Mystery of the Strange Messages Read Online Free PDF

trouble
cutting out letters and words from the newspapers, and putting them laboriously
on strips of paper, and then sticking the strips on writing-paper. Why couldn't
he just disguise his writing'' It's easy enough to do!"
    "It might be easy for you, Fatty, but not for most
people," said Daisy.
    "You say you saw and heard nothing at all to make you think
anyone was around, and that no note was found this morning?" said Fatty to
Ern. "I wonder if that was because you were there? Who is in the house
when Goon is out?"
    "Only Mrs. Hicks, the woman who comes in to clean," said
Ern. "She's not there all the time, anyway. And I don't believe she'd
notice anyone around unless they rang the bell or banged on the knocker. Why,
she never even noticed the boy next door when he hopped over the fence to get
his ball."
    "The boy next door? Did he come over?" said
Fatty, at once "It's possible someone might pay him to slip the notes here
and there."
    "Well, I watched him like anything." said Ern "I
was peeping out of the bedroom window, see—and I saw two kids playing ball next
door—and suddenly their ball came over the fence. And then the boy climbed
over, got his ball and went back, looking all round in case my uncle came
rushing out. He didn't have any note—he just picked up his ball and ran for his
life."
    "He doesn't sound suspicious," said Fatty, and
the others nodded in agreement. "Still—you've got to suspect anyone who
comes, Ern "
    "Right-o. I'll even give the next door cat the once-over if
he comes," said Ern, grinning.
    "Now let's consider these notes carefully," said Fatty,
and spread them out in a row on the table. "I'll read them all out again.
Listen, everyone, you too, Ern, because you haven't heard them before."
    Fatty picked up the first one. "Number one—'Ask Smith what
his real name is'. Number two—'Turn him out of the Ivies'. Number three—'Call
yourself a policeman? Go and see Smith!' Number four—'You'll be sorry if you don't go and see Smith'."
    "And I can tell you Number five," said Ern, eagerly.
"It was on Uncle's desk when he was doing the fingerprint test, and I saw
it. It said, 'Why don't you do what you're told, egghead?' "
    Everyone laughed. Ern grinned. "Uncle didn't like that,"
he said.
    "Well," said Fatty, "what does anyone gather from
these notes?"
    "There's a house called The Ivies somewhere," said Bets.
    "And a man called Smith lives in it," said Daisy.
    "And it's not his real name, it's a false one," said
Larry.
    "And if he's using a false name there must be some reason for
it," added Pip, "and possibly it means that at one time or another
he's been in trouble—and doesn't want people to know his real name now."
    "But why should the writer of these notes want him turned out
of the Ivies?" said Fatty, frowning. "And what reason would there be to turn him out? Well—until we find the Ivies, it's impossible to do
anything To find a house called The Ivies must be our very first step."
    "I suppose we can't find the writer of the notes, can
we?" suggested Daisy. "It might be a help if we knew who he was!"
    "How can we?" asked Larry. "He doesn't give a thing
away, not a thing—not his handwriting, not his finger-
    prints, nothing! He's so jolly careful that he's spent ages and
ages snipping printed letters or words out of newspapers and pasting them on
the sheet!"
    "I wonder if we could find anything out about him from these
little snippings," said Fatty, gazing at them. "Newspapers are
printed on both sides. There might be a guide to us in something on the other side of the snip-pings. I rather think the man is using only one newspaper.
The letters all seem to be the same type of printing."
    "But goodness me—we can't paste the letters from the
sheets," said Bets.
    "I could," said Fatty. "It would be a very tricky
job, but I think I could. I've got some special stuff somewhere for that very
purpose, but I've never yet used it. I'd forgotten about it. I might be able to
do something tonight.