The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-03


to support a handsome suite of bachelor
. apartments on Riverside Drive He wei
coined Mr.. Bunker, who stared at the ele
gant rooms (rented furnished) with the
open-mouthed amazement of simple old
gentleman from the corn country.
We'll, got my wireless fandango fixed
up, by hecky!'' said Mr.. Bunker. ." Twan't
no easy job. neither. I dunno whether
what I heard so far is worth writin' the
president about l amt no good judge
of 1t. I thought best to fetch it over
t'ye. anyways"
He handed the paper to Mr.. Prellick.
who took it with eagerness and read this
Number Zwanzig: Buy no more wheat
for kaiser. Have enough. Unless Wash
ington declares war will need no more
(Sisned) kIGGLE-
"'Zwanzig' a" said Mr.. Preliick. THAT
is German for twenty. That's your spy's
number, Mr.. Bunker"
There now" exclaimed Mr.. Bunker.
IT told ma you'd know what that meant
| This amt for Mr.. Won Goltz.' she says
to me, for his name amt Zwanzig. And
I guessed she was right. but l says.
Never mind Ma. Mr.. Prellick will know.
And reckon you know what that Ksgle
means, too"
That" said Mr.. Prellick. is a cipher
signature, to conceal from anyone but
the spy the name of tho sender. Some
times the entire message is In cipher.
SOS an outsider can't read Il" said
Mr.. Bunker beamingly. II declare, L
never thought of that. Maybe that's
what's the matter with this other one.
got it somewheres about me-
He began going through his pockets
| and soon produced crumpled paper. MI
Prellick grasped it and read this:
Number Zwanzig: Fl eht airotama 81
deodeprot yub la taehw elbissop ia yna
ecrip pu OF evif srallod rep lehsub gniode-
prot lliw naem raw.
(Signed) KIGGLE.
| Suddenly Mr.. Prelick's face frightened
| into a glow of triumph.
This" said Mr.. Prellick, triumphant
ly, but in low and mysterious tone, 'is
in cipher. To you. Mr.. Bunker. to
any ordinary person. it might well be
| quite unintelligible. But We must use
our brains! We must think! Read this
word fl backwards, please, Mr.. Bunker!"
If, IT," read Mr.. Bunker. and his
face broke into a broad smile of under
standing. Word by word he read the
| whole message (Which he had himself
composed with great care a few minutes
| before he left his rooms at Mrs. VIM
ner's1.
" Number Twenty: II the Anatoria
Is torpedoed. buy all wheat possible at
any price up TO five dollars per bushel
(signeO 'KIGGLE,.
Bunker" whispered Mr.. Prellick. do
you know that this means we can make
| a lot of money!"
Money! queried Mr.. Bunker You
mean blackmail?"
"Blackmai? Faugh. no. Wheat, "A
clean, legitimate deal in wheat. Don't
you see it? How is the twenty or Won
Goltz. or whoever he is, going to know
when to buy wheat? Is he going to wait
until an the papers are full of the sink
ing of the Amatoria and wheat goes ekv-
high? No. sir! They're going to give
MIN advance information of the sinking.
iIhey're going to wireless him the in
slant the ship goes down, He's going to
buy wheat right and left-millions of
bushels of it. Now"
He went to the door and peered out.
Now he continued. when he had as
sured himself they were not spied unon
olont you tell me you knew somebody
out West who had lot of wheat?"
Yes"
We'll" said Mr. Prellick. Winning hi.
forehead nervously, why can't we ar
range to buy that wheat? II have a.
few thousand dollars I've tucked away
ana you-you said you'd sold a farm.
to your cousin James"
Mr.. Bunker said he could. He also
sald his cousin James was very sus-
plcious 1ncfvidual-very! He would want
the money In hand before he parted with
ms wheat; but Mr.. Prellick explained
| that that was not the way to do business
| with Cousin James
| we don't want to buy his wheat" ex
plained Mr.. Prellick. I'VE won't bsX.
enough money to buy many bushels NJ
Mheat II we nave to pay cash for it We
want TO buy an option on 1t. Now listen ~
He pointed long. thin finger at M
Bunker and enunciated each word SLOWLY
and distinctly -o"'S
You send your Cousin James a night
EEL by wire tonight. telling him you
may have customer for his wheat. You
tell him we'll pay two dollars a busheI
II we buy. Tell him we can't put IN ali
the money, but that we'll wire him
twenty cents a bushel II We decide to
try to sell his wheat. For two thousand
dollars-1 put In a thousand and YOU put
In thousand-we could control ten thou
SAND bushels Of wheat All we want for
| the two thousand dollars is for your
hcousin James to agree to hold the wheat
for US ten days from the time h. Gets
! our money. and IL We close the deal we
pay him one dollar and eighty cents a
| bushel more for his wheat If we don't
| close the deal in ten days, he keeps our
| TWO Thousand dollars and We get moth
ing"
| Il shouldn't like for him to keen on
| two thousand dollars said Mr. Bunker
doubtfully.
Say. don't be quite an idioti" exclain-
| ed Mr.. frellick- I'VE can't lose on this
deal Don't you see? We won't ask for
| the option-we won't send him the money
until we know the Amatoria Is sunk
Wen know war is sure. and Won Goltz
will know 1t, but no else will know
it You begin talking wheat to Won Goltz
| now-hinting that you know some wheat
you can get. The minute he gets a wire
| less. he'll come running to you. He'll
offer you two dollars-three dollars, four
| dollars. five dollars-a bushel for II. Wen
make three dollars bushel-thrty thou
| sand dollars: fifteen thousand dollars
apiece!'
Mr.. Bunker beamed. His honest face
glowed.
; Amt II wonderfulr' he exclaimed
| That shows what It Is to be New
| Yorker and know the insides OF things
| You-wiil you write the night telegram,
| things"
| Mr.. Prenick wrote the night letter. and
| Mr.. Bunker carried II away. Never was
| a man more irnpatiently nervous than
| was Mr. PrelIick during the next twelve