The Argosy, December 1905 — page 172: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

150 so frightened the youth, for frightened he was, and had been crying. But now, his wit sharpened by Mrs. Corrigan’s remarks, the signalman wondered if Billy was not already informed of his uncle’s death at that time? “Itseems impossible. The boy must be sharper than his neighbors suppose if he was already aware of Raddigan’s death. “ He had been in the tower that eve- ning. Pebble figured that the murderer of Raddigan must have entered after the foolish boy departed—or was it the coroner who started that idea? “ Any way, I have the impression that it was deeided so,” Dan thought. ** Now, could the boy have fooled us all? He led us to believe that he had recently come from the house here, to learn why his uncle had not come home. Gad! T’ll sound his mother on it.” And he did so. It was not easy to do; but the widow only needed to be given an opening to talk about her brother’s death, and being a careful navigator, Dan finally steered her around to that phase of it in which he was most deeply interested. “How came he to go over there to the tower when his uncle was late that night? Did you send him, Mrs. Cor- rigan ? ” Dan asked. “Me sind him? Shure, sor, Oi was sound aslape like a dacint woman sh’d be at that hour,” she declared. “‘1 knew sorra a ting about it till John Kenney came and roused me up. Billy come wid him. Th’ bye had been out all th’ night long.” From this Dan was confident that Billy had purposely misled those who had first found his uncle dead in the signal tower. He had, in his mnocent way, told them that he had “run over to see why Uncle Jim didn’t come home,” but according to his mother, Billy had been wandering around all the evening and had not come from home at that hour. “ Something foxy about the boy, after all. He must know something more vf the murder than he tells—perhaps more than he dares tell,’ thought Dan. “Tf he saw it done, or knows who is guilty, he may have been frightened into not telling. That would be very possible, seeing how easily scared he is. If those Howards did it, they would be likely to threaten the boy if they thought for a moment that he was a witness to the deed.” So thoroughly imbued did Crompton become with the desire to get at the root of the murder mystery that he began to sound Dr. Lester regarding his knowl- edge of Raddigan and his habits. Hay- ing so few visitors, Crompton was glad to talk even with a man whom he so little liked as he did the physician. “ Raddigan’s death was a sad one,” Lester said, shaking his head. “And I understand Mrs. Corrigan is having some trouble in collecting his insur- ance. The man is dead. No matter how he died, the company should pay the policy at once. The suicide theory does not seem to me to have a leg to stand on. What became of the pistol if the poor fellow did himself to death?” “There’s more mystery than that about it,” grunted Dan. “ Why should he have done it at all—that’s more im- portant.” “We-ell, there might have been a possible reason,” drawled the physician thoughtfully. “What’s that?” “The old man was troubled in his mind.” “His life was threatened, I under- stand,” said Dan. “I don’t know anything about that,” Lester returned quickly. “I know his eyesight was threatened.” Dan looked up at him curiously, his eyes asking the question. “A defect of the vision was develop- ing. He was greatly worried about it,” Lester said briskly. “ By the way, Mr.,Crompton, I have noticed that you do not always see well yourself. I’d like to‘have you come over to my office when you get out, and allow me to make an examination of your eyes.” “They don’t bother me—only when I overstrain them,” growled Dan. “ Yes—only,” repeated the physician significantly. ‘“ You’d better take care. Raddigan said that at first.” GomiiGcbdooks (C@