Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-01-18

the meetings took place between zarn-
mar and his companions was not forbid
den hum. Very often he worked there
oil alone and then his eyes and his fin
: gers were occupied In quite other tasks
than making calculations or casting
+ figures. He ferre.cd among the papers;
he opened the drawers 10y means Of
skeleton keys made for him by Zirone,
who was quite an adept III such matters.
I And all the time he kept a strict watch
on Bollk, with whom ne seemed some
how, quite ont OF sympathy
For five days SaTcany's search was
useless. Each morning he came with
the hope OF succeeding; each evening he
returned to his hotel without having
discovered Anything. He feared he was
going to fan after all in his criminal en-
terprize. The conspiracy-ii there were
q conspiracy, and lie could not doubt
that there was one-might come to 2
head at any moment before it had been
discovered, and consequently before it
had been reported.
but rather than lose the benefit Of
discovery. even without satisfactory
proofs, better inform the police" said
Throne, land give them a copy of the
letter"
THAT is what am going to do If
necessary. said Sarcany.
Oh course TOronthnl Was kept inform
ed OF al that went on. And it was not
without difficulty, that the impotence
OF the banker was duly curbed.
Chance came az last 10 his assistance.
On the first occasion il brought him the
message and now it came to him to
show him how the message could be
deciphercl 1t was the last day of May,
about four O'Clock in the afternoon.
Sarcauy, according TO his custom, was
going TO leave Z3tumar's house at five.
lie was greatly disappointed that he
h.l advanced no further than on the
first day. and that the work lie had
been doing for Count SaudOrf WAS APP
preaching It's 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.
ZathI1ar aad his two friends we're not
At home. There WAS no one in the house
but Borik, and he was busy on the
ground iOOr. Sdrcauy, finding himself
free To do az ne liked. resolved to go
into Count Zathmars room-which lie
had not yet been abe to do-nnd 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 a writing desk,
whose antique form would have delight
ed Il 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 lie 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 fourth drawer under pile of
papers, was n kind of card cut into curl
Gus holes. The card caught his atten-
ton mt once.
THE grating" he said
He was not mistaken.
His first idea was to take it with him,
but on reflection he saw that its disap-
pearance would awake suspicion, IL
Count Zathmar noticed it had gone.
GOOD" said he to himself; "as 1
copied the message. 50 I'll copy the graf
ing, and Toronthal and can read the
despatch at our ease"
The grating was merely 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 ciphers, twenty-seven were shaded
and nine were opcn-that is TO say, nine
I squares had been cut out Of the card and
left nine openings in different positions.
Sarcauy had to be careful to take the
exoct size of the grating and the exact
| position of the nine blank squares. And
this ne did by tracing the grating on a
sheet of white paperaud marking on his
copy small cross which he found on
the original. and which seemed to dis
/ tinguish the top side.
by mems OF this grating. which 10
would he easy TO copy on piece of
ordinary card. Sarcany felt that he would
have no difficulty in deciphering the fac
simile of the 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, aud returned to his hotel.
Aquarter of an hour afterwards Zirone
beheld him enter the room with such a
triumphant air that he could not help
exclaimng:
"Hallol What is up? Take care of
/ YOURSELF You are not so clever in hid
ing your JOY rs you are your grief and
/ you'll betray yourself, if"
Shut up" answered Sarcany, "and
] TO work without losing a moment"
before we feed r"
before we feed"
And then Sarcany picked mp n card of
moderate thickness. He cut it according
to ms tracing so as to obtain grating of
the exac. shape of his COPY. not forget
ting the little cross which showed the
night end uppermost Then he took
rule and divided his rectangle INTO thirty
six squares, al Of equal size. Then of
these thirty Ksquares nine were marked
as they appeared on the tracing and cut
out with the point of penknifo so rs to
SNOW through them, when applied to the
message, wha ever signs or letters were
30 be read
/ Zirone sat facing Sarcany. and watched
him as he wei ked. He was deeply inter-
estcd 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
usel When L think that each of these
empty squares may perhaps hold a mil
lion Of money"
And morei" said Sareany.
The work was at an end Sarcanv
rose and put the cut card into his