The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-01

question IN parliament, and IN MS reply
the under secretary stated that it was
pure fiction. The members of the lega-
ton smiled knowingly when they read
his answer. They thought that, in the
interests of his country, he had trified
with the truth.
They were mistaken; he had spoken
the truth. The representative who call
ed at the legation came, not from the
foreign office, but from my office. He
was one of my men, so cleverly made
up that they were deceived by his re-
marka bic likeness TO TIE person he rep
resented.
The attaehe upon whom my susbi-
cions had fallen, though not likely to
make much Roadway in the diplomatic
service, was a really clever electrician,
and the legation was filed with useful
and ingenious devices Of his invention.
In diplomacy he was 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 a workshop,
and spent most of his spere time in 1t,
working in a desultoTy fashion upon the
many incomplete inventions with which
IL was stored. During The interviews. ne
had been in his room. and. II my suspi-
cions were well founded, it was there
must seek the answer to the question
How
Another bogus interview was arranged
for in the afternoon. Shortly after
/ made my way to the workshop The
QCDE WAS liSltnEu DY al l4iSElilOuS AONA
of his own cOntriVance. but as he had
shown me the secret of its mechanism,
L experienced no difficulty in entering.
There was a work bench a one end or
the room. Under the bench was cup
board sufficiently large to admit of my
crouching and hiding myself in it.
enter the cupboard and made myself as
comfortable as possible Through
crevice in the door I commanded a view
of the whole room.
Just before O'Clock the attache en-
tered the workshop, and, after closing
the door, threw a thick curtain across
it. Then he seated himself in an easy
chair and switched on the light OF a
single arc lamp. without globe. placed
on an insulated table, and connected
with an electric generator
From my hiding place l gazed at the
brilliant light of the lamp, wondering
what connection there could be between
it and the mystery 1 was trying to
solva
Suddenly the baron's voice broke in
uDon the silence The sound was so
clear and so distinct that / was almost
startled into an exclamation of sur
prise.
For a moment I was puzzled as to
where it came from Then 1 located it.
The lamp was talking,
On the ground floor of the house tbs
baron was engaged in conversation
with the supposed representative of tn.
foreign Office. and by some strange
y
transmitting the sound with such
purity and distinctness that every
word was as audible as if we had been
present at the interview.
For half an hour the conversation
followed the lines agreed upon between
the baron and my representative; then
there was a pause, followed by a light,
gOssipy conversation.
The attache had listened intently to
the conversation so long as it dealt
with matters under concern. AS soon
as that part of it ended he began to
arrange his summary. For some time
he wrote and re-wrote Then he read
aloud what he had written. 1t salts
fed him.
A moment afterward he switched Off
the light and left the ROOM
As soon as the sound of his foot
steps died away / crawled out of my
hiding place and strolled into the at,
tache's room. He was busy arranging
bouquet of choice blooms for a smart
society lady of his acquaintance
The ladies make great demands upon
our time and attention. he said, with
smile.
Without speaking stood and
watched him. The message was not,
as had suspected, concealed among
the Towers: it was woven into the
bouquet, and was easily readable by
means OF the Morse CODE colors taking
the place Of dot and dash.
His arrangement of the flowers was
srllngly beautiful. and as ne attached his
/ ~ AAc competed bouquet and
/ strueted one of the servants where TO take
/ Il; did not wonder that the simplicity of
ms method had enabled him to escape sus-
inc bouquet never reached its destina-
1 Bs,; anu no message appeared in the Early
buSie mat evening. Confronted with the
/ EVIDENCE of his guilt, the attache made a
| clean breast Of everything
He had fallen a victim 10 the charms Of
a smart society lady. and in order to prove
ms love for her had consented to sil,-plv
! ner with information and a bouquet Of
| tor -
FOR months past he had openly sent her
a daily gift of flowers so that the CON
tinuance of the habit occasioned neither
suTprlse nor suspicion Upon receipt of the
TO the editor Of the Early Buele. who mad
| formation - e4 Al
Then he explained that part of the rnvs-
10y Wnlcn sui puzzled me. The lamp in
III WORKSHOP was connected with a wire
VAN inlerophone in the Parops room.