The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-07-30
FIRST INSTALLMENT
CHAPT |.
The Cryptic Coin.

which lay at her right. Then she
closed her desk, stepped to the ward
robe and took her coat and hat.
Taking her little collection of copy
paper from the desk, with the privi-
lege of long tenure in Office she walked
to the desk of the city editor, who, al
though himself married man, had all
this time without success tried to
look at the work before him and not
at the trim figure of Kitty Gray max
ing ready for her luncheon journey.
when will you deign to return?"
asked he with a certain lapse in jour
nalistic dignity.
when / have better story than
this guff-in the vernacular."
Kitty's favorite lunching place was
in one of the great department stores,
where women were made welcome and
comfortable, and she bent thither her
steps; but midway in her journey she
paused, as often she did, to gaze into
the window of the little antique shop
which occupied space in one of the
unimportant side streets.
Kitty Gray's eyes were arrested by
something that she saw-an object
which she did not recall ever before
to have noted in the window. 1t lay
close to the glass, just tilted back SO
that it might be the better seen. It
apparently was an ola coin or part
of one, curiously done in some dark
metal, probably silver badly oxidized
AS Kitty bent down to examine it
more closely, she saw that the coin
bore an inscription, or what appeared
to be such-an inscription broken
across by the fracture which had di-
vided the coin itself.
Her curiosity excited, Kitty Gray
stepped into the little shop, whose
proprietor she knew very well.
Good morning, Mr.. Mainz,' she said
with the customary newspaper in
version of the order of the day, "how's
business? Any new fans, idols,
coins-?"
"Coins? Vot? Sure, got something |
new dot is olt. 1 choost t'ink of him. |
He ISIS only part of himselluf. Should |
/ show him to you?"
vi, may US saw IL Ill Tic WiuuOW,
said Kitty, Smiling. you mean the
broken coin?"
"Sure. Wait till l got him."
She took up the coin now from the
case, and some strange sort of thrill
came over her as she did SO, she /
could not tell why. What was its mes
sage, hating, broken, incomplete?
Did it hold story? What was the
story?
Its odd, isn't it," said she, and
laid it down again carelessly-with a
carelessness well feigned, for Kitty
Gray had bought antiques before now,
and knew we'll enough when to sup
press interest.
"Odt? / should say it vas odt," re-
Joined the old dealer. Kitty had picked
up an inlaid mother of pearl fan and
was studiously examining that now.
"How much?" asked she, holding up
he fan.
For the broken coin?"
mo, the FAM"
81 want twelf tollar for him."
For the coin?"
mo, for the fan. For the coin-vat
you gif me?'
"Why, what earthly use would
rave for broken piece of metal like
hat, Mr.. Mainz?"
"Gif me for the fan eleven dollar,
Ind l make you a present of the
broken coin anyway"
Kitty Gray's heart gave a sudden lit
lie jump. She would have given twice
leven dollars for the coin itself, but
he made a good pretense.
ELEVEN dollars is a good deal of
money" said she. II would have to
o without lunch for quite while"
"You are a goot sport, Miss Cray"
aid the old dealer 81 dank you very
aooch. ] should wrap them up?"
"The fan-yes. Let me see the coin
gain" She pushed across the counter
lmost the last of the tightly folded
ills in her purse.
Read the inscription for me, and
mock OF two tollars from the FAM :
lid Mainz. "vot is It? 1t is not Cher Il
ian, It is not Franzoesisch, 1t is not
,nglish. / am all those. But could
OF read him"
Kitty held before her the curious G
bject, q slight frown ruckering her
rows.
"Well, you see," said she, 1T is p
roken right across on the right hand tt
de-almost q third of the writing is o
one. 1t says something about look N
II for something under the floor. I'M t.
or the pavement of some place OF Il
,rture or torment"
"Und vot next?"
" 'Thesaur'--that words broken II
cross. but It must mean thesaurus' m
that means a collection 'collec- "
on OF value don't you know? ~
"The next line 10 one word; it's all SC
she went on. That's II
ain. .Rex'--'regis--it means kings to
of the king The kings treasures 81
what