Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-08-30
1ales aud Sketthes.
THE MYSTERIOUS ADVERTISEMENT.
Continued from yesterday. }

ne IdlneT, 700. vas I'LL pllSdlCu ,ihhOONs
the onus rested on him, for it was he who
had intrusted the young man with the
money and had sent him on his errand. and
no one else in the bank knew that ne had
done so. Therefore he could only justify
himself by accusing his n.and even then
he had no proof to offer, and could not be
sure that he would be exonerated. The
poor old man, as soon as he learned what
/ had happened. seemed to have lost his
better Judgment. He took immediate
steps to raise money by the help of his
/ friends. TO replace that which was lost, but
/ felt that until this was done he could not
/ face his principals nor his fellow-clerks,
/ and he seems to have thought that by alb
/ senting himself on some fictitious plea, the
( inquiry might have been deferred and ex
posure avoided. In tit of nervousness
and alarm (such as plead guilty of N.Y.
/ self when ran away from the French
mem he took the train and came at once
to Dieppe; at the same time he assumed
another name, and for greater security
would not even allow his daughter to
write to him. but contrived a plan of COM
munication by means OF advertisements in
the Times, in which the letters were to be
so transposed as to be incomprehenslble
(as they imagined) TO any one not ac-
I quainted with the key. That key he had
/ lost he saw it in my hands, but dared not
ask for it. II had been placed 10 an enve-
4 lope for him by his daughter, who had
( thoughtlessly, but very naturally, written
/ his real name upon it. He feared that if
he should ask for il it would be the means
Of his betrayal He did not know me. of
course, or hope he would have had a
better opinion OF me The Times Of the
previous day had few lines in the second
column which he was sure was meant for
him, but he could not decipher them. The
poor mans anxiety again got the better of
his discretion and he adopted the means
which have described to recover posses
sion OF the all-important document. of
which, AS he truly remarked, had robbed
him, rather than he me.
need not tell you that exonerated
him from all blame, and promised that
whatever happened, | would keep his
secret. | should have gone on to offer my
assistance in arranging matters for him at
home, but he Interrupted me.
90. if could but see the Times" he
said II will 90 down to the coilee-room
and fetch it: cannot wait till morning to
read the message.
He did so q would nave gone with him
but that feared to meet the cook again
npon the stairs). and returned clasping
the paper in his trembling hand.
There Is your key" I said, take it,
and may it bring you good news
"Oh hello me-" he exclaimed; ''you
/ know all about it, | have no secrets now
from Won; help me to make it out; the
letters all seem to swim before my eyes. -
The advertisement did, indeed look
/ formidable, here it is:
/ "Immh sIkg Dtccrlk yg fmdl rmd
msby dygctal fmdl rmdl to msn Tzslg"
Now for the key" said. >" But what
is this the envelope is empty"
1t must have fallen upon the floor, :"
said my poor friend, and he stopped down
and CROPPED about tor it with trembling
fingers.
But no. it had not fallen to the floor /:
search rs we would we could not find It, BY
what chance it had been mislaid, or where
it was gone to. | have never discovered to
this day. scarcely know which of the
two was more distressed. poor Mr.. Dick
ems, Che other Dickens or myself. Aft
er turning over all my papers to no pur-
pose, we sat down and locked at each
other in dispair. Then | suddenly
remembered what have already
mentioned. that 10y patience and persever-
ance nearly all puzzles of this descrip-
ton might be Interpreted, and |
resolved to try what could make of it.
took up the paper and read the letters
backwards and forwards for some time
without approaching any nearer to their
meaning. At length an idea struck me-
| had read how the first clew to the inter-
probation of the cuneiform inscriptions of
Assyria had been obtained by observing
the recurrence of certain letters and words
and names; such as "Nerxes, king of
king of kings. son of Darius, king of
kings etc. 1t was indeed magma com
poHcrc paris; but the hint was practical
I The last word in this secret message was
most probably the name or signature of
the sender; it began with a capital. and
consisted of five letters.
What is your daughters name ?"
asked
Agnes" he replied, without raising
his head.
/ was sure of it now, and wrote down
/ the disguised letters, with the real ones
under them. thus:
T.z.slg.
Agnes.