Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-25

her fifty years, enjoyed the trip much,
and is ready to sail again. I hope YOU
will think of sending the line you promis.
ed on the 18th, and come yourself as our
party is much smaller, and we should en-
JOY the VISIT
when | was in London last week
saw our Cousin Harry, fresh from Wind
sor. There is little change to be observ-
ed in him-not as much as you would ex
| pect. Come to us on Friday.
"Yours, very etfectionately, EL1NoR b."
My Uncle read this out loud, from be-
ginning to end, and then he said, 800 YOU
see any thing suspicious in that? 1t
seems to me very innocent"
"Hum, 1t may be- Was there any
thing else in the desk2n said he, address
ing Parker.
"You may 90 and look,'' growled that
| potentate; and he led the wax, the expert
following.
The desk was quite empty. with the
exception OF two Or three scraps of waste
paper. On one of these the expert pounc-
ed, and returned with an air of eation
to the other room. He then unfolded
|
sheet exactly the size Of the paper on
which Elinor Beaumont's letters were
written, in which oblong holes at inter-
walls had been cut
! He then placed his haf-sheet over the
letter, and handed both, thus placed, to
my Uncle, whose astonished eyes read
| the following words, which the holes left
! visible:
| "Fleet wind-bound. Fifty sail of the
line, 20 smaller. Should the wind change.
expect us on Friday"
The devil!' said my uncle; ssand
Nelson ordered off to the West Indias."
Then was there, as You may suppose,
hurry and scurrying, and running and
chasing, and dispatching of government
oour1ers, and semphore telegraphs and
carrier pigeons, and all the old-world
means of communication then in fashion.
The key thus obtained disclosed the
whole correspondence, which turned out
TO DE connected series of letters from
the French government, Struggled into
Jersey. The result history knows: the
| intended invasion was abandoned, and
Napoleon went elsewhere
IS But what put you on the scent2' ask
CO my. uncle, afterwards, with many
apologies to the expert.
= suspected the trick from the first,
although it was very good specimen of
1t. The letters we've too innocent, and
had too little point in them. But they
were done with admirable skill. The
graaamer was complete; ard the little
dots or marks which bunglers use to
guaae them in writing the words which
are 10 be read were entirely absent. The
waytln which the deception ! J effected is
this: The correspondents, before com
mena5ng. take sheet of paper and cut
holes IN it, which, of course ii, the two
half sheets, exactly correspond. They
each took one half Sheet and vixen let,
| ter is to be written, the writer SO a.
ranges the words that those intended to
be reae, shall appear in the holes when
the hasl- is placed over the paper,
which sc OF the same size. When his
correspondent receives the letter he
places dis half-sheet over it, and reads
OFT the werds, as you did. The difficulty,
which was so well conquered in this case,
IS to make the sense run fuently, and to
prevent en- visible break in the writing.
Without the half-shcet with the holes in
1t, no one. can have the slightest clue to
the real meaning.
My suspicious, once aroused. were
confirmed By the inquiries which I made.
The whole story about the sister
was fabrication. The letters did
come from Jersey, the answers
went to Fleet Street, to the change
OF very notorious foreign agents. But if
our friend had.not been fool enough to
leave his half-sleet in his desk, we mi esstt
have CROPPED inWain for the mystery
Beaumont disappeared that night, aud
was never heard. Of again at the Admir-.
atty, and his inquiries in Jersey. He had
made an attempt to get admittance toi
his room, bust was,scared by the sounds
he heard, and coatrivea to escape to
France. The lady who acted the sister.
and who visited TIC Admiralty, partly to
Put the authorities eff their guard, and
probably also TO interchange the kew to
the cipher, was IA Partisan celebrity who
beth before and afterwards was renowned
for her daring ia political intrigue.