The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-09-26

| clOub udu ldlltH, lHOuBu uOl Hhtly ~
make much headway In the diplomatic
service, was a really clever electrician,
| and the Legation was filed with useful
mad ingenious devices OF his invention.
In diplomacy he was a mere waster;
as an electrical engineer he might
have won both fame and fortune.
He had fitted one OF the spare rooms
at the top OF the house as workshop,
and spent most Of his spare time In IL,
working In desultory fashion upon
the many incomplete inventions with
which 1t was stored. During the inter
views he had been in his room, and, If
my suspicious were well founded, II
was there ! must seek the answer 10
the questlon-Iiowi
There was a workbench at one end
OF the room. Under the bench was a
cupboard, sufficiently large to admit Of
my crouching and hiding myself in 1t.
| entered the cupboard and made my
self as comfortable as possible.
Through crevice in the door / com
manded n view OF the whole room.
Just before 3 o'clock the attachc en-
tered the workshop. and, after closing
the door, threw thick curtain across
1t. Then he seated himself I'm an easy
chair and switched on the light Of
single arc lamp, without n globe, placed
on an insulated table, and connected
with an electric generator.
From my hiding place / gazed at the
hpiI Inh q IA. Ia
what connection there could he be-
tween II and the mystery ! was trying
to solve.
Suddenly the BarOn's voice broke in
upon the silence. The sound was so
clear and so distinct that was almost
prise.
For moment was puzzled as 10
where IL came from. Then located II.
The lamp was talking!
on the ground floor OF the house the
Baron was engaged In conversation
with the supposed representative Of
the Foreign Office. and by some strange
phenomcnon the burning lamp was
transmitting the sound with such pur-
ity and dlstinCtness that every word
was as audible as II We had been pres
ent az the interview.
For half an hour the conversation fol-
lowed the lines agreed upon between
the Baron and my representative; then
there was pause. followed 10y a light,
g0Ssipy conversation.
The attache had listened intcntly 10
the conversation so long as IL dealt
with the matters under concern. AZ
soon az that part OF It ended he began
20 arrange his summary. For some
time be- wrote and re-wrotc. Then ne
read aloud what he had written 1t
satisfied him
\ moment afterward he switched off
the light and left the room.
As soon as the sound Of his footsteps
died away / crawled out Of my hiding
place and strolled into the attaches
room. He was busy arranging bou-
quet Of choice blooms for a smart so
Cicty lady Of his acquaintance.
The ladies make great demands
upon our time and attention" he said
with n smile.
Without speaking | stood and
watched him. The message was not
as | had suspected. concealed among
the flowers II was woven into the bOu.
quet. and was easily readable by
means of the Morse code colors taking
the place of dot and dash.
His arrangement of the flowers was
strikngly beautiful and as he attached
his card to the completed bouquet and
instructed one Of the servants where
to take il, did not wonder that the
simplicity of his method had enabled
him to escape suspicion.
The bouquet never cached it's dcsti-
nation, and no message appeared in the
with the evidence of his guilt the at
tache made n clean breast of every
thing
He had fallen a victim to the charms
OF a smart society lady, and I'm order
TO prove his love for her had consented
TO supply her with information. and a
bouquet of flowers had been the means
Of communication.
For months past he had openly sent
her n daily gift OF flowers, so that the
continuance of the habit occasioned
neither surprise nor suspicion. Upon
receipt of the flowers she telephoned
the coded message 20 the editor of the
Early Bugle, who had no knowledge
az To the source of her information.
Then he explained that part OF the
mystery which still puzzled me- The
lamp in the workshop was connected
with wire with n microphone in the
Baron's room. But he could not ac-
count for the strange phenomenon
which caused it-while burning-to
speak. He had stumbled upon the i'm
ventiou by accident. and, under stress
Of his passion, had kept his discovery
secret and put II to base uses. 10 was
the old story OF "thc woman tempted
me. New York News.