Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1911-07-28

| SNAUHsSl III Hef voice.
Do you want me to try 1t now" he
asked If you'll make a light and
show me the thing III see what I
can do"
Perhaps you won't need that" she
SAID. i can remember the letters.
They are divided up into words. but
I'm sure they are not any foreign Ian.
guage; they are in code of some
| sort
She did not turn to look at him, but
she felt him stir little, with sudden
| iy aroused attention, and heard his
breath come little quicker
THE first letter was all by ITSELF"
she said, trying to keep her voice
| steady. 1t was N. And then in
one word, came the letters p-b-i-n-e-q."
That means "A coward" he said.
| His voice was unsteady, and he
clutched suddenly at her hand. She
| could feel that his was trembling. so
| she took 1t in both of hers and held
! it tight.
Its code" he said, "a boyish code
| of my own. | remember that for
long time after | invented 1t be.
lieyed it to be utterly insoluble; yet 1t
was childishly simple. 1t consists
simply of splitting the alphabet In
| two and using the last half for the
| first, and vice versa. 1t must have oc-
Cured to hundreds of boys, at one
time and another. and yet" his voice
| faltered. Yet, It's little odd that
you should have stumbled upon an
other example of 1t"
THE next word was o-r-g-e-n-lr-q."
THAT means betrayed" he said,
almost instantly "Was-was there any
more'
"One little word, three letters,
wv But know already what they
mean, Philip" There was a moment
| airy silence, then she repeated the
whole phase-"'A coward betrayed
him. She was trembling all over
now, herself. Il knew" she said, II
knew it was something like that"
Then she dropped down beside him
and clasped him tight in her arms.
Philip, that was written around your
picture. an old picture of you it must
have been, which fell out of your
pocket when | was undressing you
that night after your fight with Ros-
coe. l recognized the locket it was en-
closed in as Mr. Hunters. had often
seen it on his watch fob, and it's en-
graved with his initials"
1T fell out of my pocket" said
| Philip, incredulously
Yes" she said, that puzzled me,
! too, for awhile; and finally | figured
1t out. You must have found it"
THAT night in Roscoe's cave, when
l was waiting for him. l had forgot
ten it until this moment"
Il knew 1t must be like that" she
said. something like that. And wasn't
| 1t she began
Hunters code as well as mine?
Yes. We made 1t up together when
we were boys" he said, land we used
! It occasionally even after We left the
Point. We wrote in il, both of us, as
easily as in English; and read 1t the
same way"
Her young arms still held him fast.
Philip, he must have been sorry
long time-almost since it happened.
it's an old, old picture of you,
dear, and the ink of the letters Is
! faded. He's carried it with him ever
since, as a reminder of the wrong he
did you, and of his cowardice in let
| ting Won cuffar under il 3"
Il suppose 1t was that from the
first"
II don't believe he ever meant
She let the sentence break on there,
and there was long, long silence.
81 suppose that's true" ne said at
last. 81 suppose might have saved
him then. Just as might have saved
him later, from Roscoes dart can
think of hundred ways that it might
AVE happened-the accusation against
me, | mean-without his having any
part in it." Then he said rather abb
ruptly: "Fanshaw told you the story,
didn't he?"
She assented. Most of 1t. that Is.
Perhaps not quite all he knew"
Il don't know it all myself" he told
her, that is, have filled 1t In with
| guesses. | knew about the girl. Hunt
err was half mad about her. and she,
suppose, was in love with him. Any
way. he came to me one nlght-the
last time ever talked with him-rag-
ing with excitement. The girls father
had found out about him and meant,
she said. to kill him, and perhaps, her,
too. Anyhow, she had forbidden Hunt
err seeing her again. We took a drink
or two. together before l started, and
| suppose ne must have drunk
himself half mad after that; for ne
started right on my trail and did what
you know. have always supposed
until Just now, that he had used my
name as his own with her, to screen
himself from possible trouble, But
that may not have been the case. He
may simply have spoken OF me as his
friend.