The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1906-06-28
THE
BrangWyn Mystery

down, and to-day l find his body"
"Where?"
wait a bit. I'll come to that. I find
his body. Now, l knew him well. The
last time he went out of town he went
to see my governor. l saw him the
very week before he disappeared, and
talked to him for a few minutes In the
Strand. That's nearly sever years
ago. To be accurate, it's six years,
eight months and five days. Now
here's the amazement. When l saw
him to-day he was wearing the identi-
cal suit of clothes in which l met him
last. The body is very slightly decom-
posed and / could see that he hadn't
changed a hair. He doesn't look an
hour older. He was covered in a half
liquid mud in the cellar of a ram
shackle old house which had been de-
serted and locked up for years. A
fortnight ago there was an unusually
high tide, and the row of which this
deserted old house was one was under
water. They had been pumped dry
w IL hlS ShSlllCo. NhCh Nv L
men found the body they turned the
hose on it and washed all the mud
away, and | give you my word of hon
or that there was not a sign of wear
about his clothes-not a whitened
seam, not an inch of nap worn away
at the elbows. There's positively moth
ing changed about him. He's just ex-
actly as he was when | last talked
with him"
What brought you on the spot?"
asked Truscott.
II was just prowling round" said
Billery, "as l do every day, in one
quarter of the town or another. l saw
a crowd and wen for it. They told
me that a dead body had been found,
and thought there might be a half
sovereign to be made. It's worth more
than that, I fancy"
Yes" Truscott assented. 1T should
be worth more than that. Take this
chair. Here are pen, ink, paper. Get
to work at once and make the most Of
it. I'll telephone to the office to have
all the evening papers SEN down here.
If your information is exclusive it will
be valuable to YOU. I'll look after that.
Meantime If you wan to consult me,
I'm going back to the punt"
Billery worked steadily for an hour
or Whereabouts, and then arose and
with a somewhat furtive air opened
the study door. He stood listening
there for a moment. A subdued MUIR
mur of voices rose from below stairs.
He Strengthened himself and walked
to the breakfast room, whence he
looked across the lawn to the river.
When he had quite satisfied himself
that no n was in sight, he said, half
aloud:
81 don't think I need bother lTrus.
colt about a little thing like that.
Thou shalt not muzzle the OK that
treadeth out the corn. Old Rags can
afford himself the best of everything.
And his whisky is really super-excel-
lent. Guaranteed twenty years old
by the excise, and matured in sherry
casks. l believe there is no better
treatment known. It is an admirable
stimulus to mental exertion, when
taken in moderation" He approached
the buffet with a guilty look and dis
covered that the tantalus was locked.
Rags did that" he said, in a tone Of
chagrin. cts hard-it's very hard
rrhan nnn old mol oonbt rarNco fr,,cf H.,
another. Rags, my boy, Think this
want of confidence was unworthy Of
you"
He stifed his regret and, c%onsoling
himself with a cigar, went back to his
work and wrote, somewhat less stead
lily than at first, for another hour.
Then he laid down his pen. "Since no
liquid nutriment is here available
apart from the consent of the occupy
ing tenant, l must even ask for it.
And, after all, perhaps it is the nobler
and the manlier plan"
He took his sheaf of manuscript in
his hand and strolled through the
frightening shadows across the lawn,
anu d. VIC IlNSI oluS nc Sdl uoWh III
an attitude of exaggerated fatigue.
Truscott held out a hand.
"Finished?" he asked.
"All but Finished said Billery. Per
haps you can suggest a trot for the
avenue. Reginald, do you observe
that you are growing absent-minded?"
Am II" asked Truscott. "How?"
Billery waggled his head in an odd
compound of humor and confusion.
you forgot to leave the tantalus
open. l am parched with mental eff
fort"
"One," said Truscott, holding out a
bunch of keys toward him. only one
now on your word Of honor"
"Only one, upon my word of honor"
Billery answered.
Truscott settled himself to read,
and was left undisturbed until the end.
Hamilton, my child" he said, as
he walked toward the house, III you
were not the biggest fool alive you
would be a man of remarkable talent"
Billery sat in an arm chair in the
breakfast room. His hands were on
the shiny knees of his threadbare
trousers. He leaned a little forward.
His nose was red and his eyes were