The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-05-18
A CIPHER
NOTE
By MARGARET barr
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation 1911


band" said Mrs Ackley to Mrs. Brad
shaw, and the reason why | have
: confidence in him is because he's 50
careless. If he had occasion to keep
anything from me he couldn't do it
For instance. if he should receive
love letter from any ilegitimate source
he would be sure to have it in his
pocket"
But how would that give hi,a
away" asked Mrs. Bradshaw
"Why. my dear woman, there's not
! a night when he is in bed and asleep
that don't 90 through his pockets"
Its the only safe way with men"
Time came when Mrs. Ackley in go
ing through her husbands pockets re-
ceived a shock. She came upon bit
of paper on one side of which was her
. husbands name written in a woman's
hand on the other certain mysterious
figures-1, II, 8. 3, g.
Mrs. Ackley turned pale. She loved
her husband Notwithstanding the fact
that she thought it necessary to watch
him. She had gone through his peck
cts for years dreading that she would
find something to convince her of his
Inconsistency, and at last the blow had
fallen. She almost wished she had
remained in ignorance Possibly she
would have burned the message had
| not curiosity interposed to prevent her
doing so. She wiped a tear from her
eye and looked at the paper again.
| There were the figures 1, u, 0. 3. 5.
! Doubtless every figure stood for some
loving word.
Getting her feelings under control
she began to puzzle over the figures
| with view to their interpreta ton.
1t was the first day of May; there
! fore the figure might refer to the
| day of the month. But - came next,
and the twelfth month is December
! BY beginning at the other end the
theory fitted better. May was the
with the month exactly. The next
figure. 8. might stand for the day of
the month. 9 possibly marking the
hour The figures indicated that the
sender wished Mr.. Ackley to meet her
on the Sd day of May (the next day
| but one) at 9 o'clock. Twelve might
mean the termination of the meeting.
the hour it would be necessary for the
| woman to leave him But was it not
from to - in the morning or to -
in the evening. Il have it." she ex-
claimed. ''rhe figure Indicates that
it is the first Q to II of the hour i'm the
day or in the morning OF course it
| wouldn't do for them to meet in the
evening. | might have something to
he is at his office. am supposed to be
| pOwnrless. We shall see."
| Having doubts about the correctness
| of this deciphering of the message.
she tried another theory. Possibly the
| figures might spell word that would
mean "a whole sentence. She tried
| several plans and at last hit upon one
making the figures represent letters.
The first figure was 1. and A rs the
first letter of the alphabet.
F., 'Eurekar' she exclaimed.
| Then she read. l, A; II. L; 9. L; 3. c.:
5, F. Alice.
J AHA she cried. $50 the name is
| Alicer'
She thought over all the women she
| knew. but none was named Alice.
Her rival could not, therefore, be one
| of her friends or acquaintances. She
| must be some one her husband had
met whom she. his wife, knew moth
ing about She would unearth this
plot. but she would not spoil it by let
ting it be known that she possessed
| the secret
| When Ackley came home for dinner
| and gave his wife the usual marital
Don't feel very we'll dear?' he ask
| ed.
| Mrs Ackley declared that she was
| perfectly well. Nevertheless, though
| she tried to appear as usual, she failed
The next day Mrs. Ackley, after
breakfast, went to her mothers to re-
main for the day. She could not bear
! to remain in the house with the man
| who was deceiving her. She telephoned
him during the day that she would
remain away all night. Mr.. Ackley
| passed the evening at his club. went
home at o and the next morning. hav-
| ing breakfasted. went to his office.
There he found a note from a man
| with whom he had an important bust
ness deal asking him to be at certain
| place at 9:30 a. N. Mr.. Ackley left his
office without saying where he was
going. He did not return till half past
~.
When he did return he found his
wife in the Office looking like thun
dercloud. She had been there three
hours nursing her wrath to keep it
warm" and an accumulation of vim
dictiveness had placed her in con-
dition frightful to behold, Those in
the Office were waiting an explosion.
When Mr.. Ackley entered he looked at
his wife, astonished. Without a word
! she took from her portemonnaie the
cipher message and handed it to him.
"Miss Quimby," said the gentleman
after glancing at it, addressing his
stenographer. there are the figures of
the new safe combination you wrote