The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-11
THE EVENING STORY

By Henry Haven.)

| Sinclair's Strategy.
| By Henry Haven.)
| our dance, I believe, Miss Trent
DICK Underby whisked Myra away,
| and to Fred Sinclair, with a declara-
1t seemed that Myra went with Ill
/ omened eagerness- Underby hurried
( Myra on to the dancing floor, but SIN
clair remained in the conservatory and
made rude remarks to the tiny foun-
tain playing in the fern-lined basin.
All the season 1t had been a race be-
tween himself and Underby for Myra's
| favor. and now the season was closing
| With the Dagmar dance, yet neither OF
the two men had been skillful enough
to evade Myra's innocent stratagems
and make his avowal Of love.
Both had come to the dance deter
| mined to put his fate to the test, for
| on the morrow Myra was to leave town
Tor a long visit to distant relatives.
| Perhaps, had there been but one suttor,
his persistence might have been re-
warded by opportunity. but Underby
| and Sinclair unconsciously aided Myra
In her evasions by interrupttng the
other at crucial moments. When the
last dance had been played and the
guests were departing Sinclair realized.
with sinking heart. that his opportunt-
ty was lost.
Underby. too, was heart heavy with
disappointment. and chagrin still show
ed in his face when he came to the sta
ton the following afternoon to SEQ
Myra Trent or. Sinclair was there.
but upon his face was a smile of such
satisfaction as made Underby wonder
II perhaps Sinclair had found his OPP
portunity after all.
There was a stir as the train pulled
in. and under cover Of the confusion
Sinclair handed a package to Miss
Trent.
TITS the newest detective story" he
explained. II know that you like all
sorts of mystery stories. I have taken
the liberty of adding a homemade
puzzle, in case you find the book too
| short"
Myra smiled appreciatively. She pre-
ferred cryptograms to chocolates; rid
dies to roses. She had won many mag
azine contests of this sort in her youth.
She found Sinclair's present more ac-
ceptable than Underby's violets, ana as
soon as she had settled herself IN ner
Pullman section, she unwrapped the
book.
AS she ran over the pages an envelope
dropped out. It contained single sheet
of notepaper. and in Sinclairs copper
plate handwriting was this note:
Kara Myra-Eble, ech kun helpo de
tin-chi shlosilo, vi trovos iom da NAL.
facileco kompreni Ia sencon de t1n-cni
senditajho, sed mi scias Ike vi shatas
labori je enigmo1. kay pro ito mi sendas
al vi tuin chi letercton. Chi sciigos az
vi ton kion vi ne permesas Ike mi sc1i1u
al vi persone. Mi vim amas, karunno,
kaj vi igos min Ia plej felicia viro en- la
monde per Ia unu vorto jes
| Myra smiled as she studied the ODD
tumble Of words. Many of them look
"nigmoj." Monde" was clearly the
world" and "labori" was labor
Other words were Of familiar aspect
and then there were some that were
totally strange.
IT might be a combination of the
hog Latin" Of childhood days and the
real Latin Of the college course, but
an hours study showed many WORDS
not to be accounted for on any sucr
hypothesis. The more she studied, tine
more firmly convinced was Myra tna'
this was some new form of cryptogran
Invented by Sinclair to divert her or
her two-day trip.
She was still studying the slip o.
paper when the porter came aroune
to make up her berth, and in the
troubled sleep which broke the nlgn
tourney strange combinations OF let
tiers danced before her eyes.
When she came back from break
fast in the diner the next morning
1.-The porter approached with small
package.
dis here in di mo'nin'," he announces
as he handed the package to Myra
The girls face frightened as she rec
ognized Sinclair's handwriting. This,
evidently, contained the key. Sh
would not have to puzzle longer.
From the package dropped smal
booklet with Esperanto Key on tn
cover page Myra had heard OF tn
universal language" and had hear
also that it required but half an hou
| to become familiar with the grammar
So after all, her mystery was notnin
:,
5 rayeIing would come in a brief hour
She was half-inclined to regret tina
/ the mystery would solve itself s.
quickly, as she thought of the lonl
! days ride before her.
But in this thought she was wrong
| for although the key was accompan
led by a larger dictionary and sh
5 found the few rules absurdly simple
these were but part of the mystery.
The book laid stress upon accent
as essential to the understanding
!, the words, and Sinclair's letter wa
l entirely wanting in accents. nor coul'
: she find some of his words In the Ole
/ II was not until late in the after
!, noon that she stumbled upon the ex
5 and. but under the accented SIS sh
r found s.sloe," meaning a lock, ant
..ilo." an instrument, and decided tina
v a lock-instrument was key. Wit!
s this clew as to the surplus ms Wnicl
8 replaced the accents on preceding let
e ters she soon had the translation writ
: ten out. It read:
v "Dear Myra: Perhaps even with tn
e aid Of this key, you will have som
l small difficulty in getting at the sens
e Of this letter, but 1 know that yo'
s like to puzzle over enigmas, and 1t !
/ for this reason that am sending yo'
Y this note. 1t is to tell you what yo'
D will not let me tell in person. low
s YOU. dear, and you will make me tn
i happiest man on earth with the on
t word yes"
Myra allowed the paper to flute
t to the floor as she stared out OF TN
v 1,rdou on the glory of the western
w --AN.O" - IN