Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1901-03-01

t An Intercepted Message I
A Story Of the New Telegraphy.
BY Catherine Adams. !
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"NE MUST intercept that mes
wv sage" said Schmidt.


astonishment. Schmidt was the senior
partner in the firm of Schmidt, Rosen-
berg q Carey. | was Carey, the junior.
Rosenberg we seldom saw, and it was
Just as well; he had no brains, but his
money had been very useful when the
firm was first launched, and, as he never
interfered with the management, we
were glad to continue as we had begun.
For the rest, Schmidt, Rosenberg d
Carey" is a firm of stock brokers well
known on the stock exchange, where
its operations are followed with keen
interest.
"Well?" said Schmidt, seeing that
was all at sea; 'you scarcely follow
me?"
81 don't!" l declared, emphatically.
THAT is because you have no imag-
nation. A better financier | never
knew, but you lack imagination. Now,
l." He paused.
"Have too much. You could well
spare me some. But what is this
move?"
"a crisis is imminent There was
another meeting at the foreign office
this afternoon"
''Stale news!" gibed. "Are not all
the papers full of it?"
Schmidt went on as if | had not
spoken. "Within the next "a hours
message will be sent to Berlin. 1t will
be the message-the all-important one
that will materially affect the money
market for some time"
"Iow do you know of this?"
"From the usual source, our private
intelligence department - Brace
bridge"
at all sounds very pretty. l can
quite understand how a premature
knowledge of that message may affect
our fortunes appreciably, but | fail 10
see how such a happy consummation
is coming to pass
Really" said Schmidt, 81 thought
you had more sense! We shall inter-
cept that message. l have arranged
with very clever electrician, who has
Marconi's latest Improvements at his
fingers ends, to accompany you and
myself on little pleasure trip in the
channel for few hours. In such glo-
rious weather what could be more
pleasant than a jaunt on that charming
little steam yacht, the Gladiola?"
"You have rechristened your craft?"
mo. For obvious reasons it will
not do to use my own boat. So Messrs.
Blick and Sampson, two American gen.
tlemen, will embark on the Gladiola,
which will be awaiting them in Dover
harbor. When in midchannel, what
more natural than our electrical
friends desire to experiment with his
apparatus? Singular, too, that we
shall take such a course as to be in
the direct line of communication be-
tween the terminals at Dover and Ant
werp.'
Antwerp. Then the message does
not go direct to BerlinY'
''Impossiblel 1t is wonderful to
think that it can go to Antwerp with
out break, and thence, with only one
other stoppage, at Brunswick, right on
to Berlin
but how shall we hit ON the locality?
That will require some fixing up"
Leave that to me, dear boy! have
calculated it all to nicely. | shall
ever be thankful that my father per-
suaded me to serve in the navy rather
than in the army for my term Of con-
scription."
"Iou are many-sided man." said,
admiringly; but have you told the
electrician"
THE message is in cipher. Brad
bridge will bring me the key this evi
ing, when he will also bring the lat,
intelligence and the time of sendif
the message Besides, the oper>
ator is an impecunious man, and ] shallN
know how to keep him from asking
unnecessary questions"
ut is tremendously risky!" said.
Not at all! The only thing is to
keep mum, and don't tell your wife!"
"Mrs, Schmidt is discreet" said the
husband of that unique lady; but Mrs.
Carey-well," he added, diplomatical-
ly, "well, Mrs. Carey is too charming to
be able TO keep secret"
Late in the evening of the same day
went to Schmidt's house in Charlton
place. Bracebridge had already been
Ind presented the latest intelligence
to-wit, that the operator at the gov
ernment's wireless telegraphy Office at 1
Dover had been advised to be in readi-i
ness to receive a messenger from the
foreign Office about noon on the MOI
row. Schmidt had wired to the captail
OF the Gladiola to have steam up ready]
for us next morning. The telegrapbj
operator had also been communicated
with. My chief then proceeded to gl
me few instructions regarding d
adventure.
'We shall make splendid coup
he said. whichever way the messT,
runs, its early knowledge ought
make our fortunes. l have telepho
our agent in Paris to be on the qui
and have wired to our man in Be
Nr. Whistler is prepared to work
oracle this side, and, by Jove i'll
get the message, the thing is a
certainty"
When, next morning, | met my
at the railway station, scarcely
him. His blue-black beard and
had become snow white. Ny q
shuyen face was now adorned b
mustache and imperial
The captain of the yacht and the te
graph operator met us at the Doy
pierhead, and we were soon in
yachts boat on our way to the We
"Set her engines going once,
rms" said Schmidt, as we boar1
yacht "We have none too mud