Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-12-28

What then could have been in this let
ter 10 cause so dreadful n result?
Nothing. There lies the ircxplica-
hlc part Of II. The message was absurd
aud trivial. All, my God, II is rs ]
icarcdr
AS he spoke VIC came round the
curve Of the avenue. and saw in the
fading hight that every blind IN tho
house he'd been drawn down. ks we
dashed up to the door, my friends face
convulscd with grief, n gentleman in
black emerged from it.
When did il happen, doctor" asked
Trevor.
Almost Immediately after YOU left.
Did he recover consciousness"
"'For an instant before the end
ANY message for me-
"'Only that the papers were in the
back drawer Of the Japanese cabinet.
My friend assembled with the doctor
To the chamber Of death. while ! re-
manned in the study. turning the whole
matter over and over in my head, and
feeling as somhcr rs ever ! hac done
IN INV life. What was the past ot this
Trevor, pugllist, traveller, and gold
digger, and how had he placed himself
M the powc of this acid-faccd sea
man? Nhv, too, should he faint at an
a~llusion to the half -cfaced initials
upon his arm. and die ot fright when
hc had n letter from Fordingham?
Then | remembered that Rockingham
was M Hampshire and that this Mr..
| BcddcCs, whom the seaman had gone
tn visit and presumably To blackmail,
hal also hccn mentioned rs living IN
| Hampshire. The letter. then, might
| cithcr come from Hudson. the seaman,
saving that he had betrayed tn" guilty
secret which Appeared to exist, or II
mght como from Bcddocs, warning an
| old confederate that such n hctraya al
was imminent. 50 var II seemed clear
cnoueh. But .hcn how could this let
| ter I've TRIVIAL and g%rotCSQuc, NS tie
scuhcd wv the SON He must have
misrcad n. 81. n must have been
ono of these ingenious secret codes
which mean one thing while they seem
tn moan another. ! must sec this let
irr. II there were n bidder meaning ~
Il. | was confident that ! could pluck IT
forth. For nm hour I sat poudcriug
over Il M the gloom. untd at last n
wccplng maid brought m n lamp, and
close NJ her heels came my Trend
Trevor. polc but composed with these
vcrv paDcrs which lie upou NV knees
held IN his grasp. lie sat down OPP
posiic to me drew the lemp to the edge
nl the table. and handed me n short
note scrubbed. as YOU SOC. upon n single
sheet of gray paper. The supply ol
gamc Tor London Is going steadily up
q ran 'licad-kCcUcr Hudson. We bc-
/ hove. has hccu now toll to receive MI
orders Tor .nv-papcr and for prcscrva-
ton at your hCn-phcaSant hic.
y dare SaV my face looked rs hc'
v,ldcrrd - vours did Just now when
first I uai this message. Ihcr | 70.
read II vCrv carefully. Il was Cvidcntl,
- I had thought. and some secret mCon.
ing must lr buried IN this strange cont
huation oi words. or could n hc that
hero was q prcarraugcd significance &,
s,ch phrases ~ 'hy-rapcr' and hon.
nhcqsant Such ? meaning would
W. arbitrary and could not hc dciucCC
ga my q \nd vet was loath &,
hr h,Nr that this was tho case. and th'
presence ol tho word Hudson sccmcd 4,
how that 'hc subject oi the message
Was ~ ] had guessed. ard that u Wa
irou RcddocS rather than the sailor.
'ucd lt backwards. hut the combination
llc pheasant = hon was NO. encouraging
Then ! tired alternate words. hut ncithc
an" ol for nor supply game London
/. promised - throw any light uro1 #.
md then M an instant the hc'
II thr riddle was m sv hands. an.
cav that r,c5y third word. hcCnnln
. with the FIRST. would give a meSSar
A., Vhi,h migh. we'll drive Old Trevor T.
. dc.pair.
u was short and icrsc. .hc warn
mc. - ! NOW read % to my companion
Tho game Is ny. Hudson has toll
, an llV for your life
.Nic'or Trevor SAM ms fac" mt
, h, sinking hands. 1t must hc that
suppose. sld he. This Is vors
than death. ior It means disgrace p
p we'll BIT what T. the meaning q
these hcad-heoPcrS' and "hcn-pheas
. ants
Il mcan> nothing 90 tho message
hat 10 might mean "a good deal 10 u
% We bad no other means Of discoverin
. tho >crdcr. You sec that he has bcgu'
/ 80 on. Afterwards hc had TO fulfil pre-
%crrangcd ciDtcr. 10 MI IN any two word
r. LOB each space. Hc would naturally u
; the first words which Came 10 his nimC
: aud if there were 50 many which r.
. icrrcd 10 sport among them, Won ma
Ie tolcrshlv sun that he Is either a
ardent shot or interested II breeding
DO Won know ANYTHING OF this BeddocS'
Nhv now that Won mention Il
/, >ald be-. i remember that nay poo
4 father used 20 have an invitation fror
n hum % shoot over his preserves ever
d. autumn
# Then u Is undoubtedly from Ian
u that the note comes. said ! IL only n
4 mains for Us To find out what IN
secret Was which the sailor HudSu
:. seems IN have held over the heads
f, tbcsc two wealthy and respected men
! Alas. Holmes, ! fear that it
ono OF sir and shame cried nv fricnt
, But from YOU ! shall have no secret
Here l. the statement which Was draw