Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-19

MED by dapper and smartly dressed Young
man. whom he introduced to me as Mr. With
ers from the office OF Withers King / sup
posed he was the legal adviser of the Steidl
claim.
call mad woman. Not at all. 1 think Of that
once: but then that give half the money to thai
vermin, Fitzgerald O'Birn who shall lose 1t In
every we way. say It shall be good will.
shall be left to my son, Ferenz Steldi-'
WALT Bit said l. HE has slready received
his legacy OF thousand pounds"
Bah! what shall be one thousand pounds
He He's Is what you call residuary legatee of Miss
Il wish he were, with all my heart. But we
be done"
mo. He shall not go In chancery. He shall
have his tight and his due. am his father,
when you can read those confounded let
tiers inIo FerenH Steldl, I'll pay him every penny
with all my heart: and take the consequences;
but not minute before
Very good, Mr.. Lake. Then 1 shall read
them Into Ferentz Steldl, and without magic:
and then you shalt pay. Now, Mr. Wlthers, II
MIR. Withers is your solicitor presumee,'
81 have not the honor" said Mr.. Wfthers
gfibiy, ito be in the professionally your pro.
1essSn sir that Is to say We are r Of
science OF autography., and we collect and
deal In the autograph letters OF celebrated
historical persons. Naturally our business has
occasionally included the branch of cryptor-
raphy-of the construction and solution of
clphers. which. though requiring certain spe-
clal aptitude as well as experience IS not SO
ollI,eGdt as T.. laymen might suppose, and Is as
certain In It's results as arithmetic itself-baau-
TRULY certain, sir. Our friend Mr.. Steldl has
applied to me for the missing key of this little
puzzle, and It took me barely half an hours
You mean you can read this tumble into
sense?p asked l. You must be a clever fell
low, Mr.. Wlthers. How am I to know 1t isn't
win have TO be proved. you see"
Up to the hilt sir. The beauty of
cipnea' OF cryptograph is that, If you once hit
the discovery OF the key is logical process,
and as no cipher can possibly have more than
one sH,l key, why, sir, soIritu,' a'a6u'a,edo-the
result is proved by the process. sir; or father,
result and proce SIS prove one another"
please"
o. ITO be sure. No patent. Anybody can do
It. This cipher, sir, is even absurdly simple.
Did you ever read the "Gold Bug OF Edgar
Allan Poe? No? That's pity. because | shall
have to explain from the beginning. ] have
ratner contempt for that story-the cipher he
makes his hero discover would have been
found out by a Child In half the time. And
This cipher before us is OF precisely the same
hinunlne very simplest form OF cipher known"
"a person like Miss Molloy, presumably ig-
norant OF the beautiful science of cryptog-
plan of making one letter do duty for another.
OF course she has left no spaces between her
words. Now, you know that the commonest
monest letter In the cipher Will represent e.
IDat 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
very good, sir: Now look at the cipher
well, and keep it before your eyes. Wen
assume for the moment that may mean e;
and II means e, It's likely enough would
be 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. %, and
for d and for m and dots for the other
istlerf, we get; e nee. e.. Now,
Stand # the did question uo as under
money to l.ucS Bridgta OBirn or to FerentZ
Steld!: Assuming That one OF those els
must lall INTO where the name OF the legatee
must come, it will strike you at once that there
isn't one single e In the lady's name. 1t viii
also strike you that the young gentleman is a
nephew, and that we've got already Incoming
togetner. Let's chance II. Let's write nephew"
ltH come like this putting p for Y, b for b. W
ior O.: e nephew en- e. Now what strikes
you next sir?''
Nothing whatever, Mr.. Withers. Nothing
at ALL"
NO? I'm surprised. Doesn't It strike you
that en- comes ia FerentZ; that the cipher and
the name OF Steldi both end In letter between
pair OF letters-zxz: ldl? A most remarkable
hint, indeed; for 1t lnterferes with no former as
sumpton-z would mean |: would mean d.
Now look how IL reads. .e.r nephew f.rentZ
steldl. only one thing bothers me. Where the
dot comes now In f.reDtz there ought TO be d
10 represent an e. In reality there's !. But
that's tr1fie; doubtless clerical error. Tue
whole thlDg5 as plain as a pikeStaf. Sub
stituting letter for letter, aud never mixing
them, here you are: my dear nephew, FerentZ
Steldl;and there you are,'
was certainly surprised at the fellows inge.
nuity. Except for that missing G, the process
was without flaw; and when we see logical
anu iaultiess process arriving at PROBABLE
Miss Molloy had made particular point Of
spelling FerentZ, firentZ-Wlth an |. Look
back at the draft OF the WILL and see. That
was downright proof, If any was needed: the
] IN Inc clpher heretofore unaccounted for,
would be l. The very simple little process had
all the air OF miracle to me. l knew nothing
then OF the far greater marvels wrought by
antlquarianS In rougher and larger field. or l
should, perhaps. have been less surprt ed
1T is read, Monsieur" said Steldl pere, with
a bow.
didn't grudge her cousin his good luck, and
was int ensely relieved. | was thinking OF the
effect OF all this rs evidence, Steldl was looking
at me ne, In Sdignltied triumph NJ Withers was
my clerk brought In card-Major Fitzgerald
OBirn.
thought pest 10 nave everything out and
over then and there so without considering
the presence OF his brother-in-laW ana enemy
had him ushered in.
GOOD dee to ye. MIR. Lake." said he. without
deign1ng TO notice, or even to see, Mr.. Steldl
who, for bis part, threw a double dose OF be-
nightly Into his smile. II suppose ye'ye been
W0ndherin why didn't go In for provin' Door
Miss Biddy non eohpos-wake in the top. We
know. AS II d consent to go halves with
dlrtny, name. intriguing basic of fellow that
shed cut on with shilling with her own hand,
All or nOne-that'S the war-cry OF the O'Birns,
SO I've just dropped in, on my wee. to ask We
for that twenty-five thousand that's due to
Lucis, my oaughther: and I'll take 1t hot with
name short, II ye phase Or, If ye haven't 1t
at all In your pocket, thrie on account III do
for to-deen
I'm sorry for Miss O'BIrn," said l. But
she mad her thousand pounds
- her thousand pounds! l wouldn't give
siXpence Tor beggarly thousand pounds IT'S
an insult to spake to gentleman of such
sum-
Her thousand pounds and-1'm atraid-this
gentleman. Mr.. WitherS, will eXplain-there is
10 longer any doubt OF Miss Molloy's inten-
tons. Lieutenant Steldl is residuary legatee-
"An' who's MIR. Withers? Is it In conspiracy
yen be, with your heads as thick together as
pays In one shell? Why. It's palmer thar
0laZes that gpX Sthands for Lucis OBirn. What
do We see to that, Sir, eh?''
I'm afraid it doesn't" said l.
Your pretty fellow for lawyer. But
suppose yen have to believe what's proved
Higgins. ye're wanted" shouted he.
He. too, 1t seemed, had brought a friend with
nlm-a little pinched, shabby, elderly man,