Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-01-04

had been taken to prevent its being read
If it fell into other hands than those for
whom it was intended. To make use of
neither the post nor the telegraph. but
the extraordinary means of the carrier
curious affair that it was desired to
keep quite secret.
Perhaps" said Sarcany, "there lies
IN these lines O mystery that will make
our fortune"
And then" answered Zirone, "This
pigeon will represent the luck we have
been running after all the morning.
And was going to strangle it After
all it is important to keep the message,
and We can cook the messenger.
"Not so fast, Zirone," interrupted
Sarcany, who again saved the birds life.
Perhaps the pigeon may tell us whittier
it was bound, providing, of course, that
the person who ought to have the mes
sage lives in Trieste"
"And then That will not tell you
how to read the message, Sarcany."
''No, Zirone."
Nor to know where it came from"
"Exactly. But Of two correspond
ents shall know one, and that may tell
me how 1 am to find the other. So. in
stead of killing this bird, We will feed it
and recruit its strength and help it to
reach its destination.
with the letter 2" asked Zirone.
with the letter-of which 1 am GO
ing to make an exact copy and that 1
shall keep until the time comes to use
it."
And Sarcany took notebook from his
pocket, and in pencil he made a careful
fac-simile of the message. Knowing
that in most cryptograms it was import
ant not to alter in the least the form
and arrangement. he took great care to
keep the words In exactly the same
order and position and at the same dis
tances as in the document. Then he put
the fac-simile in his pocket. the message
In its case, and the case in its place
under the pigeons wing.
Zirone looked on. He did not share
the hopes of fortune foupded ON this in
cident
And now ?" he asked.
"NOw, answered Sarcany, "do what
you can for the messenger"
The pigeon was more exhausted by
hunger than fatigue. Its wings were
intact without strain or breakage, and
showed that his temporary weakness was
due neither to shot from a sportsman
nor a stone from street boy. 1t was
hungry-it was thirsty; that was all.
Zirone looked around and found on
the tground few grains of corn which
the bird ate gTeedily. Then he
quenched his thirst with few drops of
water which the last shower had left in
piece of ancient pottery. So we'll did he
do his work that in half an hour the pig
con was refreshed and restored and
quite able to resume his interrupted
journey.
eff it is going far. " said Sarcany, "f
its destination is beyond Trieste, it does
not matter to us if it falls on the way,
for we shall have lost sight of it, and il
Will be impossible for us to follow it.
But if it is going to one of the houses in
Trieste, its strength is sufficient to take
it there, for it viii only have to fly for q
couple of minutes or So"
Right you are" replied the Sicilian;
"but how are we to see where it drops,
even if it is in Trieste pm
I'VE can manage that, I think" an
swered Sarcany. And this is what they
did.
The cathedral consists of two old Ro-
man churches, one dedicated to the
Virgin, one to st. Just, the patron saint
OF Trieste, and it is fanked by q very
high tower which rises from the angle Of
the front, pierced with large rose win
dow, beneath which is the chief door.
This tower commands view over the
plateau of Klrst Hill, and over the whole
city, which lies spread as on a map
below. From this lofty standpoint they
could SEQ down on the roofs of all tho
houses, even on to those clustering on
the earlier slopes of the hill away to the
shore of the gulf. 1t was therefore not
impossible to follow che pigeon in its
fight and recognize the house on which
it found refuge, provided it was not
bound for some other city of the nlyrian
peninsula.
The attempt might succeed. 1t was
at least worth trying. They only had to
set the bird at liberty.
Sarcany and Zrone left the old Gene
terry, crossed the open space by the
cathedral and walked towards the tower.
One of the ogIval doors-the one under
the dripstone beneath st. Just's niche
was open. They entered and began to
ascend the stairs which led to the roof.
1t took them two or three minutes to
reach the top. They stood Just under.
meath the roof, and there was no balco-
ny. But there were two windows OPEN
ING out on each side of the tower. and
giving view to each point of the
double horizon of hills and sea.
Sarcany and Zirone posted themselves
at the windows which looked out over
Trieste towards the northwest
The clock In the old sixteenth century,
castle on the top of the Karst behind
the cathedral struck four. II was
still broad daylight The air was
clear and the sun shown brightly
on the waters of the Adriatic and most
OF the houses received the light with
their fronts facing the tower. Thus far
circumstances were favorable.
Sarcany took the pigeon in his hands
he stroked it, spoke to it, gave it a
last caress and threw it free.
The bird tapped its wings, but at first
1t dropped so quickly that it looked as
thong b 1t was going to finish its career
OF aerial messenger by cruel fall.
The excitable Sicilian could not re-
strain cry of disappointment
moi 1t risesl" said Sarcany.
And the pigeon had found its eouili-
brium in the denser lower air and then
making n sudden curve it few of to-
wards the northwest.
Sarcany and Zirone followed it with
their eyes
In the fight Of the bird there was no
hesitation He went straight to his
home-which he would have reached an
hour before had it not been for his
compulsory halt among the trees of the
old graveyard.
oNI