho Lawrenco Rand!" Boyish hero
worship rang in the excited voice, and
Rand turned awcy, smiling a little.
Even ho was not proof against that
unfeigned admiration and awe.
"Como on, then; all either of you
havo to do Is to follow mo and do
what I tell you. If by any chance I
should not bo with you seo to Mrs.
and Miss Danvers."
Somewhero in tho tippor regions a
door opened, very, very softly. I no
ticed that Rand bad his hand In his
right hand coat pocket, and I knew
what it rested on thero. I showed tho
boy, and ho and Idld tho same. Tho hint
that Rand had given of danger to him
self still rung In my cars, nnd I found
that I was looking at tho well-known
outline before me with a suddenly sick
fe oil tig.
At the door to tho passage Rand
paused, and, prepared as I was for it,
I could no moro help tho start I gavo
than I could holp breathing, for tho
shadow was there, moustrous, distinct,
but stl, arrested in tho very midst of
its liorrlblo gesture. Young Danvers
smothered an exclumatlon nnd gripped
my arm, and so wo three stood, for as
much as twenty seconds, staring at
tho Incredlblo thing.
Suddenly Rand moved resolutely
forward and stood directly opposite it.
Then ho turned, facing us, and leaned
against tho opposite wall.
By Robert Naughton
"Duncan and Danvers," ho said, in
tho metallic voice which is his battle
cry, "you boo that this hall is pan
eled?" "Yea," wo breathed back. Some
thing In his tono told us that we stood
in gravo peril.
"You seo tho gas jet?"
"Yes, yes"
"Count three panels away from tho
gas Jet whore does that bring you?"
"Within two panels of you,"
"Yes. Now, while I attend to some
thing, you, Duncan, cover the door and
windows at tho other end of tho pas
sage; Danvers, turn your back to
Duncan and watch tho other way.
Anyono who is friendly to you will
have a uniform on. Shoot anyono else
you seo! Remember If nnythlng hap
pens to mo seo at once to Mrs. Dan
vers and "
"Yes! Yes!" I said.
Danvers, good boy, quietly turned
his back to mo, and I shifted my hand
so that my pistol lay just freo of my
pocket. Rand nodded with satisfac
tion, then ho turned his head back
ward and Bald sharply, "All right!"
Instinctively I knew that it was a
signal, hut to whom I could not ima
gine. Then he turned toward tho
wall again and spoUe, to my astonish
ment, in Italian.
"Allora Presto Vennl a me!"
There was no answer, but I could
havo sworn that there was a confused
movement outside the window. A sec
ond thero was silence, during which,
WAS, MONSTROUS, DISTINCT.
faintly, ever so faintly, a step crept
down tho front stair. It was good to
feel Danvers' strong young body
stiffen as he, too, listened. Thon Rand
did tho last thing in the world which
I expected; ho suddenly drew a very
stout knlfo from his sloevo and drove
it into tho wall, which gave, with a
ripping, tearing noise.
At that everything seemed to hap
pen at onco. A slinking, crouching
ilguro flung itself headlong from the
door leading to tho servants' quarters.
It had no uniform, so I shot. It crum
pled up and lay twitching. Rand,
without oven looking over hla shouder,
continued to cut and slash tho sway
ing wall, which suddenly debouched
upon him tho limp body of a man and
a stifling odor of sulphur, nnd through
it all the shadow lay upon tho wall!
Rand was stooping swiftly over tho
body which had. fallen from tho panel
ing, and at tho fateful lower door an
other ilguro was creeping out. I rec
ognized it as tho butler, susplcioned a
weapon In his concealed right hand
and fired.
"This way!" shouted Rand, leaping
toward tho front hall, and I followed
him, turning for a last shot at tho
threo figures who cloggod tho hall.
"What what?" I Implored of him,
as wo ran, but beforo he could answer
wo had pushed out into tho thick of n
struggling, cursing, screaming, shoot
ing mass that dolles description. Tom,
tho Sioux, standing on tho third stop
of tho stair, towered over tho light,
steadily firing into tho mass below,
and I caught a glimpse of several po
lice helmets, and then I grappled with
a vicious little dark man who camo
at me like a charging snake. ,
"Get him alive, If you can, Duncan!"
yelled Rand's voice. In blind obedi
ence, I wrestled with an upraised
hand which held a knlfo, nnd a low
ered ono, which gripped a pistol, and
tho last I remember Is that young Dan
vers reached over and knocked tho
knlfo away and that something hit mo
a stinging blow on tho shoulder.
When I returned to consciousness
Rand and Danvers wero bending ovor
me, nnd a policeman was skillfully
bandaging my wound.
"He'll do nicely now, sir, till tho sur
geon comes," said tho policeman.
"That's good," replied Rand heartily.
"Well, Duncan, old boy, I'm sorry that
brute winged you, but you have all
tho glory of having captured ono of
tho most despcrato criminals alive,
besides neatly picking off two others."
Young Danvers, who had left tho
room for a moment, returned and told
Rnnd that Mrs. Danvers was resting
quietly, after her fright of hearing
such a disturbance, nnd that sho
wished tho great detective to know
that sho wa3 thankful that tho wholo
thing was exposed at last. "What sho
means by that I don't know, sir," con
cluded tho boy, "but she said that per
haps you would tell mo."
Rand gave the little short nod which
is his sign of commendation as ho lit
another cigarette.
"Mr. Danvers," ho said, "I will tell
all that I know as briefly as possible.
Your father called himself by the
namo which you now uso, but It was
really Danelll." Ho nodded assenting,
ly at the exclamation which broke
from us both. "Yes, ho was an Italian,
but his mother was an Englishwoman,
and for reasons of his own he never
acknowledged his paternity. Ho mar
ried your mother, who was a New Eng
land school teacher, under tho namo
of Danvers, and I fancy that until late
ly sho had no suspicion that it was not
his right namo.
"Your father was tho head of a se
cret society, making its headquarters
in Italy, and during tho years that
you were abroad ho used this houso as
a place of deposit for the most valua
ble papers and property of tho socie
ty, of which the servahts were all
sworn members. The placo was a gath
ering ground for every ono of tho
members who camo over here."
"But how could they about de
positing things here, you know? Thero
isn't a plapo In tho houso whero any
thing could be hidden." Young Dan
vers looked Incredulous.
For answer Rand walked across to
tho fireplace, fumbled about a little,
and suddenly swung the wholo mantel
piece out toward us. Back of it wero
rows and rows of drawers, neatly la
beled.
We wero too astonished to say a
word, and Rand walked about tho
room, touching this and that piece of
woodwork or carving, and at each
touch revealing tho same thing lines
upon lines of drawers quietly reposing
there, back of the apparently blank
wall. '
"You see," ho said to us, coming
back from this demonstration, "tho
wholo house is like that. Wo found a
complete plan of the placo, with all of
tho hiding places marked, on the body
of the man who poses as your butler.
Mr. Danvers never Intended that you
or your mother should return here, I
guess, but in such n society a man is
never suro of carrying out his plans.
Dying as suddenly as ho did, ho did
not know that ho had been deposed
and that people, inimical to his Inter
ests, were put in his place. Tho wholo
effort, of courso, was to frighten you
Into leaving tho place and selling it.
No doubt, you had offers for it beforo
you came over?"
"Wo did?" said Danvers; "a man In
Italy said his brother had becomo
wealthy as a contractor over here and
wanted it for his home."
"Of course you told hlra that you
also wanted It for tho very same
thing?"
"Yes, wo did."
"And tho word was passed on, so
that tho llttlo entertainment which
really shook all our nerves was ar
ranged Tor."
"Good heavens!" exclaimed Danvers,
"I had forgotten nil about that shadow.
What was?"
Rand reached out to tho table for a
llttlo black wooden box which was ly
ing thero. On one side of It was a
small opening, which ho turned toward
tho opposite wall, and Instantly tho
dread shadow sprang Into life thero.
'There is your ghost," Bald Rand.
Ho opened tho top of tho box and took
out a llttlo mannlkln. A string hung
from Its back which, when pulled,
mndo one hand fly up and saw at tho
throat with tho wooden knife It
clutched.
"Insldo here," continued Rnnd, "Is a
tiny, high process dynamo. This llttlo
flguro was hung on dellcatoly adjustod
wires in front of the dynamo; this llt
tlo lover turned on the power, tho
camera shutter in front focused tho
thing and thero you are. All the op
erator had to do was to pull the string
occasionally and produce a first-class
spook. Tho hoax was operated by a
man who lay concealed back of the
panel of the hall. Ho got up there
through a place in tho laundry which
had evidently been constructed re
cently for that very purpose. Tho pan
eling had been very skilfully cut away
Just beyond tho gas jet, nnd heavy
gauze substituted, strengthened with
boards nt tho back and painted an ex
act copy of tho real wood. Lying there,
tho man could dimly bco Into the hall,
but owing to tho gauze being right
back of tho gas Jet It was lmposslblo
for thoso who passed by to seo any
thing suspicious, unless they were
particularly looking for It.
"Tho man simply lay there and
chose his own time for throwing that
shadow on tho wait. The gauze at one
small point was very, very thin, tho
box wns shoved up flat against it, and
tho shadow appeared on tho opposite
wall, being light or heavy according
to tho tlmo of day, and according to
whether tho gas was on full or not.
Tho man who arranged that Htlo ap
paratus must havo been a genius, In
his own way. Tho Idea, of course, was
to frighten everyono from tho house,
and then to buy in tho placo for the
society."
Young Danvers drew a long breath.
Ho had stood motionless during Rand's
revelation of his father's criminality,
but now he pulled himself together
sharply.
"I thank you, sir," he said, "for tell
ing mo the truth. If you will excuso
me now I will return to my mother
and sister." Ho turned away, but al
most Immediately camo back to ask,
with an anxious face: "Do you think It
Bate for us to continue living here, Mr.
Rand?"
"No," replied Rand, "for as long a3
a member of tho society Is left allvo
they will watch this place and try to
get revenge for what they will prob
ably regard as an act of treachery on
the part of your mother. The house is
heavily guarded tonight, but I should
advise you to go quietly away in tho
early morning."
When ho had gone I whispered to
Rand:
"Camorra?"
"Yes."
"Rand?"
"What?"
"You know what how did you
know?"
"I didn't, but thoro was Just ono
thing I was suro of when you ilnlshed
your talo of the shadow and that was
that it must be thrown from the other
wall, and as thero was absolutely noth
ing to bo seen on the opposite wall, It
must bo that somo ono was working
tho thing from behind tho wall. Just
as a matter of interest I looked up
tho record of somo famous Italian
criminals, for I was sure that somo
Italian blood lay there. If you will
remember our conversation, you will
see why."
I shook my head.
"Well, Miss Danver3 typo Is tho
Italian type. I knew that you espe
cially admired Italian girls. How often
have I teased you when you havo
looked after somo black-eyed llttlo
sweatshop worker? Then, tho boy
having light eyes and hair and a
swarthy skin; you'll hardly find any
race but Italians and negroes in
which tho coloring of tho skin persists
aftor hair and eyes havo had a north
ern stamp. Eugenics, you seo.
"Now, who is moBt superstitious
among tho nations of Europe? Tho
Italians. Who would, most probably,
havo tho imagination to evolve such a
piece of deviltry ns that shadow?
Itnllans. Who manages to kill off ob
noxious people suddenly, so that they
appear to die natural deaths? Hush!
Yes, I'm afraid so. Well, aren't Si
cilians fumous for that? And whero 13
tho stamping ground of tho most ini
quitous nnd formidable secret society?
In Sicily. And Isn't Italy getting too
hot for them? And whero would bo the
best placo to transfer their most im
portant documents and possessions?
To a new country, whoso government
is such a fool that it does not rigidly
inspect all comers? Eh? Well, there
you have the train of reasoning."
"And tho candles, Rand? What wero
they for?"
"Why, don't you seo? I had made up
my mind that somebody behind tho
wall was casting that shadow, and I
smoked him out. Tom nnd I lit thoso
candles, after wo had discovered the
llttlo placo in the laundry wall whero
ho got luto tho wall, and wo opened
that placo, put the candles in and
wedged a piece of tho furnace poker
a piece of iron ns long as your body
nnd two inches thick across tho llttlo
spaco between tho walls whero tho
person who had mado it camo down
and out. You get tho idea? Tho man
up above could not get down and put
out tho candles and in n short time
ho would bo suffocated, unless ho had
tho nervo to call out for help. If he
had, the wholo houso would havo heard
him and his lifo might have been
saved. I was expecting a flgh. any
moment. Wo gradually got live of our
men Into tho houso, secreted In 6tray
corners around tho balls, and Tom
kept his eyes open. Tho other fifteen
guarded the outside and waited for tho
sound of a struggle beforo they
rushed In."
"It sounds simple," I said, "but then
It always docs afterward."