Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-10-16

is waiting" said Harding; *give him that
memorandum book"
handed the little notebook to the detec.
tive. He looked at it gravely.
II wonder If I can crack this nut? It's q
hard one; but I'll try"
We withdrew, and ntwo minutes the door
was opened, and Mr.. James Gregson entered
with the i~mpudentsmile upon his face which
I knew so we'll Bowling with an dir of
familiarity, which was not without a dis
tinct touch of %insolence, he looked from me
to Harding, as though inquiring the reason
which had led us to take so much trouble to
find him. Beneath this outward assumption
of self confidence Thought I could catch signs
that the fellow was not quite 10 much at his
ease as he wished to appear. invited him
to take q seat. and gravely stated to him the
object I had in seeking him out.
He looked at me with q satirical smile on
his lips when I had finished my statement.
$50 you think I can clear your friend Miss
Stancliffe, do youa"
II hope you can throw some light upon the
mystery that surrounds Mr.. M~auleverer's
DEATH"
He laughed outright. "Of course I can do
that; but you have come to the wrong man
for information that will clear Miss Daisv.
Have you forgotten what I told you In the
railway train when you were on your way
to the old mans house7'
ut is precisely because I have not forgot
ten it that I have desired to see you again.
You spoke then of q conspiracy to commit
murder. l want you to be kind enough to
tell me frankly what you meant by your
words. You remember that you charged
not only Miss stanclitre, but Flinter and DR..
Branksome. and myself as well, with being
in some plot. What did you mean by iii"
20, don't be afraid on your own account,
Mr.. Fenton. l know now that you were not in
the plot. You were only the dupe, and a
very simple one, too"
I should not lose my temper during this In
terview of such vital Importance to my
darling. The more ! saw Of the man the
without knowledge, and when I observed
felt sure that he also entertained the same
conviction. 1 took no notice, therefore, of
dregson's sheer but repeated my question.
nature Of the plot of which you Spoken
us it possible" he retorted, "that you are
80 dull as not to see the nature of the plot
for yourself nowi I should have given you
credit for being not quite SO stupid as you
appear to me. Good Lordl The whole
thing has been carried out under your nose,
and now that it is finished you come to me
to tell you what it means"
"Pray take pity, J then, on my stupidity,
and tell me ALI"
"Oh dear, no" he said with a mocking
laugh. my secret is worth a good deal
more to me than it can be 10 you"
lis 1t money that you want for telling the
TRUTH II 80"
Eyes, 1t is money; but I don't want any
from you. You are a very clever fellow, 1
dare say, in your own opinion, and a very
knowing one; but you must not think you
can buy me.n
to tell me without being bought"
"Just this, Mr.. - MI. II declare I forget
your name. What 1 told you would happen
when I saw you in the train has all come
true. Mauleverer has been murdered by tho
gang who have been plotting against his life
Tor years, and who are now going to get
clean off with the swag-al but one Of them;
and thanks to some stupid laundering ON
their part-or perhaps l ought to say on
your part, mister, for I'm told you have
meddled n good bit in the business-she'll be
hanged. That's ALL"
The malice of tho man revealed itself in
the tones in which lie spoke. kept my tenn
per, however, but I saw at the same time
that the momcnt had arrived when I ought
to use the weapon intrusted to me by the
detective.
"Mr. Gregson," I said, ''since that is the
name by which you choose to call yourself,
you are making a great mistake in supposing
that am quite SO helpless as you imagine.
| haze the means of making you speak, and
by heaven. sir, I'll use them, and quickly,
too, or make you pay dearly for your ST.
lence."
He looked up at me with q startled air.
The fellow was a cur, and at the first straight
blow he appeared to BIO more than inclined to
succumb. But he recovered himself after q
momentary pause.
II don't know what you are talking about.
First of all you want to bride me, and then
you try bullying. I've not come here to be
either bought or sold"
"Then, perhaps, as you don't want to be
sold, you will tell me your story without
compelling me to summon the detective who
is waiting III the next room, in order that I
may make a communication to him about
yourself and Smith & Sharp, Gracechurch
street."
The stroke told even moro quickly and
completely than I had dared to hope. A
CHASTITY pallor o%verspread the fellows face,
and he sat for more than O minute speech
less, staring at HE with eyes full of terror.
"You don't mean to bring that up against
mo after all these yearsf Good God! how
have you got to know anything about it,"
After a pause he continued: swell, I'll tell
you as much as l can if you'll promise not
to give me up"
IF you toll me everything, you will be
quite safe so far as I am concerned. If YOU
10 not, then you must take the conse-
quenccs."
All his assumed ease had vanished, and he
sat before us now as abject a craven as Ihave
ever seen. Bielski's secret had worked like
magic. In a faltering voice the wretched
creature asked if he might nave "a drop of
brandy" before he began his story, and i was
by no means sorry to supply him with 1t.
Then he began and unfolded the marvellous
tale which l shall repeat in his own words,
merely emitting his r%edundancies OF speech,
"They have been plotting against Maui
leverer ever since I've known him, and that
is seven years. Whom 10 I mean by they
! mean DR.. Branksome and his gang; that
lis, Flinter and the girl Daisy, and a lot Of
fellows i'll Australia, and now they have got
'his Fosdyko in the business. You see it
has been a regular company. and they have
been working it for years. Talk of gold
mining; but there is no gold mine in all
Australia that will yield half so much as
Mr.. Mauleverer: So you need not wonder
that the whole party-there are some of
them still over there-have been working at
the business for years past. At one time I
know they meant to mako al end of the old
man in his own house at Wanroora Rrt