The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1885-12-25

SHOW MIN now the message could be
deciphered. It was the last day of May,
about four o'clock in the afternoon.
Sarcany, according to his custom, was
going to leave Zathmars house at five.
He was greatly disappointed that he
had advanced no further than on the
first day, and that the work he had
been doing for Count Sandorf was APP
pronclling its end. When the task was
finished he would evidently be dismiss
ed with thanks and rewards and he
would have no chance of again entering
the house.
Zathmar and his two friends were not
at home. There was no one in the house
bat Borik, and he was busy on the
ground floor. Sarcany, finding himself
free to do az he liked, resolved to go
into Count Zaihmar's room-which he
had not yet been alb e to do-and then
search everything he could
The door was locked. Sarcany with
his skeleton keys soon opened it and
entered.
Between the two windows opening on
to the street there was q writing desk,
whose antique form would have delight
ed connoisseur in old furniture. The
shutdown front prevented any one in
speeding what was inside.
1t was the first time Sarcany had the
chance of getting near this piece of
furniture, and he was not the man to
waste his opportunities To rummage
in different drawers, he only had to
force the front. And this he did with
the aid of his instruments, without the
lock being in any way injured,
In the four h drawer under pile of
papers, was kind of card cut into curl
GUS holes. The card caught his atten-
ton ct once.
The grating!" he said.
He was not mistaken.
His first idea was to take it with him,
but on reflection he saw that it's disap-
pearance would awake suspicion, if
Count Zathmar noticed it had gone
Good" said he to himself; "as I
copied the message, SO IN copy the graf
ing, and Toronthal and can read the
despatch at our ease"
The grating was merely O square of
card about two and half inches long,
divided into thirty six equal squares.
OF these thirty six equal squares,
arranged in six horizontal and vertical
lines, like those on Pythagorean table
OF six clphers twenty-Seven 70 shaded
and nine We're open-that is to say. nine
squares had been cut out of the card and
left nine openings in different positions.
Sarcany had to be careful to take the
Cyz of 1,a
position of the nine blank squares And
this he did by tracing the grating ON
sheet OF white paper and marking on his
copy small cross which he found on
.he original, and which seemed TO dis
ting,lish the top side.
By me ms of this grating, which Il
would he ansy to copy on a piece of
ordinary card, Sarcany felt that he would
have no difficulty in deciphering the fac
simhe ofthe message then in possession Of
Toronthal {; and SO he put back the orig
inal grating among the papers, as he had
found it, left Zathmar's room, left the
house, and returned to his hotel.
A quarter Of an hour afterwards Zirone
beheld him enter the room with such
triumphant cir that he could not help
exclaiming:1 a47a. 9iy TO w3it ri
Halo! What 10 mp? Take caro- Of
yourself4 You are not 90 clever in hid.
ing your joy as You are your grief. and
you'll betray yourself. IT, bal rtaat
"Shut up,r" answered Sarcany, Sand
70 work without losing moment"
Before we feed pr q ''ii'.'# q. .1.tt
Before We feed. raG bB0t Oh HoiJ
And then Sarcany picked up . card, Of
moderate thickness He cut it according
70 his tsncing 80 as 70 obtain q grating Of
the exact shape of his copy. not forget.
ting tho little cross, which showed the
right end uppermosk Then he took q
rule and divided his fectaAgle into thirty
six squares. all Of eqnal size Then of
these thirty-sixs squares nine were marked
as they appeared on the tracing. and cut
out with the point OF q penknife 90 as to
show through them. when applied to thu
message, Whatever signs or letters were
to I've read
Zirone sat facing Sarcany, and watched
him as he We rked. He was deeply inter-
ested in the performance, because he
thoroughly understood the system of
cryptography employed in the CORE
spondence.
"Now that is ingenious" he said,
"highly ingenious, and may be of some
use! When I think that each of these
empty squares may perhaps hold q mil
lion of money"
"And more" said Sarcany.