Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-02-18
THE APARTMENT NEXT DOOR
BY WILLIAM JOHNSTON
AUTHOR OF "IIIE HOUSE OF WHISPERS, AND 'IdA6PYr, ETC, ETC.


Seems to be one Of a sort that our
friends from Wilhelmstrasse are ridi-
culously fond of using. It is mani.
testify a book CODE"
"A book code,". Jane repeated per-
plexedly. II don't understand"
1T is very simple when two persons
who wish to communicate with each
other secretly both have a copy of
some book they have agreed to use.
Thew write their message out and
then go through the book locating
the words of the message by page
line and word. That's what the three
columns mean. Our only problem is
to discover which is the book they
both have. They often employ III
bible or a dictionary Or"
He stopped abruptly and studied
IN columns of figures.
This CODE" he went on. ION its
face is from a book that has at least
544 pages. One of the pages has at
least 76 lines-that's the middle col
unn-so the book must be set in
small typei'
What book do you suppose it is?'
asked Jane interestedly. She was
glad now that she had listened to
Garter. She was sure she was going
to like. being in the service. It was
NA w IL II was lCdIU.
ing so many fascinating things.
IF my theory is right those letters
indicate that the book used was an
almanac. That's the book that Will
helmstrasse made use Of when a
wireless message was sent in cipher
to the German ambassador directing
him to warn Americans not to sail on
the Lusitania. They betrayed them
selves at the embassy by sending out
to buy a copy of this almanac. Let's
see how our theory works out"
Taking up an almanac that lay on
his desk he began turning to the
pages indicated in the first column of
figures. checking off the lines indicat-
ed in the second column and putting
a ring around the words marked by
the third column of figures.
Lets see-page 534-ffth line
then-page as1-that's the chron-
ology of the war in the almanac, SO
l guess we are on the right track
1ftv-fourth line-sixth ward
(~transport)."
Damn them" he exploded. II
Some transports with our troops sail
I'd this. morning, n already the Ger
man spies arc spreading the news,
hoping to get it to n of their un-
speakable U-boats."
Quickly he ran through the rest of
the cipher, writing it out as he went
along:
EIGHT-TRANSPORT - SAILED
-THURSDAY-15,0O 900 INFANTRY
FIVE DESTROYERS.
AS Fleck finished the message his
face became almost black with rage.
Damn them," he cried again, sin
spite of everything we do they get
track Of all our troop movements.
Their information. whenever we sue
coed in intercepting it. is always ac-
curate. If had my way I'd lock up
every German in the country until
the war vas over. and I'd shoot a lot
OF those I locked Up. Until the whole
country realizes that we are living in
a nest of spies-.that there are Ger
man spies all around us. in every city,
in every factory. in every regiment.
door to us-this country never can
win the war" =
What does the 's7' at the end
mean?" questioned Jane timidly,, al
little bit frightened at his o%utburst,
vet more than ever realizing the vast
importance of his work-and hers.
ooh. that's nothing. Probably old
.11OlA . uu1lLOcI. mOSL SplcS are KNOWN
lust by numbers"
Yes. of course" sale Jane, flush
ing as she recalled that she herself
was now ."K-19." Was she a spy?
Was Mr.. Fleck q chief. Of spies? She
always had looked on a spy as a
despicable sort of person, yet surely
the work in which they both were.
engaged was vital to American sue.
cess at arms-a patriotic and import
ant service for ones country.
II suppose" she said thoughtfully,
unwilling to pursue the chain of her
own thought any further. that there
is evidence enough now to arrest old
Mr.. Hoff right away" .s
"You bet there u.s." said Mr.. F1eck
emphatically, but that is the last
thing. I an thinking Of doing yet He
il only one link in q great chain that
extends from our b%attleships and
transports there In the North River
clear into the heart of Berlin. We've,
got to locate both ends of the chain
before we start smashing the links.
We've got to nnd who 1t Is in this
country that IL supplying the money
for AL their nafartous work. from
- AfGxAFN8Hs fte4efG EEFfA g#Hs.N4Jvgst4nls 49,