The Ozark spectator., 1916-07-21


 in the street Then l caught sight oi . policeman hundred yards down and loafer shuffling past on the other side. Some impulse made ne raise my eyes to the house opposite, and there at . first floor window was . face.
 AS the loafer passed he looked up, and l fancied signal was exchanged.
 crossed the street, whistling gayly and initiating the Jaunty swing of the milkman. Then l took the first side street and turned up a left hand turn ing which led past a lot of vacant ground There was no one fin the little street, so I dropped thu milk cans in- side the boarding and sent the hat and overalls after them.
 had only Just put on my cloth cap when a postman came round the cor ner. I gave him good morning, and he answered me unsuspdciously. Just then the clock of a neighboring church struck the hour of fY
 There was not moment to spaye.
 As soon as I got to Euston road 1 took to my heels and ran. The clock at Huston station showed five minutes past the hour. At 6s Pancras I had no time to take . ticket, let alone that had not settled upon my a--tination. A porter told me the platform. and ..
 entered it I saw the train already in motion
 Two station officials blocked the way, but l lodged them and clam bered into the last carriage.
 Three minutes later as we were roar. ing through the northern tunnels an irate guard interviewed me He wrote out for me ticket to Newtown Stew art, n name which had suddenly come back to my memory. and he conducted me from the first class compartment where l had ensconced myself to a third class smoker, occupied by & sail. or and stout woman with child.
 He went of grumbling. and as mOpped my brow 1 observed to my companions in my broadest Scotch that It was sore job catching trains I had already entered upon my part
 ''rhe impidence O that gyaird." said the lady bitterly. He needit a Scotch tongue to pit him in his place. He was complaiuin' O this wean no haein' q ticket and her no flower till August twelvemonth, and he was obtectin' to this gentleman splttin'."
 The sailor cheerfully agreed, and I started my new life in an atmosphere Of protest against authority. I re- minded myself that week ago I had been finding the world dull
 l had n solemn time travelling north that day.
 II was fine May weather, with the hawthorn Towering on every hedge. and asked myself why, when I was still free man. l had stayed on tn London and not got the good of this heavenly country. l didn't dare face The restaurant car, but got luncheon basket at Leeds and shared it with the fat woman.
 Also l got the morning papers. with news about starters for the Derby and the beginning of the cricket season and some paragraphs about how Bal kan affairs were settling down and a British squadron was going to Kiel.
 When had done with them I got out Scudder's little black notebook and studied 1t. It was pretty we'll filled with iottings. chiefly figures, though now and then a name was printed in For example. found the words "Hof gaard.' "Luneville" and Avocado" pretty often and especially the word 'Pavia."
 Now was certain that Scudder nev- CT did anything without a reason. and I was pretty sure that there was cipher in all this That Is a subject which has always interested me, and l did bit at 1t myself once as intel. ligence officer at Delagoa bay during the Boer war.
 I have always had head for things like chess and puzzles and used to reckon myself pretty good at finding out ciphers
 This one looked like the numerical kind. where sets of figures correspond to the letters of the alphabet. hut any fairly shrewd man can find the clew