76
DETECTIVE BARNEY
“I thought so. I ’ve heard of him. Well, well! So that ’s Thomas Oliphant.”
Barney grinned. “I guess everybody out there knows Uncle Tom.”
“Did I understand that he ’s buying mining stock.”
“Yep. I guess so. He’s got money to burn.”
“You ’re not from Kansas City?”
Barney shook his head scornfully.
“I wonder if he knows my brother-in-law, Billy Smith.”
“I dunno. You better ask him,”
“What does he do?”
“What does who do?”
“Your uncle.”
“What does he do!”
“Yes. What business is he in?”
“Say!” Barney answered. “What are you tryin’ to do to me? You know what he does as well as I do.”
Sullivan said hastily: “Well, I thought he might have retired, and— Well, well! I
