Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1916-06-07
A Cryptogran
By F. A. Mitchell

war; whether or not the adage Is
true, this story Is an illustration of IT.
Imogene Blair, comely lassie OF
eighteen and the idol OF her parents,
must needs be debating whether she
should accept Frank Shackelford as
q husband. The only reason why she
hesitated was because Frank WINS
worthless except for one purpose--that
was to lead cotillions. When lmogene
saw him marshaling the dancers, his
breast covered with favors and look
ing for all the world like a much dec
grated generalissimo. she admired him
immensely, and when he stood In the
middle OF the ballroom and gave his
orders by clapping his hands she
thought him god
Imogene, Notwithstanding her par
ents' serious objections, accepted Mr..
Shackelforl. and there was before her
the honor Of being the wife OF prom
inent society man and cotiliion leader.
Her father, hard headed man. who
had made a fortune by practical at
tention to business, was much disgrun-
tied by his daughters choice His
chief clerk. John Stebbins. had been
attentive to Imogene, and Mr.. Blair
had hoped she would marry him. John
was Mr.. Blair's financial man and rs
steady rs a church. But 1t was not to
be expected that a man who did not
even dance could compete with n terp-
sichorean captain general with his
breast plastered over with decorations.
John knew that he was the favorite
Of the parents OF the girl he loved. but
disdained to avail himself of this at
vantage. One day Mrs. Blair came to
him after her daughters engagement
and showed him piece Of paper on
which was written %. L. G. X. 8. l..
IL" and asked him hts opinion as to
what It all meant. John suspected what
1t was. tut he was considerable OF
wag. a great fayorite with the lady
who showed it to him. and, withal.
quite apt ut invention. After studying
II awhile he said:
II think It's dove message. The
FIRST tive letters, u. l.. probably stand
for O, Laura. l. Is the ninth letter In
the alphabet SO we have o, Laura. l.
The meaning of the next letter. r.,
we must fill In after we have finished.
u. is the twenty-first letter OF the al
phabet, or you. The whole may
read o. Laura, i - you Quite
likely the letter II. is the initial letter
for the word love in some other Ian.
guage than English
Just what ! thought" said Mrs.
Blair, and without stopping to give the
young man chance to confess that
he was chatting her she whisked out
OF the room.
New. when Shackelford had visited
Imogene one evening he had taken q
bunch OF letters from his pocket In or,
der TO read one Of them to her and
bit OF paper had slipped from among
them and fallen on the floor, slantins
as II fell. so that IT hay under the sofa
ON which the couple were sitting A
maid had picked II up the next morn
ing and handed 1t to the young lady.
The most easily excited emotion In
the breast Of young lover is jenlousy.
Imoeene felt sure that her fiance had
drspped the paper on which were the
letters and figures given above. and
these she feared was cipher message
to a RIVAL She showed them to her
mother. who found 1t convenient to
aglee with her. Mrs. Blair promised
to decipher the cryptogram and called
In John .Stebbins to help her. Whether
or no she believed his Timsy interpre-
tatisn to be correct. she certainly pre-
ferSed to consider II so. Taking the
paper back to her daughter she gave
the meaning John had put upon Il
Imegene was much affected She
told her mother that she would charge
her nance with being In ciandestine
correspondence with another girl and
n he did not make satisfactory ex
planatibn she would break her en-
gagement. Mrs. Blair told her that
Shackeford would doubtless trump W
an explanation and begged Imogene
to act without consulting him After
long struggle, IN which the mother
strove to convince the daughter that
Shackelford wanted her only for the
wealth she would inherit. Imogene
was prevailed up@ and wrote him q
note breaking with him without with
out giving any reasan.
So thin was the evidence on which
this conspiracy was based that Mrs
Blair took advantage of the sea
son. February. 20 whisk her daughter
on to Florida and kept her there till
the hot weather drove them home On
their return they found Shaekelford
engaged TO girl whose first name
happened TO be Laura. with fortune
In her own right.
This was conclusive proof to limo
gene that the paper she had discovered
was a cipher love letter. Partly tc
show the recrennt ShAekelford that
she did not love him and partly from
the dawn OF common sense within hef
she accepted John Stebbins.