Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-05-24
A Suspicious
Telegram
BY PERCIVAL HITCHLEY

roundings."
eyes, sir" said Mr.. Jones, and away
he went.
In one hour he returned with a
delicate young woman who wondered
for what in the world she was wanted
She was conducted into handsomely
furnished Office and told to wait there
Mr.. Jones reported to the chief as fol-
lows:
"She lives in an apartment house
of small suits to rent for $50 month.
She has a baby few months old.
Her mother lives with her and does
most Of the work. / told them that
/ was building inspector and ordered
them out Of their fat while I made
an inspection. 1 found nothing sus-
picious."
"Not even a stick of dynamite
'Not vestige."
ANY room look as If it had been
used for a workshop to make bombs,
for instance?"
mo, sir"
Anything that looked as II 1t could
be used to contain acids?
Nothing, unless the baby's bottle.
which smelled rather sour"
"Did you search for correspond
ence?"
"There was nothing that looked as
II 1t might contain correspondence-no
desk, no cabinet. There were a few
sheets of writing paper in table
drawer and this"
He handed the chief a piece of paper
on which was a drawing of head
likely an Indian-with a tuft Of hair
growing from the top and which might
have been a scalp lock. The chief
took it, inspected it and put 1t in his
wallet
"Then you found" he said. mo evi-
dence of anything wrong?"
81 found nothing, sir. But you know
these people are careful not to leave
anything around that will incriminate
them. If this young woman is work
ing with lawbreakers of any sort she
Is quite likely medium Of communi-
cation for Others"
"Quite right. Jones. We will inter
rogate her.
They passed into the room where
the young woman was waiting for
them. In order to impress her the
chief looked very grave. Producing a
telegram, he showed her the address.
"Why. that's me-" she said, her face
Lighting with pleasure.
"Then you admit that the telegram
Is addressed to you?"
II suppose so; that's my name."
The chief opened the telegram and
read it aloud. The words were as fol-
lows: "a basket of peaches. Sugar to
mud pies. Monkey with a cocoanut.
How about the vinegar? Well do the
job II, Bob. Raspberry jam. Ira
la-law
Perhaps" he said, "you can inter-
pret these cipher phrases and tell us
what they mean."
LA sakes!" exclaimed the young
woman. How did you get hold Of
that?"
"Now, see here" said the interview
er, II wish you to understand in the
beginning that you can't throw us Off
the track by any assumption of fnnO-
cence. Those sentences mean some.
thing. Tell me what they stand for"
"Of course they do. And what they
mean is for me. I'd like to know
what you have to do with it?"
you'll find before you get through
that have great deal to do with it.
There has been bomb manufacturing
in your building Look at that"
He drew the picture of the head
with the scalplock.
Good gracious! You don't mean
'Oh, know what it stands for. But
never mind that am going to read
the telegram to you, and when | read
a sentence l want you to tell me what
it means"
'But it isn't for you; it's for me-"
'Do you refuse?"
"Of course do
every well. then, you go to Jail"
This staggered the poor woman. She
told the chief to go ahead. She hadn't
the key with her, but she thought she
could remember it,
"What does "a basket of peaches
mean?"
"a thousand Kisses" said the young
woman, blushing.
The chief, not believing that she had
given the true meaning, tried to brow
beat her to make her do so But she
stuck to what she had said and he
concluded to take down her interpre-
tation.
Sugar to minced pies?"
'LOve to baby"
Monkey with cocoanut?"
Papa is very lonely"
"How about the vinegar?"
"Are you well?"
"Will do the job?"
"Will be home on the 18th Of Feb
ruary."