The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1906-07-27
HE
Brang wynn Mystery \

| pocket. tective-Sergeant Holt"
Thank you, Mr.. Holt" said Billery.
We'll just conclude our inquiries here
and then we'll go together to the chief
of your department and I'll lay my
facts before him. Have you called at
this house? It's the only one haven't
visited"
EYES," said Detective Sergeant Holt;
II drew blank there. There's an old
foreign woman there. Speaks no Eng.
lish. couldn't make head or tail of
| her."
Perhaps I cam" suggested Billery.
The house door was open and an old
crone sat knitting In the sunshine at
the doorway. He stepped forward,
raised his hat, and accosted her in
Italian. Her dress and complexion
seemed to lead that way. She looked
up with bleared eyes and answered
his salutation civilly enough. '.Have
you lived long in the neighborhood, .
he asked.
Long enough, she told him, to have
lost everybody belong to her, except
one. Her son was out with his music.
He would be back at 9 O'Clock if the
senior wished to speak with him.
She knew the house where the body
of the old Englishman had been
found? asked Billery. ~
Oh, yes; she knew the house.
Had she known the man who sold
the house four or five years ago?
Yes, she had known him; he was a
bad man. He had robbed her poor old
husband.
She told long-winded tale Of this,
and Billery listened with great pa
thence; but the story bidding fair to
go on for an hour or two, he cut it
short by the production of a half.
crown.
II want to know that mans name"
said Billery. Il will give you this
for it."
His name was Observation-Disclosures
she was growing old, and did not re.
member things-Eduardo-ah yes,
that was it-Eduardo Missalli. He
was of France. OF the Indies. Where?
Oh, she knew not where. He had said
that he was going home. Did he
speak English? He talked with his
English neighbors. What manner of
man? An ugly man. A little man.
He had been in an accident. He went
lame and had scar upon his cheek.
! He was about fifty years of age.
| Billery surrendered the half-crown
and she bit it with the two teeth left
to her.
"We haven't wasted our day. ser.
| geant," said Billery 1.-THE man who
sold the house was Frenchman, by
name Eduardo Missalli:/ more proba.
bly, Edouard Missall. His home was
in the South of France, neighborhood
unknown. He had been injured in an
accident, went lame, and had scar
upon his cheek" The sergeant booked
all this.
"Great advantage that" he said; "a
knowledge Of foreign languages. !
know enough to get along with a
Frenchmaa or Deutscher, but there
I STOP"
IF it's of any use to you to have
this little bit of information as your
own" said Billery, you're welcome
to it. I hadn't thought at first of ask.
ing for your help at all, but you can
be- of enormous use. suppose the
French police will assist you in look
ing this man up?"
IF he's alive. and anywhere in
France. they'll have him in a week,
sir"
"Good!" said Billery. "And now, ii
! you'll come with me to the Yard I'll
tell you something that will interest
you. I'm about at the end Of my teth.
err. I can't go travelling all over
France looking for man with game
leg and scar. And it's Of no use for
one man to scour over London to find
when, on an uncertain date, some per.
son unknown carted lot of second.
hand furniture to a house in Agar
row.
Il can see" said the sergeant, that
you've been measuring ways and
means, sir. But a one-man hunt IS
very little good when you've got q
wide ground to cover. That's where
the organization comes in. A38word
to the police sets a hundred thousand
pairs Of eyes on the watch It's "a
most uncommon thing nowadays fol
/ q man to hide himself for any length
Of time. II that chap Missall Or Mis-
sallf is1 alive and in France we shall
have. him In a week, as I've said al,
ready. i don't say the systems
reached perfection, because it's d hui
man institution, and a human insti
tution Is pretty sure to break down ii
places, but it's beautiful piece 81
AZ chinery, sir, Is the police force
beautiful piece Of machine Y s8
The French or the English Fl asked
Billery. X ss5: NJ
Both 81 ZEN, : said tn nj seaant
81 speak AL lind. I don,t know bout
them Russians but 10 ri: HI can ssse
rather q al IL ~ selsea
thsy gotStoo mn si III thseif hands:
lspsrhaps that, gliSh,
~ q nclh ~ SIGalg slpSo,Iics