The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1916-03-02
FIRST iNSTALLMENT
CHAPTER I.
The Crxntic Coin.

rAN 6uluS pulleu OuI Ol HOE Type
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 the ward
robe and took her coat and hat.
Taking her little collection of copy
paper from the desk, with the privi-
iege 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 l 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-
vidas' 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"
Coins? Vot? Sure, got something
new dot is olt. l choost t'ink Of him.
He iss only part of himselluf Should
l show him to you?"
'Oh, maybe l saw it in the window" J."
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 it's mes.
sage, halting, broken, incomplete?
Did it hold a story? What was the
story?
Its odd, isn't it," said she, and
laid it down again carelessly-with a
carelessness we'll feigned, for Kitty
Gray had bought antiques before now
and knew well enough when to sup
press interest.
"Odt? l 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 uI
the fan.
For the broken coin?"
No, the fam
Il want twelf tollar for him.
For the coin?"
NO, for the fan. For the coin-vat
you gif me?"
'Why, what earthly use would
have for broken piece of metal like
that, Mr.. Mainz?"
elf me for the fan eleven dollar
und l make you a 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, bu
she made a good pretense.
Eleven dollars is a good deal O.
money" said She 81 would have tt
go without lunch for quite while"
You are goot sport, Miss Cray
said the old dealer. 81 dank you very
nooch. l should wrap them up?"
'The fan-yes. Let me see the coi1
again" She pushed across the counter
almost the last of the tightly folded
bills in her purse.
Read the inscription for me, and
knock off two tollars from the fam!
said Mainz. "Vot is it? 1t is not Cher
man, it is not Franzoesisch, it is no
English l am all those. But coul'
not read him"
Kitty held before her the curious
object, slight frown puckering he
brows.
We'll, you see," said she, "it il
broken right across on the right ham
side-almost a third of the writing i
gone. 1t says something about look
ing for something under the floor, un
der the pavement of some place o
torture or torment"
"Und vot next?'
Thesaur-that words broke
across. but it must mean 'thesaurus
that means a collections 'collet
ton of value don't you know?
"The next line is one word; it's al
there-'Regis,' she went on. THAT
plain. 'Rex'-regis'-it means king
or of the king The kings treasures
what?