The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1915-12-17

VI.
large quantities Of stock from which
the product was evolved were brought |
In. With the order came the news |
that Germany had declared wal
against Russia.
Peter. who by this time was in ex. |
elusive charge Of the explosive sub |
stance for shells and could use any |
process he chose, manufactured a lot |
OF shell explosive by his newly discov-
cred process. This went into shells
which We're sent to the front. Peter.
who could not make any tests without |
giving away his secret, waited for a |
report Of how his explosive worked. !
or, rather, to hear If there was any
complaint. None came. Then he sent |
cut some powder manufactured by the
old process. Very soon report came |
that proportion Of these shells would
not explode.
Then Peter went to the governor Of
the works and told him that he had
invented powder for shells that had
worked perfectly. The governor at
tempted to get the secret but Peter
kept 1t. This he could easily do since
there was one ingredient the nature of
which no one knew but himself. He
offered to sell the formula to the gov
eminent provided that in addition to
the price paid he should be free to
leave the factory.
Graft predominates in Russia, and
the governor determined to force Pc
ter's secret from him to use it for his |
own benefit. He put Peter In irons in
a dungeon and on bread and water.
1t is quite likely that Peter would
have given way under this treatment
had 1t not been that by holding out he
might secure his terms. If he did he
could marry Marya, who had assured
him that she would never be the wife
Of any one else. If he did not succeed
death might relieve him of his impris-
Onment.
Complaints came so thick and fast
Of the shells sent out from the fac
tory that one day the governor ordered
Peter to be brought to his office.
dered out, and when the two were
alone together the governor said:
II have concluded to recommend to
the government to buy your formula.
How much do you ask for it?'
"Ten thousand rubles.'
VERY well; it will be paid. My CON-
mission will be one-half."
II will pay no commission. A man
who brides government official is as
culpable us that official"
You will think better Of this" said
the governor. go back to your dun
geon.''
Peter returned to his dungeon. He
was full of expedients and endeavored
to find one by which he could COM
municate with Marya. He could write
to her, but all letters from those In.
side the factory were examined by
censor. Peter induced the man who
brought him his food. to bring also writ
ing material and bottle on the shelves
In the laboratory, giving him the name
on the label. Upon receiving them Pc
ter wrote letter to Marya in ordinary
ink and across its face with the chem
zeal a message stating that he had In
vented new explosive, but was pre-
vented from using it. What was writ
ten In plain ink contained this sentence:
1--WE are suffering with the heat" This
was to convey an instruction to Marya
to heat his letter.
Now, the message that Peter had
written across the face Of his letter in
the chemical that had been brought
him was Invisible, but by being heated
It came out plainly in visible letters.
The censor who read the letters that
xuapt out roodiny Dotar,C laffar po+foaJ |
the words 1--WE are suffering with the
heat" but could not understand them
because it is seldom warm in Russia.
He sent for Peter and asked him what
he meant by writing that it was warm.
Peter said he had made mistake and,
drawing pen over the word heat, he
wrote "cold," but the W o:d heat was
not erased.
Marya did not need the hint, for she
read the letter by the light Of blazing
logs, and under the warmth the mes
sage came out in dark brown letters.
She thought a long while about this
communication, but, not realizing its
full import, took 1t to her father. He
saw In It more than she did. but could
suggest nothing.
One morning Marya was missing. |
She had saved little money, which
was missing also. She had started to
Petrograd. using the money to pay her
way so far as 1t would 60. When she
reached the capital she saw no way to
give Peters letter to the car. Learn
ing the hour that he reached the pal
ace, she tied the letter to a stone and.
standing on the sidewalk behind the
line Of soldiers. tossed it into his car
rage. The car, thinking it was a pc
tition, handed 1t to an attendant to ex-
anime.
One day Peter was taken from his
dungeon and led up to the governors
Office. An aid-de-camp to the car and
the governor were the only persons
present. The aid held Peters letter in
his hand and asked him IL he wrote it.
When Peter admitted that he did he
was taken into a conveyance with the
aid and carried to Petrograd. There he
communicated his secret to one APP
pointed to receive it,
IL