Dead Men's Money

And, like myself, he looked at the woman with a good deal of curiosity, wanting-as I did-to see some likeness to the dead man. But there was no likeness to be seen, for w

likeness between them, for her speech was like h

ma'am?" began Mr. Lindsey, motioning the visitor to sit down, and

," answered the woman. "Else I shouldn't have taken the trouble to come all

Lindsey, nodding. "Your name would be Gil

ever I came, and he told me to come at once, and to bring my marriage lines, and a copy of James's birth certificate, and one or two other things of that sort. There's

"Aye-and how long is it since y

ad as if this question

ars, at the least. It was just after I was married to Hanson, and that was when I was about three-and-twenty, and I was fifty-six last birthday. Ja

ked Mr. Lindsey. "It's a pity yo

sir, said, 'Go yourself

-first thing

k at those papers,

ether we looked through two or thre

ove that this man had been born in Liverpool about sixty-two years previously; that, as Mr. Lindsey

s, no doubt, about your brother, and about matters in relation to him.

dn't. They were all Lancashire folks, on both sides. I know all about

other ever came to Berw

with a gl

was ten years old-there'd been no doing aught with him for a couple of years before that. I knew that when he was about twelve

to get on to his later history. You say you've never seen hi

ad with decision

tral America, maybe five years ago, and he told us he'd seen our James out there, and that he was working as

ord which James Gilverthwaite had given me. So-here, at any rate,

ow? He was there? And that

she answered. "Till, of course, we saw thes

ed round on her w

n, John Phillips, whose name'

e replied promptly. "N

rd that he called to see any old friends at all? For we know, as you have seen in the papers, Mrs. Hanso

e said. "And I never heard word

the woman put the question which, it was eviden

. "For, if not, the lawyer I went to said what t

eing next-of-kin, you'll get all he left. I've no doubt you're his sister, and I'll take the responsibility of going through

fter Mrs. Hanson; and presently the woman went away with Maisie, lea

; "but hang me if I don't think it makes the whole thing more mysterious than ever! And do

that, Mr. Lindsey," I

off-Panama, as far as I see it. And what did begin, and what was going on? The two men

e's history, we were just as wise as ever at the end of the first week after the murder of John Phillip

ways and inoffensive enough, but a rare hand at gossiping about the beach and the walls-you might find him at all odd hours either in these public places or in the door of his shop, talking away with any idler like himself. And how I came to get into talk with him on that particular night was here: Tom Dunlop, Maisie's young brother, was for

slow unoriginal lot, the police-there's no imagination in their brains and no ingenuity in their minds. What's wanted in an affair like this is one of those geniuses you read about in the storybooks-the men that can trace

self, Mr. Crone?" said I, thinking to joke with him.

as anybody else, and no worse. You haven't thought of fo

ollowing up, man? I know no more than

s answered him, and the next instant he was close

n to yourself, Mr. Moneylaws. What for did you not let on in your evidence that you s

saying is, when he said that. And before I could rec

aid. "I'll have a wor