Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-03-26

did you regain possession OF it?"
"Forty years later" said the col
onel slowly.
"Phew," whistled young Hawley.
under his breath.
'T was soiourning for few days in
small town in Southern Spain.
Passing through narrow street one
afternoon on my way back to the
hotel. Glanced to stop, is any one
might, to look into the window of q
dealer in curios, and the first object
that caught my eye was this identical
coin. Now, know that this sounds
incredible. 7, myself, at first thought
it was merely coin of the same de-
nomination and date, but imagine my
surprise when, upon going in and ex'
amining it closely 1 discovered that it
was the very same Louis that 1 had
lost at play in Saltillo SO many years
ago. l gladly paid the shopkeepel
six pesos for it, and I have carried it
in my pocket ever siuce.
Here the colonel stopped.
"Is that all?" inquired young
Hawley.
"That is all, except that L will now
proceed to show you-,--"
"Will You permit me to take a look
at the coin?" The speaker who inter
rupted them had risen from table i'll
the adjoining alcove and now stood at
the professors elbow. He looked
some years older than the colonel, his
hair was white and he leaned upon Il
heavy cane, one leg being decidedly
lame.
"I'm Major Tracer; I overheard
part of your conversation as L sat al
my table there, and was so interested
that could not refrain from coming
over and, at the risk OF intruding, talk.
ing part in it..
"No intrusion at all, sir. One old
soldier is always glad to make the
acquaintance of another, and your
name, major, is known to every veter'
an of the Mexican War. Permit NE
to introduce my friends, Professor
Langton and Mr.. Hawley."
"The colonel has just been enter.
tanning us with remarkable account
of the loss and subsequent recovery of
this piece of money said the pro-
fessor, handing the coin to the major.
Seventeen seventy-six-the same
date" said the major half to himself.
Theh putting the coin on the table he
took up fruit knife and, placing the
dull point exactly over the letter go"
in the word Louis, hairs breadth
from the edge, he gave sharp, quick
pressure and the face of the coin flew
open rs though on spring. With an
exclamation of surprise the professor
took it and inspected it closely. Some
skilled workman had cut it open all
around the milled edge and fitted q
spring inside, just under the letter
60" So nicely had the work been
done that when closed it was not ap-
parent to the naked eye. When
opened, it was seen that groove had
been followed through the inside
about an inch and half long and one
eighth OF an inch VIDE.
''By all the powers, how comes 1t
that you knew that secret?" cried the
colonel, dumbfounded, as the major
threw the fruit knife back on the table.
Without answering the question di-
rectly, the major took the other old
soldier by the hand and, looking into
his eyes with a peculiar expression on
his face, asked: "Were you the man
who did that delicate piece of mechani-
cal work?"
"I was"
"rell me what on earth induced you
to do it?"
"For the life of me I can't say.
What induces people to make baskets
out of cherry pits, lockets out of hair
and the thousand and one little gim-
cracks that are always being made? I
was skillful workman, and in an idle
hour I took up this coin, cut it open
and fitted it with q spring. There is
just one way to open it. You must
have had the piece in your possession
at one time and stumbled upon the
secret. put something in that cavity
in the centre-did you take it out?"
"I did"
The major drew up q chair and
stretched his stiff leg out under the
table comfortably. ''In 1S47," he
began, looking tixedly at the colonel,
81 was also in Mexico" The colonel
nodded and handed the major a cigar.
Thanks. I was with Scott at Vera
Cruz
"And T." said the colonel, giving
him q light, twas with Taylor in the
northern part OF the country"
Having lived in Mexico for a
number of years previous to the war, "
continued the major. lighting his
cigar, "and speaking the language of
the country, I was more valuable in
the secret service than is the field,
so was," here he puffed on the cigar
for few seconds to get it we'll lighted
"a scout"
~ understand" and the colonel
nodded again,
THE American army took up quar-.
ters at Jalapa, where I left them and
made detour towards the south, to
discover suitable route by which our
forces could approach the City Of
Mexico, and avoid the Notifications
and ambuscsdes which Gener Santa
Anna had provided for their reception.
l had been most successful, and had
reached Molino del Rey, q small town
almost in the shadow of the walls OF
Mexico City, when was captured by
the Mexicans and thrown into the Jail
to await trial as spy. Imagine my
despair. l had every inch Of the
ground from Jalapa carefully photo.
graphed in my brain. Could furnish
Scott with information Of the greatest
Importance, and here I was jugged in
that little, miserable Mexican Jail with
every prospect Of being condemned to
death. and no possible way Of getting