The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-12-08

search as we would we could not find
it. By what chance it had been mis-
laid, or where it was gone to, | have
never discovered to this day. / scarcely
know which of the two was more dis
tressed, poor Mr.. Dickens (the other
Dlckens) or myself. After turning over
all my papers to no purpose, we sat
down and looked at each other in de-
spalr. Then suddenly l remembered
that by patience and perseverance
nearly all puzzles of this description
might be interpreted, and / resolved to
try what could make of it. | took up
the paper and read the letters back
wards and forwards for some time
without approaching any nearer to their
meaning. Atlength an idea struck me.
] had read how the first clue to the in
depreciation of the cuneiform inscrip-
tons of Assyria had been obtained by
observing the recurrence of certain
letters and words and names; such as
"Nerxes, king of kings, son of Darius,
king OF kings" etc. 1t was indeed
magma compofsere parts; but the hint
was practical. The last word in this
secret message was most probably the
name or signature of the sender; it
began with capital and consisted of
five letters.
''What is your daughters name Pr
asked.
"Agnes," he replied, without raising
his head.
l was sure of it now, and wrote down
the disguised letters with the real ones
I.under them, thus
I. z. S. |. g
A g n e
then observed that the third word in
the riddle also began with capital.
His sons name he told me was Mat
thew, and this word had seven letters,
of which the third and fourth were
identical, so | wrote down:
ID. t. C. C. +. |.
nj h e
With the clew thus obtained I went on,
without saying anything to my friend,
to the other words of the puzzle, and
wrote down the first line thus
Zmnh slkg Dtccrlk w fmdl rmdl
news Matthew me h me.
It was easy to guess that the last
three words were sis come home" and
this gave me double for the first.
Good news" cried out in ecstasy.
'Matthew is come home"
l could scarcely persuade Mr.. Dick
ems that l was not deceiving him; he
was too much agitated to trace the pro-
cess by which had arrived at this re-
suit, but sat down by me and watched
while | deciphered the rest, which with
this enlarged clew was quickly done.
If you will take the trouble to look it
over you will easily be able to make it
out. was able to tell my dear friend,
for such he is now, that the money was
found; there had been mistake about
it which was now setright. You will not
expect me to describe his emotion, nor
to tell you how, after his first trans
ports of delight and gratitude, he read
the welcome message again and again,
and blessed me for the assistance / had
rendered. 1t was painful to see him
sobbing and gasping; for he had some
kind of asthmatic affection, which
would account in part for the distress
ing sounds to which he had given ut
terance on the previous night, when he
W DO ~ OLOuDlCo III dlO1lllos DuJ ut
grew calm at last, and went to his bed
room for the short remainder of the
night.
We crossed over to Newhaven to-
gether next morning, caring little for a
stormy passage; and the following day
had letter from my friend in Lon
don, telling me all about it. The ship
in which his son had sailed had put
back in consequence of heavy gales.
Matthew had returned home while she
was refitting, and had then heard for
the first time of the supposed embezzle-
ment. 1t proved, on inquiry, that he
had carried the check to the wrong
bank, and it had been entered there to
the credit of a stranger, another Sgd
ney Smith-there are so many of them.
Of course it was soon set right, and
Matthew Dickens, instead of going
abroad, settled down at his old desk,
and is going or now contentedly and
well.-LelSure Hour.