The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-10-13
CHAPTER ANL
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CHAPTER XVI
TEE SECRET OF TEE CIPHER
aGentlemen." said BieIski, when we were
alone. al think havs something to say tnat
will surprise you. He held In his hand the
little memorandum book, the mysterious
contents Of which he had been studying
while we had been engaged with Gregson
aHaye vou discover ed the ciphers Does Il
betray anything of the fellows secretsr
asked with eagerness
eyes. sir; / haUs found the clew 70 the
cipher. Do you know what it Isl IL Is an
old-fashiouad system Of shert hand, with
some new abbreviations and arbitrary signs
You see had to learn short band Tor my
own nurposes. so know all about it.
sAnd do you mean to say you know ms
systemp
ooh. dear, mol We are going little ica
fast. if you'll excuse me, sir. It my la.c
weeks to unr ddle this; for at the hest OF
times it is not always easy to decipher short
hand. All the same hope we may pek
the lock in a shorter time than that. hav-
a friend in London who will help ME"
sand this is the surprising news you have
to tell us. Pielskil" interjected Harding.
/ GNo, sir. no It is something more than
that You gave me tn 5 book as F'inter's.
But find that it is not his at all II Is writ
ten by Francis Branksome, NJ D. Here's
his name upon the first page" He pointed
to some hieroglyphics that to Harding and
myself were quite unintelligible
"And have you read that alreadyF
ayes, that is quite easy to understand. II
is written in a system that knew sometning
Of myself What makes me most suspicious
about this book is that the cipher has been
altered in many ways as the writer has gone
- l. knlm 1wr atoa
and simple at first, but it becomes more
diffieul. and complicated as we proceed
That shows that the man was determined to
hide from everybody what be was writing.
Why should DIR. Branksome bs SO anxious
to do that?"
@We have heard something about DR..
Branksome this morning which may per
haps throw light upon that question" said
Harding.
aFrom the young man outside thereF
@Yes:u and then related to the detective
the strange story which had been told By
Gregson.
gBy Jovel gentlemen" he cried, slapping
his thigh in his exultation, @this is really
magnificent What case I'll have when
get that in. .handI Itll mean trip to Aus
tralia for me, though; and don't care so
much about that
@But what light will it throw ON Miss
Stanciiffe's case? How win it assist herg'
GHow will it assist herl / should say
nothing could assist her more. II is the very
evidence we hare been wanting to weaken
the motive for the murder You must hand
this young man owe to me now, gentlemen
| l must get that story Of his down in ship
shape"
Bielsxi was quite excited over the p-os-
pect of the task, which he had apparently
already allotted to himself, Of unraveling
the whole mystery Of which Gregs IN pro-
fessed to have given US the outlines For my
part carel little or nothing about that
mystery in ITSELF All that / wanted was
| evidence which would deliver my darling,
not only from a shameful death, but from
that stain Of criminality which the verdict
| of the jury had cast upon her We had
gone far, felt, towards arriving at tina
| truth: but nothing snort Of the complete ex
oneration of DAisy would satisfy me, and
that alasl was apparently still remote.
| When the detective had taken Gregson Of
to his own hotel to cross-examine him at his
leisure regarding the story he had told Us.
| Harding and ! sat together discussing all
that had now come to light. Our chief feel
| ing-or mine at any rate--was one of won
der at the fact that DIR. Branksome should
be such a villain as Gregson represented.
Never, surely, was there man in this
world who looked les like villain. who
| bore himself less like one, who seemed 10 all
around him to be more completely above
suspicion recalled all my dealings with
him from that first day when we met in ths
| Grand hotel at Scarborough, and tould
not remember a single incident, a look or a
tone of the voice, that had been calculated
| to awaken suspicion in my mind. He was
always the same-c5ol, seif-possessed, gem
| tlemanly, frank In manner brilliant in talk
| he had never played the part Of Joseph Sur
| face and assumed the functions of a cham
| pion of morality; but | remember no one
whom had met in the course Of my life
who had made deeper impression on me,
or who had more completely won my conf
dence and regard Even now could hardly
bring myself to believe that he was e viIlair
much less a villain Of the cold, cruel cal.
culating tyre depicted BY Grsgson.
/ remembered, however, that my first
/ quarrel with him had arisen when be
dropped to me 9 hint Of -his belief that
Daisy was guilty. 1t was only then that, In
my oEerpowering love for her, / had broken
through the glamour which had hitherto In
vested him believe that even now, when
| had heard Gregson's story, should have
/ AOIcSOSeA ~ NAeA ny HAAOAC 1AApdAt II ~ HHu
not been for Branksome's desertion Of Daisy.
| That offense had never forgiven; and the
fact that he had been guilty OF it enabled
me at this moment, desptss all my expert.
ence in my personal relations with him, Ia
accept the apparently incredible story of bis
crime which had received from the lips Of
/ Gregson- | saw, too, quite clearly, ths
strong confirmation Of that story, which was
1 TO be foun1 in the fact that he had acted
/ just as Gregson had pre- icted that he would
| act In the event Of the sentence Of the law
| being carried out upon Daisy, be would step
into undisputed possession Of Mau,everer's
millions Yes; / felt convinced. in spite Of
all my prepossessions, that / had indeed
been, as Gregson had declared the veriest
dupe throughout this business--but the 5ups
| of a man whose yillainy was such as to defy
all ordinary sagaciiy
Bielski with his usual rapidity OF move
ment darted Off hat very night to London,
hauling the unfortunate Gregson along with
him. II was on the following morning that
/ had my second interview with my darling
found her more altered than | had an.
tiei ed The strain upon her mind had
esd " been terrible during that week
wil.g she had passed in the grim solitude Of
the eondemed cell, with nothing hut
shameful death staring her In the face. How
my heart overhosged with love and sym.
pathy, when / SAN her, pale and worn,
standing upright in he gloomy cell await
ing me witn pathetic s.ni upon her white
lipsl It was long. long before ~ Quilt muir
mur even the first words of greeting
To BE CONTINUED.
|
The first shipment of dressed beef from
| Miles Citv was made last Friday and