I was alone at the moment , though we were two in the household .sx My younger brother Tom shared our holding of some two hundred acres , but he'd gone out to see about the barn door which was banging in the wind , so if anyone had concluded that we two bachelors were also wealthy , here was I [SIC] another such opportunity for murder .sx It was fancy I know , but its possibility made me nervous .sx Tom was a man you could never be sure of .sx He was eccentric , moody , and shrewd , secretive to a fault , fond of company and very fond of liquor .sx He made every trifling incident an excuse for a 'celebration' , as he called it , though he was steady enough when it suited him to be .sx But as I said , he was most unreliable .sx I was the eldest of the surviving sons , and three years Tom's senior .sx I had a different temperament ; I was always one to count the costs beforehand , I seldom smoked , I'd no taste for it , and as to strong drink , well it didn't appeal to me , though I took it when I considered it to be in my interests to do so , otherwise I looked on it as a sheer waste of good money .sx I enjoyed work for work's sake ; a violin well played , or a well told story .sx Tom was the reverse of my tastes , though good at heart .sx He was thoughtless , more than selfish ; an unknown quantity would I think best describe him .sx As I sat there musing and waiting his return , a sudden and powerful gust of wind shook the entire cottage , which trembled violently and was accompanied by a sound of tearing , which terminated in a dull thud in an adjacent room .sx At this I jumped to my feet in alarm , as I'd not have been at all surprised if the entire roof had collapsed .sx It was very old and in need of repair .sx However nothing further happened and I became curious as to what had apparently fallen .sx Taking the lamp from the table I went to investigate , but no sooner had I opened the room door than my lamp was nigh extinguished by a violent draught .sx I was able to see that the gable end of the roof had been ripped off and swept away .sx Luckily it was a fine though windy night , or we would certainly have been flooded .sx It was a room seldom used however , so things might have been worse .sx The room contained little furniture- in fact I knew its contents by heart , so that when I saw an unfamiliar parcel lying on the floor I was mystified , and before another gust of wind came I had hurriedly lifted up that loosely tied parcel and returned to my room as I was fearful of my lamp's chimney being destroyed by the draught .sx The parcel was of a light though rustly nature , and appeared to have been carelessly packed .sx Its cord was useless in effect , so I'd no trouble in its removal , on doing so I was dumbfounded by its unexpected contents .sx I must have stood some time motionless in awe .sx On examination I found it contained about twenty bundles of one pound notes , which I later discovered amounted to +2,010 in all .sx When my sudden excitement had subsided , I found I was becoming very nervous , which later developed into anxiety as to what I ought to do .sx I felt I could not consult anyone for advice , and I was equally uncertain if I should even tell Tom my brother , for if we did share it he might talk in his cups , or indeed drink its entirety , and if I kept it secret , I could not use it without he in time asking awkward questions as to where I had obtained all the money .sx To lodge it in the bank might also make for embarrassment so I thought at the time .sx Now I know better .sx There was only one alternative and that was to inform the police .sx I didn't relish that .sx As a final solution I was undecided .sx Its destruction by fire , although I was loath to destroy wealth .sx Before however I had made up my mind as to what I would do with it , the room door unexpectedly opened and Tom entered , sober and silently .sx I'd been so engrossed in my thoughts that I never heard his step above the high winds .sx When he saw the pile of notes , he rushed over and picked up a bundle in silence examining it thoroughly as if to see if they were real .sx Then he spoke hoarsely to me , saying 'Where did you get these ?sx Are they yours , and were you counting your wealth in my absence ?sx Or maybe you've stolen them , Eh ?sx ' His eyes were staring at me wildly as if he'd not hesitate to do me an injury if I gave him what he might think was a false explanation .sx I could see that he had already made himself a satisfactory answer .sx That had always been his piggish way- judgment before , and in spite of , any evidence .sx I replied at once .sx To have hesitated would have meant suspicion , and he had a tinge of that already .sx I told him that I'd found the money , relating in detail all I've said before .sx He kept watching me all the time incredulously .sx I could quite understand this .sx It did appear fantastic and almost improbable .sx But when I'd ceased talking he said , 'Well Jim I believe you , I don't like it' .sx I agreed it certainly was unpleasant and peculiar .sx Suddenly he pressed down the brown paper wrapper and said 'Look there !sx See it has poor old David Tuns' name written on it' .sx I followed his pointing finger , and sure enough the name and address was there , showing also a cancelled revenue stamp .sx A thought flashed through my mind , but before I could give it expression Tom banged his fist down on the table and exclaimed 'It's surely blood money and will bring bad luck on us !sx 'Tis plain that the murderer wrapped his ill-gotten gains in the first thing that he could find and placed it in our thatch .sx But why didn't he ever return ?sx Was it to throw suspicion on us two lone men ?sx ' Again he eyed me- I thought suspiciously as if he thought 'twas I who had done the deed and hid the money , but as I could give no explanation , I said so .sx I was always a man to speak out my mind straight , asking him what we'd do with the money now that it was here .sx He paused long at that .sx Then he said 'Perhaps it were a bank robbery , and if so the number of the notes would be known' .sx It was possible , though hardly probable , I said , 'Yet the late David was not believed to have been a man of means , so it was,' I added , 'quite possible that 'twas never his and the wrapper a mere coincidence' .sx I was quite convinced and Tom agreed , that David had never hidden it in our thatch with his address on it , though some people are queer , and 'twould have saved him income tax to have done so .sx We could form no conclusion as to its origin , but had to face the fact of its disposal .sx When I suggested the police , Tom would not even listen to me , so after a long debate far into the night we decided to leave it till morning and then decide .sx Next morning however he was up earlier than usual and was attending the live stock when I came into the room at my customary time .sx When I'd finished breakfast and went to find him I did so , [SIC] and commenced to repair our damaged roof , as the wind had ceased although it was still overcast .sx I questioned him as to why he hadn't asked Hattie , our local expert thatcher to do the job .sx He muttered something about not wanting strangers about our home as they knew too much of others [SIC] domestic affairs already .sx I could perceive that he was in a very sour mood , so decided not to pursue the matter , nor indeed to refer to our agreement of the previous night about the disposal of my find .sx There was no hurry anyway , I thought .sx It seems hard to believe now , but it was not till five months later that I brought up the subject in desperation .sx Tom made no reference ever to it , and it was early Spring , with a lot of urgent improvements due on our farm .sx Extra money could be usefully spent on it , and if it was a thing that Tom agreed , I'd decided to spend a discreet figure on this objective , so as not to arouse local suspicions or talk .sx To make a big outlay was to start the busybody neighbours [SIC] tongues with Jim Kogh's sudden wealth , and indeed- ~'Where did he get it ?sx '- 'twas easily started , but mighty hard to stop .sx Mid-February then it was , when I again approached Tom asking him why it was that he didn't help me to decide our windfall of over five months ago .sx He said that he'd been waiting for me , and so I saw that one was waiting for the other , in some kind of awkward fear .sx It was that [SIC] he eventually agreed with me that , barring telling either the police , or any of our neighbours , we were quite within our rights in equally dividing it , as 'twas found unclaimed on our premises , and so it was that we had a mutual share out of the +2,010 .sx He took it without a murmur , but turned as he made to leave the room .sx At the door he said :sx 'I hope this does not get me into any trouble' .sx I don't pretend to know what he meant by saying it , but it again entered my mind that he might spend it recklessly on drink , and give our secret away , for he was , as I've already said , a very intemperate man when it suited him .sx I replied that I hoped it would not , unless he ran the way of trouble .sx I thought my hint would be sufficient , but he only looked at me and said that there were more ways of getting into troubles than drink , and money was one of them , especially as it had been queerly come by .sx With that he went out .sx I couldn't understand him at all .sx He appeared to be both nervous and vexed , but why , I couldn't even imagine .sx Sometime later- 'twould be at least eighteen months I'd say- to my great surprise I saw Tom emerging from the delapidated old house of the late Dave Tuns , the neighbour whom I've already referred to who had been found murdered and whose house was still unoccupied and a ruin .sx We locals wouldn't enter it .sx It was the late owner's property and he had died without issue or relatives .sx It could not therefore be legally disposed of , though Tom and I had acquired the adjacent lands by local authority .sx I saw Tom coming out of this dreaded house one day , but I refrained from mentioning it to him for a time , as 'twas really none of my business .sx About a month later than this , he told me one morning that he had had several bad dreams about the late David and that he was going to have him prayed for , and to put a stone or suchlike to his memory .sx Why he should decide to do this was beyond me .sx David was no relation of ours , and a long time dead , but I didn't pursue this .sx Nevertheless I was mystified as to why Tom took a sudden interest after such a lapse of time as eighteen years .sx I was equally surprised that he was not drinking .sx This was contrary indeed to my expectations , for he was not one to hold money , much or little .sx Later I heard in a roundabout way that he was visiting a nearby widow and her daughter , both considered to be well off in property and gilt-edged investments , and above criticism .sx