Bismarck daily tribune., 1915-10-27
FIRST INsTALLMEn
. CHAPTER /.
The Cryptic Coin.


writer the last sheet Of paper and piled
it on the little heap OF finished copy
which lay at her right. Then she
closed her desk, stepped to thesward.
robe and took her coat and hat.
Taking her little collection OF copy
paper from the desk, with the priyt,
lege Of long tenure in Office she walked
to the desk Of the city editor; who, al
though himself a 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 deignf 70 retura?"
asked he.with d certain lapse In jour
ralistic dignity,
when ] haye 9 better story than
this guff-in the vernacular." - =
Kitty's favorite lunching place was
in one of thu 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 sof the
unimportant side streets. i; H !
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 olo coin or part
Of one, curiously done in some dark
metal, probably silver badly oxidizeds,
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 we'll. -;
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-?" ..a
Coins? Vot? Sure, got sonnet ing
new dot is olt. choost t'ink of him.
He ,iss;only a part Of himselluf. Should
1lahow him to you?" ~
S aOh, maybe l saw It in the window"
said Kitty, Smiling. "You mean the
broken coin?" i*
Sure. Wait till got him. JsaH
She took up the coin now from the
ease, and some strange sort of thrill
came over, her as she did SO, she
could not tell why. What was its mes:
sage haltings broken, incomplete?
Did 1t, hold q story? What was the,
story? zfn- +5-g. s,s.sghjs1 TX
ITS odd, isn't it," said she, and
laid it down again carelessly-with
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
the fan.
.'For the broken coin?"
mo. the fan"
~ want twelf. tollars for him." J.
.tFor thefcoin?" 4 :, - - {. ~
no, for the. fan. For the coin-vat
you gif me-?
''Why, what earthly use would 7
have for. a broken piece Of metal like
that, Mr.. Mainz?" 5l' ~ y
"Gif me for the fan eleven dollar,
und ! make you, present Of the
broken coin anyway" - .
Kitty Gray's heart gave a sudden lit
tie Jump. She would have given twice
eleven dollars for the coin itself, but
she made a good pretense.
Eleven dollars is good deal of
money" said she. Il would have to
go without lunch for quite a while"
"You are goot sport. Miss Cray"
said the old dealer. Il dank you very
mooch. l should wrap them up?"
1.-THE fan-yes Let me see the coin
again. She pushed across the counter
almost the last of the tightly folded
bills in her purse.
''Read the inscription for me, and l
knock off two tollars from the fam"
said Mainz. "Vot is it? 1t is not Cher
man, it is not Franzoesisch. it is not
English. am all those. But l could
not read him."
Kitty held before her the curious
object, slight frown puckering her
brows.
"Well, you see," said she. ut is
broken right across on the right hand
side-almcst third of the writing is
gone. 1t says something about look
ing for something under the floor, un-
der the pavement of some place OF
torture or torment"
"Und vot next"
'Thesaur'-that words broken
across. but it must mean 'thesaurus'
that means "a collection'-a 'collec.
ton of value don't you know?
"The next line is one word; it's all
there-'Regis,' she went on. That's
plain. 'Rex-'regis'-it means kings
or of the king The kings treasures
what?