Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-30


anabulando-the result is proved by thu
process, sir or rather, resultant process
prove one another.
"Then l must have your process, If you
please"
"To be sure. No patent. Anybody
can do it. This cipher, sir, is even absurdly
simple. Did you ever read the Cole
Bug of Edgar Allen Poe. No! That's
pity, because / shall have to explain from
the beginning. 1 have rather contempt
for that story-the cipher he makes hi:
hero discover would have been found out BY
a child in half the time. And this cipher
before us is of precisely the same kind
the very simplest form of cipher known.
"Well %
ga person like Miss Mollov, presumably
ignorant of the most beautiful science OF
cryptography, would be almost certain to
adopt the plan OF max ng one letter dc
duty for another. Of course she has left
no spaces between her words Now, you
know that the commonest English letter is
g; so that, ten to one, the commonest let
ter in the cipher will represent e. That
letter Is d. 1t comes no fewer than five
times in the twenty-five. SO, ten to one, d
stands for e. You perceive?"
"At any rate follow, SO far.
every good, sir. Now look at the ci-
pher well, and keep it before your eyes.
Well assume for the moment that may
mean e; and if means e, it's likely enough
would be b, b would be C, and so on, and
SO on, taking the letter following. Let's
try that dodge with m, because there's
more than one N, and because (which it
ought to stand for) is common sort Of
letter Very we'll Putting for d and
| n for m and dots for the other letters, we
| get: re. ne E.. .en....e... Now, Mr.. Lake,
| the question, as | understand it, is Did
! Miss Mollov leave her money to Lucis
Briigita Birn or to Ferentz Steldl? As
Stunning that one of these e's must fall into
where the name of the legatee must come,
it will strike you at once that there isn't
one single in the lady's name. 1t will
also strike you that the young gentleman
is nephew, and that we've got already ne
coming together. Let's chance it. Let's
write s. nephew right out, and see If we
get sense that way. It'll come ike this,
putting for y, h for b, W for o; zee.
nephew. en-. e.. Now, what strikes you
next. sir?
'Nothing whatever, Mr. Withere
Nothing at ALL.
No! I'm surprised. Doesn't it strike
Won that en- comes IN FerentZ; tha5 the
cipher and the name of Steldl both end in
a letter between pair of letters-zxz ldl
A most remarkable hint indeed; for it in
terferes with no former assumption
would mean /; would mean d. Now
look how it reads .,.er nephew f.rentZ
steldl. Only one thing bothers me.
Where the dot comes now in f. rentz there
ought to be to represent an e. In real
Ivy there's j. But that's a trife doubt
less clerical error. The whole things as
plain as a pikestaf. Substituting letter
for letter, and never mixing them, here
you are my dear nephew, Ferentz Steldl;
and there you are p
| was certainly surprised at the fellows
ingenuity. Except for that missing e, the
process was without ahaw; and when we see
a logical and faultless. process arriving at a
And, by Jove Miss Molloy has made a
particular point of spelling Ferentz,
Firentz-with an i. Look back at the
draft Of the will, and see. That was
downright proof, If any was needed !; the
in the cipher, hitherto unaccounted for,
would be i. The very simple little process
had all the air of miracle to me. | know
nothing then of the far greater marveis
wrought by antiquarians in rougher and
larger fields, or l should, perhaps, have
been less surprised.
cit is real, Monsieur" said Steldl pere.
with bow.
l was little sorry for Miss Lucis but
didn't gradge her cousin his good luck, and
l was intensely relieved. was thinking
OF the effect of all this as evidence, Steldl
was looking at me in dguiteG triumph,
Mr.. Withers was regarding his success with
artistic pride, when my clerk brought in
card-Msj6r Fitzgerald O'Birn.
l thought best to have everything out
and over then and there So without con-
sidering the presence Of his brother-in law
and enemy, had him ushered in.
Good dee to ye, MIR. Lake, said he,
without deigniBg to notice, or even to see,
Mr. Steldl, who for his part threw a double
dose OF benignity into his smile. :" suppose
we've been wondherin why didn't 20 in for
provin' poor Miss Biddy non compos-
wake in the top, ye know. As if I'd con-
sent to 90 halves with dirthy, name,
intriguing haste of fellow that she'd
cut off with a shilling with her own
hand All or none-thats the war
cry of the O'Birns So I've inst drop
ped in on my wee, to ask ye for that f25,-
coo that's due to Lucis, my daughter and
I'll take it not With name short, if ye
place Or, if ye haven't it all in your
pocket. a thTihe on account Il do for
to.dee.
I'm sorry for Miss O'Birn, said ].
q But she's had her Il, COO"
- her Ct, 000l | wouldn't give
six pence for beggarly 81 coo. IT'S an
insult to spake to gentleman of such a
sum"
Her 81, 600, and-Tm afraid-this
gentleman, Mr. Withers, will explain
there is no longer any doubt of Miss Mol
! Tvs Intentions Lieutenant Steldl is resid.
uary legatee.
An who's Mr.. Withers? Is it a con-
spiracy yen be, with your heads as thick
I together as pays in one shell? Why, tbs
! palmer than blazes that gpx stands for
/ Lucis O'Brn. What do ye see to that, sir,
Ell =
I'm afraid it doesn't" said l.
You're a pretty fellow for lawyer
But | suppose yen have to believe what's
proved. Higgins, ye're wanted !" shouted
he.
He, too, it seemed, had brought friend
with him-a little pinched, shabby. elderly
man, with red squirting eyes.
"I'n INTRODUCE ye to me friend Higgins
a gentleman and scholar, that'll rade We
of Hebrew into Chinese for a glass OF
punch, an back into Hebrew for two.
Faith, I'd like ye to find question that
Higgins wouldn't answer you off-hand.
Says l to him Higgins. what does gpx
spell?' An says he y Just Lucis 0'Birn -
A smile OF amused contempt came into
the face of smart Mr.. Withers
=" An expert ?" asked he.
An pray who may you be, sir % asked
Major 0'Brn. "D'ye name to tell me u
haven't heard of Higgins-that ought t.
be Doctor of Divinity aud Member o.
Parlimint, and could see ye undher the
4nnhln ,rhenever We nlaseFi HAVING, thnI