The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1901-02-14
e'THE MUST intercept that mes

L cOulO only look my unutteraDle
establishment. Schmidt was the senior
partner in the: firm of Schmidt, Rosen-
berg G. Carey. I was Carey, the Junior.
Rosenberg we seldom saw, and it was
just as well; hehad no brains, but his
money had been very useful when the
firm was first launched, and, as he never
interfered with the management, we
We're glad to continue as we had begun.
For the rest, Schmidt, Rosenberg d
Carey is a firm of stock brokers we'll
known on the stock exchange, where
it's operations are followed with keen
interest
"Well?" said Schmidt, seeing that L
was all at sea; you scarcely follow
me?"
II don't!" I declared, emphatically.
That is because you have no mag
nation. A better financier I 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!" I gibed. "Are not all
the papers full of it?"
Schmidt went on as if I had not
spoken. within the next "a hours a
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"
"How do you know of this?"
From the usual source, our private
intelligence department Brace
BRIDGE.
ct all sounds very pretty. I can
quite understand how a premature
knowledge of that message may affect
our fortunes appreciably, but I fail to
see how such a happy contamination
is coming to pass
Really" said Schmidt, 81 thought
you had more sense! We shall inter-
9ept that message. I have arranged
with q very clever electrician, who has
Marconi's latest improvements at his
fingers ends, to accompany you and
myself on a little pleasure trip in the
channel for a 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? ?"
No. For obvious reasons it will
not do to use my own boat. So Messrs.
Blick and Sampson, two American gem
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- Berlin?"
Impossible! 1t is wonderful to
think that it can go to Antwerp with
out a 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! 1 have
calculated it all to. a nicely. 1 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 a many-sided man." I said,
admiringly; "but have you told the
electrician?"
1.-THE message is in cipher. Brace
bridge will bring me the key this even
ing, when he will also bring the latest
intelligence and the time of sending
the message. Besides, the oper-
ator is an i%mpecunious man, and l shall
know how to keep him from asking
unnecessary questions"
ut is tremendously risky!" 1 said.
mot at all! The only thing is to
keep mum, and don't tell your wife!"
I WINGED. The only disturbing ele-
ment in my conjugal happiness is the
chattering proclivities of my better
half.
Mrs. Schmidt is discreet" said the
husband of that unique lady; "but Mrs.
Carey-well," he added, diplomatical-
~, well, Mrs. Carey is too charming to
be able to keep a secret"
Late in the evening of the same day
went to Schmidt's house in Charlton
place. Bracebridge had already been
and presented the latest intelligence
to-wit, that the operator at the gov
ernment's wireless ~telegraphy office at
Dover had been advised to be in readi-
ness to receive a messenger from the
foreign office about noon on the O
row Schmidt had wired to the captain
of the Gladiola to have steam up ready
for us next morning. The telegraph
operator had also been communicated
with. My chief then proceeded to give
me a few instructions regarding our
adventure.
eve Shall make a splendid coup!"
he said. whichever way the message
runs, its early knowledge ought to
make our fortunes. l have t%elephoned
our agent in Paris to be on the qui vive,
and have wired to our man in Berlin.
Mr.. Whistler is prepared to work the
oracle this side, and, by Jove! if we
get the message, the thing is a dead
certainty"
When, next morning, I met my chief
It the railway station, l scarcely knew