The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-17

to the edge of the table, and handed
me short note scrubbed, as you see,
upon, single sheet of gray paper. The
supply OF game for London is going
son, we believe, has been now told to
receive all orders for fly paper and for
preservation of your hen-pheasant s
g 6 ( dare say my face looked as be-
wlldered as yours did just now when
hrs, l read this message, Then I re-
read it very carefully. 1t was evident
~ as I had thought, and some secret
meaning must lie buried in this strange
combination Of words. Or could it be
that there was a. prearranged signif-
hen pheasant'9 Such meaning would
pc arbitrary and could not be deduced
in any way, And yet was loath to be-
lieve that this was the case, and the
presence Of the word Hudson seemed to
show that the subject Of the message
from Beddoes rather than the sailor I
tried it backwards, but the combina-
ton life pheasant IS hen was not en-
couraging. Then I tried alternate words
but neither 'the of for nor supply
game London promised to throw any
light upon it.
"And then in an instant the key Of
the riddle was in my hands, and I saw
that every third word, beginning with
the first, would give a message which
might well drive old Trevor to despair.
1T was. short and terse, the warning,
as now read it to my companions:
The game is up. Hudson has told
all: Fly for your life.
"Victor Trevor sank his face into
his shaking hands. 1T must be that, I
suppose said he. 'This is worse than
death, for it means disgrace as we'll.
~ Bqt what IS the meaning of these
ants'9'
- It means nothing to the message,
but it might mean a good deal to us if
we had no other means of discovering
the sender. You see that he has begun
by writing "The. . game. ISL and
SO on. Afterwards he had, to fulfil the
prearranged cipher, to fill in any two
words in each space. He would natur-
ally use the, first words which came to
his mind, and if there were so many
which referred to sport among them,
you may be tolerably sure that he is
either an ardent shot or interested in
breeding, Do you know anything OF
Why, now that you merton it,
said he, Il remember that my poor faith
er used to have an invitation from him
to shoot over his preserves every au-
tumn.' :...: g.. -
g Then it is undoubtedly from him
that the note comes,' said I. 1T only
remains for us to find out what this Sc
cret was which the sailor Hudson seems
to have held over the heads Of these
two wealthy and respected men,
Of sin and shame cried my friend.
But from you I shall have no secrets.
Here is the statement which was drawn
up by my father when he knew that
the danger from Hudson had become
imminent. I found it in the Japanese
cabinet, as he told the doctor. Take it
| and read it to me, for I have neither
the strength nor the courage to do it
myself So 92i~ - ....s
! F.These are the very papers, Watson.
which he handed to me, and I will read
them to you, as I read them in the old
study that night to him. They are en-.
dorsed outside, as you see, |Some par
ticulars of the voyage Of the bark
Gloria Scott, from her leaving Fal
mouth on the 9Th October, 1855, to he1
destruction in N Lat. Is degrees, 60
minutes, W. Long. 20 degrees, ii min:
utes, on Nov. 9Th It is in the form Of
letter, and runs in this way:
49, Ny dear, dear son, now that ap
|, preaching disgrace begins to darken the
closing years Of my life, T can write
with all truth and honesty that it is not
the terror Of the law, it is not the loss
OF my position in the county, nor is il
my fall in the eyes Of all who have
} known me, which cuts me to the heart
| come to blush for me-you who love
me and who have seldom, I hope, ha6
reason to do other than respect me. But
if the blow falls which is forever hang
J ing over me, then I should wish you t
read this. that you may know straight
from me how far [ have been to blame
On the other hand. if all should 20 wei
(Which may kind God Almighty grant, ;,
then, it by any chance this paper should
, be still undestroyed and should fall int
| your hands, I conjure you, by all yol
| hold sacred, by the memory of YOU
dear mother, and by the love which ha!
! been between us, to hurl it into the fir
i and, to never give one thought to i
again a 91e =, :.
this line, I know that I shall already
have been exposed and dragged from
J my home, or, as is more likely, for yol
know that my heart is weak, be lying
} with my tongue sealed forever in death
In either case the time for suppression
is past, and every word which I tel
: you is the naked truth, and this I swea
as | hope for mercy.
: Ny name, dear lad, is not Trevor
: was James Armitage in my younge
8 days, and you can understand now tn
shock that it was to me few week
3 ago when your college friend addresse,
E me in words which seemed to impl,
g that he had surprised my secret. A
e Armitage it was that entered a Lon
. don banking house, and as Armitage
! was convicted of breaking my cOun
try,s laws, and was sentenced to trans
, portation. Do not think very harshl,
Of me, laddie. It was debt Of honor
j so called, which I had to pay, and
used money which was not my own t
do it, in the certainty that I should re
place 1t before there could be any pos
sibility Of its being missed. But tn
Q most dreadful ill-luck pursued me. tn
, money which I had reckoned upon new
r er came to hand, and premature es
y amlnatlon OF accounts exposed my dc
9 hclt. The case might have been deal
ien1ently with, but the laws were NOR
n harshly administered thirty years ag
s than now, and on my 23d birthday
: round myself chained as a felon wit
n thlrty-seven other convicts in til
!? tween decks OF the bark Gloria Scott
! bound for Australia.
S cit was the wear '55. when th
a Crimean' war was at its height, and til
J old convict ships had been largely use
n as transports in the Black Sea. TIL
!, government was compelled, therefore
!, to use smaller and less suitable vessel
Q for sending out their prisoners. Th
J. Gloria Scott had been in the Chimes
e tea-trade, but she was an old-fashione(
t heavy-bowed, broad-beamed craft, an
b the new clippers had cut her out. Sh