Smyrna times., 1918-01-09
Mrs. Simpson S
Boomerang
By ETHEL HOLMES

0AOlAACg Sdlu MIS- OlIlDSOu 10 DGE
friend Mrs. Mariweather, Are you con-
fdent that your husband is true to
you?"
Perfectly" was the reply.
Il wish 1 could feel the same about
mine. Don't you ever watch him?"
Every night"
"Why, thought you said you trust
ed him."
II do not trust men generally in |
such matters. While 1 trust Jack inn !
plicitly as an individual, as one of the |
male sex, don't trust him at ALL"
"Why do you watch him at night, es-
pecially?"
what mean by that is go through
his pockets for love letters every night
after he is in bed"
II see; that's a good scheme; will
avail myself of the suggestion"
Mrs. Simpson did avail herself of the
suggestion and at the end of a few
months was rewarded-if it may be so
considered-with find. In Mr.. Simp-
sons vest pocket was a slip of paper
on which were the figures l, II, 9, 4, Z,
in lead pencil.
Now Mrs. Simpson had married in
opposition to her parents wishes and
they had resisted to many devices,
whereby to communicate in spite of be-
ing watched. Mrs. Simpson, then Miss
MOlineauX, was very ingenious. She
gave Simpson an eXpedient to use
when he wished to meet her that would
not cause suspicion. He was to mail
her an advertising card on which had
been put in pencil certain figures de-
noting the month, the day, and the
hour. Thus if he wished to see her on
the seventh day of November, at three
| o'clock in the afternoon, the figures
would be II, Z, 8. The place of meet
ing was always the same and need not
be designated on the card.
Mrs. Simpson had hardly seen the
figures on the slip she had found in
her husbands pocket when she in
| ferred that her invention of several
years before had become a boomerang.
She collapsed, but not for long. Be
fore many minutes had passed she had
made up her mind to interpret the mes
sage and surprise the guilty parties at
their meeting. Taking up the paper
she noticed that the first figure was 1.
January was the first month in the
year. 1t was now December. The
next figure was II, might represent the
day of the meeting. 1t was now the
28th of December. The figure 9 must
mean nine o'clock either In the morn
ing or evening. What and meant
she could not tell. Doubtless the guilty
pair had invented a way to designate
the place of meeting.
Mrs. Simpson was quite sure thai
on the 18th of the next month, at nine
in the evening her husband would NEE
her rival; but since she did not know
where, she could not confront them.
There was u cold time between Mr.
and Mrs. Simpson from the 28th o
December to the 18th of January. Mr.
Simpson was at loss to account TO
the reason, but disdained to ask for
more than once, when he obtained n
satisfaction.
1t was Mrs. Simpsons intention o.
the evening of the 18th of January t
hang on to her husband like leech.
She would prevent his meeting he
rival, and would accuse him of his PEI
fdy.
One evening at dinner she asked hil
If he remembered the device she ha
given him whereby to notify her whe
he wished her to meet him. He sal
he remembered her ingenuity very we
and suggested that If ever she becan
= obliged to earn her own living 81
should apply for position in a dete
tive office.
81 have often thought since then
she said, show we could add to the d
vice a plan to indicate by figures, t
meeting place."
Whether Mr.. Simpson refused to
caught in this trap his wife set for hi
to give her a clue to the last two +
a ures of the cipher message, or whe'
er he did not know what she meant,
did not appear to take any further
terest in the matter and made no
ply.
II On the evening of the 18th of JaE
ary Mr.. Simpson about eight o'clo
told his wife that he had an enga
ment with his partner to talk over
4 business program for the year. NJ
ID Simpson stood like statue, lister
y to what he said, then handed him
slip of paper saying:
81 see that you have used my in
nuity to communicate with your n
flame. but in this case she seems
have addressed you instead of your
dressing her."
= Simpson looked at the cipher t
at his wife.
'If you would like to meet her"
said calmly, 'you can do so by &c
with me to the office"
Mrs. Simpson did not underst
this move, but she put on her hat
sealskin and went with her husb'
When they arrived there, the Office
LIGHTED ND and Mr.. Simpsons part