"
"Who wrote it?" asked Bert. "What do you make of it?"
"I don't know who wrote it. Some one must have gone to my typewriter
when I was away, or maybe it was done at night."
"Could it have been the old housekeeper?" asked Bert. "Maybe she is in
trouble, and this looks like an appeal for aid."
"No. Mrs. Blarcum is afraid to touch the machine. Besides, she doesn't
even know how to put the paper in."
"Muchmore wouldn't have tossed out a message like that, I suppose?"
"No. Besides, he knows how to work the machine, and he'd use the
proper lettering. Anyhow, he'd have no occasion to do such a thing."
"Then what can it be?" inquired Bert, much puzzled.
"Certainly someone is in trouble," agreed Mort. "The word 'help' shows
that. Properly written the message would look like this, and on the
back of the paper he wrote:
"Help! I am a priso"
"What's that last word?" asked Bert. "I thought it might have been
meant for 'poison.' What do you think?"
Mort was silent a moment. Then he exclaimed:
"I have it! It's 'prisoner'! That's what it is!"
"Prisoner?"
"Yes."
"But who could be imprisoned there?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's a lunatic, or some poor fellow whom Muchmore
has fleeced out of all his money by gambling.
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