Show cr w of f 1 tee by irving bacheller copyright y irvcng Dac haller SYNOPSIS nagged ed and a boy of about sixteen Is found in the woods by a camping party having fled from his brutal father bat Morry aon fed and in clean clothes the boy shad sheridan la sent to canton with a letter to colonel blake the colonel his wife and their young daughter ruth are impressed by the boy s manner lie goes to work in amity dam and becomes friendly with a youth of his age bony and bumpy brown tinker village character bat morrison Mor ryson determined to take his son back to hta own dissolute life Is overawed over awed by colonel blake the district attorney and his father passes out of shad a life A girl young and pretty comes to brown shack inquiring for him shad applies himself diligently to his neglected education love tor huth blake takes a strong hold on bis heart in an attack made on the perry family oscar perry the father 1 fatally shot and his daughter mrs doollittle wife of cyrus doollittle prominent citizen seriously wounded circumstantial evidence points to bumpy brown as the assailant lie Is arrested the friendship between shad and nuth blake kindles into love colonel blake arranges tor the youth to take up the study of law under his guidance new evidence points to robert royce as the possible murderer of perry bumpy brown Is released on ball A stranger in the nearby town of ashfield attracts the attention of doctor gorse friend of shad and bony there Is proof he could have planted evidence against brown and his description fits a proclamation calling tor the arrest of donald al fryre bandit and bank robber the stranger has associated with robert royce CHAPTER VIII continued 16 shad began his story there Is a wise man whose name 1 cannot give you he thinks that algyre had a hand in the killing of oscar perry with a memory that missed no de tall he presented the doctors theory and its background and his own notion that the man whose arm had reached through the panel in their wall was either that of algyre himself or that of the real murderer the colonel alls bened with deep interest upon my word it ts a most plausible theory he said the man who made it is no fool and he has some knowledge of the case of course the fellow who did the shooting had a con federate some one had to do the planting that night it might very well have been algyre it Is possible that he needed cash it that Is true he paused and smoked thoughtfully you say it was up to boyce again shad asked royce 1 yes he keeps in the pic ture still we be sure of our ground this time im going to give royce a private examination and see what happens has bumpy brown given you any light none well go down to ashfield just now its an interesting center I 1 want to have a look at that telegram which came to algyre shad told his friend of the feeling against bumpy nobody will harm him said blake this Is not the wild west of the old days well go up to the dam HI have a word with nod sherman and his club mates then well drive to ashfield shad promised bumpy that he would return in a day or two when the boy and the colonel set out for amity dam the club was briefly addressed by the district attorney in a few minutes he and shad were in bob buggy on their way to ashfield they found that the detectives had followed a clue into the wilderness koyce the most intimate friend of algyre had gone with them shad and the colonel went to the western union office and got a copy of the telegram which had been delivered to donald algyre this was the message will sent them to me by post boots follow will go mart lewes come with me and well see if we can make out what this means said blake shad went with him to the west minster hotel the day was nearly spent darkness had fallen the col onel sat down and began to study the message making notes with his pen dl in a few minutes he remarked well shad this Is a very simple matter I 1 have the translation of this cipher come here and I 1 will show it to you what shad saw was this 2 4 5 B will sent them to me by post boots 3 1 follow will go the colonel continued the real message Is this go will follow them post me you see I 1 learned this art of read ing ciphers under a great master in the war department years ago it Is a fascinating art they still consult me on difficult problems this Is so easy that any tyro of the least experience could read it you begin with the last word and continue with the first and then with every other word taken al from right to left and from left to right it Is very easy yet the average detective would see nothing in the words they hold a warning and information of prime importance it I 1 am right the man who sent that message Is either here or has been here lie Is probably here now ue knows what the pinkerton men are doing you see algyre baa a clever system he has a man shadowing the detectives ne always knows where no doubt been posted in another mes they arft moreover the shadow ha sage sent to this office as to the present whereabouts of algyre this may lead to interesting adventures my boy come let us go back to the telegraph office they went out to the ashfield sta alon on the great wire way the man ager was still on duty the colonel called him aside and said 1 I am here again in behalf of the people of this county have you received any message or messages tor one sewel tram yes one it came yesterday I 1 remember that peculiar name may I 1 see it please the manager brought the message from his file and colonel blake copied it on a western union blank ue asked the young man kindly to drop in to his room at the westminster hotel for a minute on his way to supper the colonel and shad hurried back to their quarters blake spread out the message on hla desk and studied it look here my boy he said in a moment this problem Is built on a different plan but it Is very simple shad read tho message to sewel tram ashfield N Y 3 5 7 we must revere mr brock his house 4 gave big order to our man valle good 0 canada money thirty five thousand seven hundred and forty six dollars den revel first tell me where do you get the name sewel tram shad asked the colonel answered you see the shadow must keep changing his name he must have a new name every time he moves moreover hla new name must always be known to his confederate therefore algyre gave him his ashfield name nig telegram was signed mart lewes spell it backward and you get the name of the shadow to this new message algyre signs den revel therefore I 1 presume that algyre 13 now known as ned lever it Is akely what do yon make out of this message shad asked it look simple to me naturally not said the clionel it looks like a perfectly innocent communication muni cation from one business man to another but it clearly tells his con federate to address him at the revere house canada the key to the cipher Is in the figures they indicate the words which carry his message therefore the message begins at the third word after he reaches the double numerals he omits in each case the first figure so that 14 for instance becomes simply 4 this avoids confusion its fairly in gellous the plan was pretty good it kept the criminal a jump ahead they were in bad luck these messages fell into hands as dangerous for them as any in the united states I 1 think that you and I 1 have algyre alias ned lever at our mercy well say nothing to anybody and just go and get him it will be more fun than hunting grizzly bears the local manager of the telegraph company arrived the colonel asked did tram call tor his message yes sir I 1 suppose it was tram I 1 gave him the message myself lie had a full beard and rather long hair yes sir and was well dressed yes he cooled like a drummer probably you have not seen him since no belr thank you I 1 request that you keep this matter to yourself I 1 suppose that a few hundred dollars would be useful to you very well justice demands that tram should not be interfered with justice to you to certain injured parties and to me I 1 am after that reward it la not all that I 1 am after but the reward Is not to be sneezed at if those men go to fooling with tram they will cook the goose for all of us your work in the matter will be this if any message comes to you either for or from tram call me here or at my office or my house within five minutes and let me know exactly what the message Is I 1 go home on the morning train 1 I shall do as you say it will cause you some trouble per haps but you will be doing a service to the public and if ab goes well it will pay you good night shad was thrilled by all this and by thoughts of the prospective ad venture he asked now did you know that tram bad a full beard and long hair the colonel replied you see the pursuit has just begun they have been making a still hunt tor their man it Is now an open hunt they have hit the trail and are asking for the help of the public now a shadow must avoid attracting attention to himself at every change of base he must look to the casual observer like another man one with a full beard and long hair has only to sit down in a barbers shop and get all the disguise he may require it he shaves oft his mustache he would pass you without being recognized unless you had known him a long time think of the changing expression of the head and countenance which the barber can impart to you long hair straight hair curly hair short hair mutton chop whiskers alde whiskers that bang like drooping lilacs the handful of hay on the chin of the bumpy brown variety the dignified imperial then think what the barber s dye can do for you it can make your foliage red or black or brown or flaxen blond oh I 1 knew that fellow would be likely to begin his work with plenty of hair and whiskers they are hla rock of safety of course he Is likely to have only casual observers to contend with ue Is a cunning chap he busses fusses around with some kind of business of the house to house variety main street sees little of him shad asked can I 1 go with you to shad I 1 like you I 1 dont mind getting hurt myself it its necessary this Is a good deal of a job then remember algyre has seen you you know I 1 disguised myself once so that my own father dlan t know me the boy answered besides algyre saw me only in my old clothes I 1 look like somebody now and then I 1 know what it Is to be hurt I 1 aint afraid think it over lets wash up and go down to supper after they had eaten the colonel telephoned to his home for some minutes he consulted the time tables and a map of the northern border which vas always with him they returned to their room colonel brake sat down at his desk and began to write this Is wednesday he remarked we will tackle our little job tomorrow I 1 think that my plan will work he sat for some minutes composing his telegram he summoned the boy to his side here Is the little joker which hlll I 1 think put us next to our man when that Is accomplished I 1 shall know what to do this Is the message which blaka had written to ned lever bevere house ont 1 4 new field watch developments and 6 0 meet competition smith senda cash 2 8 from morristown goods due at dock 8 9 montreal midnight today consignment number lt will S 7 thompson whistle demand three 8 8 times bonus offered and an answer 5 before two tomorrow also balance of dollars sawel tram now there Is a commercial message I 1 can see nothing in it to excite suspicion it Is like the kind of thing that shoots over the wires every day between principals and agents here on the border this Is exactly what algyre will get from it I 1 have placed the numbers so that you may clearly see the system he read the translation as follows isea developments meet cash mor dock midnight today whistle three times answer two morristown Is opposite the colonel went on 1 I know the ground very well the dock lies low it s a favorite landing for small boats the river Is still open there Is no ice in it the ferry stops at seven algyre can easily get a boat and boatman to bring him across the trip would not tal e more than fifteen or twenty minutes it we can got him on this side of the border we shall have no bother with extradition proceedings ce hell naturally conclude that tram Is making a swift getaway and Is anxious to jump across the border this stout old grizzly will I 1 think put his toot in my trap if he does he may maul us up a little why I 1 think better keep away TO BB CONTINUED |