The sun., 1919-07-20
"The White Cipher"

Oy MS WIS IN supreme cUhteinp6 lOI Nho
written law. He forgot details. the little
things. And it was for the reason that he
neglected to protect his hands when COM
hitting a robbery in Hatton Garden that
Scotland Yard caught him and the British
law sent him to Dartmoor Prison. Five
years later, at the opening of Henry
beverages The White Cipher, Scotland
Yard wanted to use his skill as a safe
breaker and he was released from Dart
moor, brought back TO London and as
signed to the sob" This was to go to
Holland, force a safe in an embassy there,
and take from it package that contained
the solution of a German cipher which
would give to Great Britain and the
United States the secrets of Germany )
dye industry. The British Government had
obtained the dye formulas in cipher but
it lacked the key TO them. Fay's job was
to get the key out of that embassy safe.
Two things, apart from the mere phys
zeal difficulties of the task, stood In the
way of Fay's accomplishing this. One
was his abnormal distrust of the police,
the other that Germany was trying to get
the cipher key and was also using crook
known as dutch Gus" as its agent. More
over, after his years of imprisonment, Fay
had longing for freedom and feared that
even if he did "pull off, his job Scotland
Yard would play him false and send HIM
back to prison. But Saidee Isaacs, one
of his old criminal coworkers now re-
formed and in the employ of the police,
persuaded him he would be doing big
thing for the allied world by getting Ger
manv's greatest trade secret. And so Fay
went to Holland with police money in his
pocket and the silver greyhound of
kings messenger on his coat lapel. If he
occasionally neglected details himself he
did not fail TO observe them in others.
Which is why he noticed that an old card
sharp acquaintance Of his on the boat to
Holland was wearing smoked glasses the
while he feeced a smoking room gull Of a
nice tidy sum, particularly for one night
run.
But when ne got to Holland Fay dis
covered emissaries of Scotland Yard there,
and he revolted. Even Saidee Isaacs was
there and tried to hold him TO his promise.
1t was not until he saw that "Duteh Gus"
was trying to beat him TO the safe crack
ing job that his professional pride was
stung into action. And what "Duteh
Gus" began elumsily, FAY finished with
his accustomed skill Fay went hack TO
his hotel with the cipher KEY in his pocket.
Naturally criminal mystery tale could
not be worked ont so simply as that. The
problem before Fay was 10 get back to
England with The packet he had stolen;
it was "up TO" Saidee Isaaes to get it
from him for safety's sake; and the
business of Dutch Gus" was to see that
the packet went back to Germany. Also
the reader has TO be let into the secret
of why Ace Hole Harry, the card sharper,
wore smoked glasses and what relation
that fact had to the contents of the pack
age Fay had taken from the embassy safe.
For when curiosity got the better of him
and he opened the package on his way
back to England he found all it contained
vas just such another pair of smoked
glasses as Ace Hole Harry wore-and
nothing sc.
In wo ing out his solutions of these
mysteries, Mr.. beverages text awakens
the liveliest guessing spirit on every page.
His style is that of sheer melodrama; and
occasionally the obvious stupidities of his
hero are very trying to ones sense of the
probabilities. But there can be no ques-
ton of the fact that he has written tale
rich in thrills and mysteries from begin
ming TO end. All lovers Of criminal
mystery novels will rejoice heartily over
this real thriller
THE WHITE CIPHER. BY HENRY LEV