The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-04-14

applied talents; IL is a subject that
touches me too closely" he said. "But
as to Jimmy. I'm rather glad you start.
ed the conversation in that direction
him today"
"Oh, but I couldn't" she began.
You are thinking Of what happened
on the night the will was read? Well
! you must forget that. Jimmy has the
I key to the verse. and 1t Is absolutely
Imperative that you should be present
this afternoon"
| With some demur, she consented.
In the sitting-room Of Jimmy's fiat
the three sat around a table Uttered
with odds and ends of papers.
The girl had met him with some tre-
pidation. and his distant bow had done
more to assure her than had he dis
played q desire to rehabilitate himself
IN her good opinion.
| Without any preliminaries. Jimmy
showed the contents of the packet. He
did not explain to the girl by what
means be had come into possession of
them.
"of all these papers" began Jimmy,
tapping the letter before him, "only one
Is of any service, and even that makes
confusion worse COMPOUNDED. Reale had
evidently had this cursed cryptogram
In his mind for a long time. He had
made many experiments, and rejected
many. Here is one.'
He pushed over card, which bore
few words in Reales characteristic
hand.
Angel read.
The word Of Ave letters I will use,
namely:
/, 1. White every "a sec.
2. Fixed white and red.
8. White group two every 30 sec.
IL
s. Fixed white and red"
Underneath was written: mo good;
too easy"
The detectives brows were bent in
perplexity.
I'm blessed II I can see where the
easiness comes In" he said ITO me It
seems so much gibberish, and as diff
cult as the other"
Jimmy noted the detectives bewil-
derment with quiet smile of satisfac-
ton. He did not look directly at the
girl, but out Of the corner Of his eyes
he could see her eager young face bent
over the card, her pretty forehead
wrinkled In despairing attempt to de-
cipher the curious document.
Yet 1t was easy" he said, land II
Reale had stuck to that word, the safe
would have been opened by now"
Angel pored over the mysterious clue.
THE word, as far as I can gather"
said Jimmy, lis 'smock.' but 1t may be
How on earth" began Angel in
amazement.
ooh. it's easy" said Jimmy cheer
fully, land am surprised that an old
traveller like yourself should have
misled It,"
Group occ. white red sec. 80 sec.,"
read Angel.
Jimmy laughed.
It was the first time the girl has seen
this strange man throw aside his hab-
itual restraint. and she noted with an
unaccountable satisfaction that he was
decidedly handsome when amused.
Let me translate 1t for you," said
Jimmy. Let me expand 1t into, Group
occulting White with Red Sectors every
80 Seconds Now do you understand"
Angel shook his head.
you may think I am shockingly
Dense" he said frankly, "but even with
your lucid explanation I am still In
the dark
Jimmy chuckled.
Suppose you went to Dover tonight
and sat at the end Of the Admiralty
pier. 1t is beautiful night, with stars
In the sky, and you are looking to-
ward France, and you see-?"
few ships lights, perhaps, and the flash
of the Calais lighthouse
1.-THE occulting fiash?" suggested
Jimmy.
"The occ.! BY Jove!"
Glad you see It," said Jimmy brisk
ly. What old Reale did was to take the
names Of Ave famous lights-any nau-
teal almanac will give them:
Sanda.
Milford Haven.
Orkneys.
Caldy Island.
Kinnaird Head.
They form an acrostic and the in
ttfal letters form the work 'smock;' but
1t was too easy-and too hard, because
there are two or three lights, partic-
ularly the fixed lights. that are exact
ly the same. so he dropped that idea"
Angel breathed an admiring sigh.
Jimmy. you're a wonder" he said
simply.
Jimmy. busying himself amongst
the papers. stole glance at the girl.
Il am very human" he thought, and
was annoyed at the discovery.
Now we come to the more impor-
tant clue" he cid, and smoothed a
crumpled paper on the table.
This. believe. to have a direct
bearing on the verse;"
Then three heads came close together
over the scrawled sheet.
"A picture Of duck, which means
T." spelt Angel, land that's erased; and
then 1t is a snake that means T."
Jimmy nodded.
I'm Reales verse;" he said deliberate
ly, there are six words; outside of
those six words am convinced the
verse has no meaning. Six words
strung together, and each word In cap
itals. Listen"
(Coptiuuad Next Waalx