The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-01

| PA
vorable terms for my sovereign. No mis-
| fortune so great has ever hefalleD me in
the whole course OF my official career.
| Add all through that INSCRIPTIONS lie
| Grand
Sympatihizng with the prince, l did
my best to soothe aud comfort him, but
| his chagrin was too profound for my
| efforts to have much success.
| Then tried to turn his attention to the
| document as possible means OF identi-
! flying the traitor.
"Do you know the handwriting?' l
| asked.
mot in the least; it seems to me to be
| q disguised hand.n
$50 / thought And there is nothing
about the document to suggest TO you
any one In particular as the writer?'
Nothing!"
We had little further conversation,
and then / left him, taking the docu-
rnent with me- / had an idea that pos
sibly Gresham might help me. At any
rate IL was goou opportunity OF putting
his boasted science to the test.
When drought the subject before him,
he smiled little sarcastically.
$50 the scoffer has come to pray" he
said.
Then he carefully scrutinized the writ
ing, at first, with the naked eye, and
afterwards with pocket-lense. AT last
he said:
"Now 4 think l have mastered 1t. PRAY
ask me any questions YOU like. i will
not undertake TO answer them all, but,
IL do not know, l Will say so frankly.n
Very well, then. First-Is this hand
writing natural or disguised?"
"Undoubtedly disguised.
''Secondly-Is it mans hand, or q
woman's?'
"A man's.n
Thirdly Is the writer educated, or un-
sducated?'
'"Highly educated. ,"
"Can you fix approximately the age of
the writer?'
"Only in the toughest way. He 10 GER
tainly not a child-not even youth-for
the hand is perfectly formed. And he
cannot be very old, for the writing 10
quite firm. But he might be any age be-
tween, say, 25 and so or even 60"
i could think Of only one more ques-
tion. AS yet Gresham's science had done
but little to help us.
sis there any popularity about the
writing which enables you to givsany
further information respecting the
writer?"
"Ah, - he said, "that is a crucial cues
ton; the rest was mere chlld's play.
answer II by saying that there is some
thing very peculiar about the writing
Information about the writer. Only, you
will not believe me when tell you what
IL is. "
"Tell me, nevert neless, - 1 said.
"The writer is blind OF one eye"
How can you possibly know that?p
"Oh, II IL easy enough, III you only
take the trouble TO observe. / know,
too, that IL 10 the left eve OF which he Is
blind and that the sight of the right eye
Is not good -
'It is very remarkable, IL true"
at Is perfectly true. You can Judge
a LOT
ted as these are?"
81 do not know. What is there peculiar
about them?n
perhaps you have never noticed how
people generally dot them. No one ex-
cept perhaps, a schoolboy over his round
hand, ever dots an II at the time he
:orms the letter; he always waits at least
until he has reached the end OF the word.
Well, now, man who has lost the sight
oil his left eye, and whose sight is gen-
orally defective, bends over his paper, and
his nose gets in his way when he wants
to dot his rs. The consequence is that
II Is all done hsphazsrd. Now look at
the dots OF these rs; they are here.
there and everywhere; sometimes but |
rarely-beiore the letter; more often be-
hind II; sometimes too high up; some
times too low down. You can SCI. at once |
that II is all done by faith and not by |
sight. "
j looked more carefully NJ the writing: |
II was Indeed as Gresham had said. 4 |
thought at once OF Count ShricyaliieH |
Every one knew that he was blind al the |
left eye. lie had acted as secretary Il the /
congress. IL, as seemed certain, Il was
one OF the plenipotentiarl who had be-
trayed the secret, Count Shripyaliieff must
be the man. ! bastencd with my new
piece OF iniOrmat'on 10 the prince. but I
hGd TO wait III the evening before /
could see him. as ne had just gone bacK
TO the congress.
When We net, told him what Gresham
hGd said about the handwriting Tho
prince was no great believer IN graphol.
ogy, aud said so.
"stili," 4 said, "just consider the aetu.