The Washington herald., 1912-01-31

Nice promotion waiting back'in WASH
ington for you, Mr.. Brockett,' said old
Col. Lewis, beaming with fstherly affec-
tion upon the messengers. TOO bad you
are not in government service, Mr.. So
lsno."
The Cuban smiled delightedIy.
I'm sorry, at times" he admitted,
that am not an American citizen and
working in the same department as
Harry Brockett. Still, Cuba Is quite a
ccuntry-and am told that a response
BILE post will be given me at Havana.
just as the outcome of these adventures" I"
Glad to hear it, my. boy replied the
colonel. BY the way, there is quite a
lot of news from Washington besides
your promotion, Mr.. Brockett. Chief
wilkins stenographer, Miss Lawson, will
not be there when you return, You can
probably imagine why. No arrest, no
trouble-nothing at all. For the good
OF the service you understand? This
red-headed imp" CMike McKane looked
Combative for an instantl ''is to go into
the Secret Service-the chief says he re-
CARDS him as a most promising Junior
operative. How about dyeing that hair,
young man? That sunset head would tip
YOU of to every crook in North Amer
lea"
"Aw, dat's nottin'," remarked the Grim
son head. Trouble an wisdom soon turn
de hair white an make guy look digui-
. fed
"A BIT from Chicago. also. gentlemen" t"
resumed the colonel. "Aguilar, the Fill
pino with whom you had some exciting
experiences, has been identified as one
of the last ladrones. or murderous rob-
bers that prOwIed the Island of Luzon.
Nice reward for his capture. I would
suggest that it be divided up between
yourselves and the policemen who made
the capture. The big negro whom Aguilar
stabbed will get we'll
Glad of it." interrupted Mike McKane-
He looked like big, good-natured mutt
TO me when 1 slipped him a cipher letter
in Detroit"
The colonel laughed good-naturedly, and
continued: Everything that you were
asked TO do has been done with honor,
young gentlemen. And now, boys. there
is one thing I wish you would explain to
me-I have official permission from Gen.
Cole to receive enlightenment upon the
subject. Will you kindly map out TO me
the details of this confounded cipher? 1t
is easy enough to write and work out
when you have the key-but what Is the
basic foundation of the key? I've tried
every way could imagine to work It out.
I understand that the best cipher experts
hopeless and impossible. That was one
reason for their anxiety to get the key
away from you. Just to satisfy my own
curiosity, I have submitted the code to
three American gentlemen who were sup
posed to be marvels in deciphering puz-
zies of the kind-and they gave II up in
anger and abasement. They said that
there was no law, no logic, no founda-
tion from which to unravel such cipher.
So much the better. That made IT the
safest and surest thing in secret service
codes that any one ever invented. 1t is a
maryel-In take my hat on to it-but
just 10 ease the old age of bswildered
man, you will show me the idea and the
backbone Of the thing"
It's as easy as A, B, c." said Brock
EFT, ''if you start IT right and get ac-
quainted with it. As you doubtless un-
derstand, the terms used are all bor-
rowed from baseball. That's easy enough,
isn't it2''
1T ought to be-" assented the colonel,
but how about the order and sequence
of the hieroglyphics
well, here you are" said the inventor.
I took a guide book. q baseball book