Ladysmith news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1906-1907, 1906-10-06
THE
Bl'aIlly wynn Mystery


halls When he was not singing he
! was laughing and chatting, and once
he broke into a burlesque Highland
fling, with a vocal imitation of the bag
pipes. You'll have another break
down after this if you don't take care.
You're always in extremes either
agony or ecstacy. | should think
/ you're the most mercurial beggar in
/ the world
Il dare say am said Alexis, with
a sudden sobriety. 4 don't think
| most men feel the sting of pain as
Go, or feel such exuborant JOY in
pleasure My cup brims over, always
/ | loathe suffering and / love joy
He broke into q rather boisterous
| French student song, with a rollicking
burden of ''Vive Bacchus ct vive
| lamour," and Billery lay back and
laughed at him until he could laugh
no longer. The more Billery laughed.
! the absurder Alexis became, and at
last his mirth was bordering on hys-
| terra. But either succeeded in leash
! ing himself, or the serious fit which
so often follows on inOrdinate mirth
| had fallen on him. In any case, L3
went suddenly quiet as they neared
the little rustic station for which they
| were bound He had wired for a fly
| to be in readiness, and there it was
| awaiting them. A three-mile drive
! brought them to their destination, and
| there Truscott, who had just ftued,
was amazed to see them.
Its at my suggestion that we came
| down here said Billery. Mr.. Alexis
| Brangwyn has brought me very strik-
ing news, which proves to my s1tisfac-
ton that you were right this after
noon and that | was wrong. thought
that, since it was I who carried the
| suspicious to you, it was my duty 20
| withdraw them"
Alexis told his story, and Truscott
| listened with great interest. THAT
| fits my reading like a glove" he said,
when it was over. MIR. BrangWyn,
| your cousin seems to me to have suf-
fered an unmerited martyrdom, and
| shall not lose a post in letting him
| know that I regret profoundly the
share which Mr. Billery ana / had in
| inficting it, Most unfortunately, it's
| not thing that can be talked about.
| There's no public vindiCation open TO
| him"
Monet" said Alexis. 'None He
! has had knowledge of facts which it
| was his duty as a citizen to reveal,
and in the eye of the law he is parti-
! ceps criminis But it sometimes hap
| pens in life that there are duties
which transcend the law, and here
there is one of them"
''Tn spite of the charge suggested
against him. Truscott said, Il have
| felt q sort of curious attraction toward
| your cousin"
"As for me- said Billery, Il feel
| like a brute He never liked me-poOr
! old Aloysius-and, in my own mean
mind, I nursed bitter grudge against
him. Why should he like me? 1t
| isn't a crime not to like me, | sup
pose? Seems to ME I'm not a partic-
| ularly likeable sort of person"
ooh, you shut up!" said Truscott;
you're all right
| And there the interview came prac-
| ticallv to an end. TruscOtt had
| guests to whom he was bound to re-
! turn, and neither Billery nor Brang-
| WIN cared to accept his invitation to
| Join them. Alexis was very quiet on
| the return journey, and at the close of
it the two shook hands and parted.
! 81 will send Grimaud to you to-mor-
! row" said Alexis, as he got into a
| hanson at the terminus, and on the
morrow, sure enough, Grimaud made
his appearance in Billery's poor apart
ment He was very jauntily attired,
and very assured and even patronizing
| in his manner, so that Billery resented
| him.
! q received a visit from M. Aloysius
yesterday" he began. He was so
| condescending as to bestow upon me
his confidence. Regarding me in my
double capacity of old servant and
| humble friend, he related to me the
| story which NJ. Alexis has already
outlined to monsieur. In coming here
l am only obeying the instructions OF
NJ. Aloysius, but of NJ Alexis, who is
/ D1SSlOndtCly uSSlTOuS ClidL the pOSIIlOu
of monsieur and his cousin should be
made clear. 1t is my duty to inform
monsieur that not the slightest doubt
attaches to the question. The real
criminal is now revealed. He is al
lowed to escape the penalty of his
crime for reasons which are not to be
| over-estimated. That is the message
| T ;pc tn 6oIi1nj'
We'll" said Billery, Il knew all that
before.
Grimaud bowed, looked supercili-
ously at the meager furniture, an
nGunced that he had the honor TO bid
monsieur good day, and SO withdrew,
leaving his momentary host with
tingling inclination to kick him down
the stairs.
1t was like Billery all over, when he
was once convinced that he had been
guilty of an injustice, to make a com
plete volte-face with regard to Alloy
sius, who on a sudden became to him