Ladysmith news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1906-1907, 1906-07-28
CHAPTER v.

Thus armed, Billery set out upon his
task, and threw himself into it with a
zeal and resolution of which those
who knew him best would have least
deemed him capable. But almost at
the first step of his inquiries he found
himself fortified. Among other facts
elected at the inquest, it transpired
that the owner of the house in which
Aloysius Brangwyn's body had been
discovered had sold his property
some three years after the old mans
disappearance, and had gone abroad.
A singular feature in the case was
that the purchaser had made no use
of his purchase except to store in it's
lower rooms a quantity OF ramshackle
old secondhand furniture, where OBJ
tanned or by whom conveyed to its
destination there was no evidence to
show. Now, Billery's theory of the
crime pointed ineXorably in one direc-
ton. If he could find the man who
had sold the house, he would have at
least a chance of identifying the pur-
chaser. He had an intuition SO strong
that, in his own mind, it amounted to
a certainty that his self-imposed in
quiry would be virtually ended if once
this discovery were made. To find
the man to whom the house had last
belonged it was obviously necessary
to find the man from whom he had
bought it.
But this idea had already recon-
mended itself to the intelligence of
Scotland Yard, and when >Billery be-
gan his house-to-house visitation
among the inhabitants of the neigh
borhoOd he made acquaintance of an
official person who was already in
pursuit of the information of which
he was himself in search. The coro-
ners jury had returned a verdict of
Found dead" and had appended to it
a rider to the effect that there was
strong presumptions of foul play The
Home Office had offered a reward and
the dead mans sole survivors had sup
plemented this offer by one much larg
err Perhaps these facts may have
had something to do with the resent
ment displayed by the official person
at Billery's inquiries.
"This affair."" he told Billery. sis be-
Ing looked into by the properly-consti-
tuded authorities. When we happen
to find ourselves in need of amateur
assistance we'll ask for it."
That's all right" said Billery, af-
fably Perhaps you may find that l
can be of use to you. Perhaps | may
be able to make it worth your while
to be of use to me. That is my card.
I represent the Daily Record You
may remember that I was the first
person to identify the body. | am act
ing on exclusive information of my
own, but | haven't the slightest objec-
ton to sharing it in confidence. All |
want to be assured of is that if my in
formation is exact | shall have the
proper credit for it,"
There's a good deal hanging on to
this" said the officer.
Exactly" Billery assented. II see
your point. I'm not going for the re-
ward. I'm doing my duty as journal
list"
Every good" said the officer. "And
now, may | ask, what's the nature OF
Hx,0,,r cno0ioI in tioy1 9'
ITO be sure" Billery answered;
there's no tax on human curiosity"
Come" said the officer, ''you said
you hadn't the slightest objection to
sharing it in confidence
"Nstaahe slightest objection to shar-
ing tin confidence. But I'm not
sure that I'm sharing it in confidence
if I share it with you. | don't know
you from Adam, any more than you
know me from Cain or Able
That's my name" said the officer
searching for loose card in his watch