Show f i M bT 7 n The thing is a n. fake falto declared Bertram He slumped heavily into a chair and scowled at Average Jones Jones' well well littered lIttered desk whereon he lie had Just tossed a sheet of paper A fake he reiterated Ive spent a night of pseudo pseudo intellectual riot and ruin over oyer it it You would have It returned Average Average Average Aver Aver- age Jones with a smile And nd I seem to recall a lofty intimation on your part that there never was a cipher so tough but you could rope and tie In record time Cipher yes returned the tho other bitterly That thing isn't a cipher Its It's an alphabetical riot Maybe ho added hopefully ll there was some mistake mist mistake mis mis- t take ke in my copy copy Look for yourself said Average J Jones ones handing him the original It was a singular document this J r problem in letters which had come to i light up the gloom of a November day for Average Jones J nes a sheet of paper ornamented on one side with color prints of alluring spinners and andon andr r on the other inscribed with an appeal in print Its original vehicle was an envelope bearing a one cent stamp r and addressed in typewriting Mr William H. H Robinson The Caronia Broadway and Ave New York City The advertisement on the reverse of ot the sheet ran as follows r ANGLERS WIlEN ANGLERS WHEN YOU ARE LOOK- LOOK LOOKS S ing for or Baits That Catch Fish Fish do you ou see these spinners spinners Ih iii the store where you buy tackle You will find here 5 twelve baits every everyone one of which has a a. record and has literally caught tons of offish offish offish fish We Ye call them The 1 12 Surety Baits We want you to try them for or casting and trolling these next two months because all varieties of bass are particularly sav say savage age ge in striking these baits late in the season YOU DEALERS WANT YOUR CUStomers CUStomers CUS- CUS to have these 12 Shoemaker Surety Suret Baits that catch fish This case will sell Itself empty and over ovel again for or every ever bait Is a record breaker and they catch fish We Ye want you sou to put In one of these cases so that the anglers will not be disappointed and have to wait for baits to be ordered It will be furnished d FREE charges postpaid with your order for the dozen baits it contains If The peculiar feature of the communication com corn was that it was profusely pimpled be-pimpled with tiny projections evi evi- evidently evidently dently made by thrusting a pin 5 through from the side which bore the 5 illustrations These perforations were liberally s scattered atter dYes d. d Yes the copy's all right growled Bertram Tell me again how you came Beanie by it it Robinson came here twice and missed me Yesterday I got the note from him which youve you've seen with the inclosure which has so threatened your reason You know ow the rest Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps leaps you'd have done well to study the note for clues to the other docu docu- ments menu Something in his friends friend's tone made Bertram glance up suspiciously Let me see the note he demanded Average Jones handed it to him Bertram read the message Of Oft t. t course courso the man Is rattled That's obvious obI ob- ob I in his handwriting Also he has Inverted one sentence In his haste and said read through It Instead of read it through th ough Otherwise its it's ordinary ordinary or or- enough It must be vanity that keeps you from eye eye glasses glasses Bert Average Jones b. b observed with a sigh Well Im I'm afraid I set you on the wrong track t myself T Bertram lifted an eyebrow with an an effort Meaning I I suppose that f youre you're on the right one and ha have ve solved the cipher Cipher be jiggered There isn't any cipher If you'd had the advantage tage of working on the original of the bait advertisement as I have you'd undoubtedly have noticed at once once once- Thank you murmured Bertram that that fully third one of the tho pin pinpricks F I pricks ricks dont don't touch any letters at all Then we should have taken the letters let let- Viers tors which lie between the holes No The letters dont don't count Its It's f the punctures Force your your our eyes to I consider those alone and you will see that the holes themselves form letters letters letters let let- and words Read through it carefully carefully carefully care- care fully as Robinson directed He held the paper up to the light Bertram made out In straggling characters characters characters char- char formed in skeleton by the perforations per- per this legend i. i i J ALL POINTS TO YOU TAKE THE SHORT CUT DEATH IS EASIER Ii THAN SOME THINGS i Whew That's Thai s a cheery little ittle greeting remarked Bertram But Dui why didn't friend Robinson point It out definitely in his letter Wanted to test my capacity per per- haps Or it may have been heen simply that ho was too toe frightened and rattled d to know Just what he was writing Know anything of him bim Only what Clio tho vho directory tells ant ani and 1 directories dont don't deal in really inti inti- I mato mate details of biography you know Theres There's quite an assortment of Wll VU lIam Ham II H. Robinsons Robin sons but the tho one who lives at the Caronia appears to bo be a a commission merchant on Pearl street As the Caronia Is one of or the most elegant elegant ele elO gant and quite the most enormous of ol those small cities within themselves which we call apartment houlles houses 1 l take It that Mr Mr- Robinson Is well well-to- do and probably man married led You can ask him yourself If you like Hes He's due any moment now Promptly as befitted a business businessman man Mr William H. H Robinson arrived o on on the stroke of twelve He was a well made well-dressed well ci citizen izen of for for- ty five who would have hayo been wholly holly ordinary save saye for one peculiarity In Ina Ina Ina a room more more than temperately cool coo ho was sweating profusely and that despite despite despite de de- de- de spite the fact that his light overcoat was on his arm He Ho darted a glance at Bertram then turned to Average JonesI Jones I had hoped for a private interview inter inter- interview view he lie said In a high piping voice Mr Bertram Is my friend and business business busi bust bustness II ness confidant Very good You You You-you you have havo read it Yes Then Then then then The visitor fumbled with nerveless fingers at his tightly buttoned cutaway coat and after a moments moment's effort drew a paper from his inner pocket which h he placed on the desk It was a certified check for forone one hundred dollars made payable payable payable pay pay- able to A. A Jones Theres the rest of a thousand I ready if you can h help lp me mei he said Well Veil talk of that later sai said the tho I prospective beneficiary Sit tight until youre you're able to answer answer questions Able now piped the the theother other in his shrill voice Im ashamed of myself gentlemen but the strain Ive I've been i under under- When youve you've heard my I story story story- Just a moment moment please Interrupted Interrupt interrupt- I I ed Average Jones let me get at this I my own way What are the some things things' that are worse than death I Mr Robinson shook his head I haven't the slightest notion in the world Nor of the short cut which you are advised to take talce I suppose suppose it means suicide He paused for a moment They cant can't drive me to that unless that unless they drive me crazy first He wiped the sweat from under unde his eyes breathing hard What are they Mr Robinson shook his head Mr Jones I give you my word of honors honor as as s' s I hope to be saved from frim this persecution persecution perse perse- cution I 1 dont don't know any ny more than yourself what it means Then Then I er I am to er er to believe replied Jones draw ling as he always did when interest in his mind was verging on excitement that a simple blind threat like this without er er without any backing from your own conscience could er er could shake you you you-er-as er as this has do done e Why Mr Robinson the thing thing thing-e thing may er may be only er er only a a. raw raw- practical Joke But the others cried the visitor His face changed and fell I believe I am going crazy he groaned I didn't tell you about the others Diving into his overcoat pocket he drew out a packet of letters which he placed on the desk with a sort of ot dismal dismal dismal dis dis- dis- dis mal flourish Read those he cried Presently Average Jones L ran rapidly over the eight envelopes With one exception each bore the imprint imprint im lm- print of some firm name made roade familiar by extensive advertising All the envelopes envelopes envelopes en en- were of at soft sh manna manila paper varying in grade and hue under one- one cent stamps Which is the first of the series he asked It isn't among those Unfortunately Unfortunate Unfortunate- ly it was lost by a stupid servants servant's mistake pin and all Pin Yes Where I cut open the tho envelope envelope en en- envelope Walt Wait a moment You say you OU cut It ft open All these being one-cent one postage must have come unsealed Was the first different Yes It had a cent two cent stamp It was vas a circular ann announcement of the Swift Reading Encyclopedia in a sealed envelope There was a pin bent over the fold of the letter so so you couldn't help but notice it Its head was stuck through the tho blank part of the circular L Leading from It were three very small pins arranged as a pointer to the tho message Do you OU remember the message Could I forget it vt was pricked out quite small on the blank fold of ot the paper It said Make the most of your freedom Your time Is short Call at General Delivery Main P. P PO P.O. O. O for fot your warning You went there thore I The next day And nAnd found found- An ordinary sealed envelope addressed addressed addressed ad ad- dressed in pen pricks pen pricks connected by pencil lines Unes The Tho address was Ily ly Iy but quite quito plain Well what did it contain A commitment blank to an Insane asylum Average Jones absently drew out his handkerchief elaborately whisked from his coat sleeve an imaginary speck of dust and smiled benignantly benignant- benignant I ly where the dust was supposed to have been Insane asylum he murmured Was Was the er the blank filled blank er filled in Only partly My name was pricked in in and there was a specification of at dementia from drug habit with suicidal suicidal suicidal sui sui- tendencies With a quick signal unseen by the visitor Average Jones opened the way to Bertram who In a wide range of at experience and study had once upon abnormal mental phe phe- Pardon mo me me that gentleman put in gently has there thero ever evor been any dementia dementia dementia de de- mentia in your family Not as far as I know Or suicidal mania All my people have died respectably respectably respect respect- tably t- t ably In their beds declared the visitor visItor visitor vis vis- with some somo vehemence Once more if it I may venture Have you ou ever been addicted to any drug Never sir Now Average Jones took toak up the examination will you tell me of at any enemy who would havo have reason to persecute you I haven't an enemy In the world Youre fortunate fortunate returned the theother theother theother other smiling but surely some time In your career career business business rivalry rivalry lam fam family fly ily alienation alienation anyone any one of a thousand causes No answered the harassed manNot manNot manNot man Not for me My business runs smoothly My relations are mostly dead I have no friends and no ene ene- mies My wife and J I live alone and andall andall andall all we ask he added in a sudden outburst out out- outburst burst U st of almost childish resentment is to be left alone The inquisitors inquisitor's gaze returned to the packet of ot letters You haven't complained to the post post office authorities authorities ties And risk the publicity returned Robinson with a shudder Well give me over night with these Oh Ohl and I may want to phone you presently You'll be at home Thank you Good day Now said Average Jones to Bertram Bertram Ber Ber- tram as s their callers caller's plump back disappeared disappeared disappeared dis dis- appeared this looks pretty queer to me What did you think of at our friend friend friend- Scared but straight was Bertrams Bertram's verdict Average Jones Jonea pushed the collection collet tion of at advertisements aside and returned returned re re- re- re turned to the opening phase of the problem the fish bait t circular which Robinson had mailed him So long after that Bertram hardly recognized it as a response to his last remark th the Investigator drawled out Not such such Impenetrable er impenetrable dark dark- darkness ness In fact fact er er Eureka or at words to that effect Bert when does the bass season end November 1 hereabouts I believe The postmark on the envelope that carried this advertisement to our friend advises the use of the baits for these next two months Queer time timeto timeto timeto to be using lures bass after the tho season season season sea sea- son is closed Bert its it's a pity I cant can't waggle my ears Waggle your ears ears ears' For heavens heaven's sake why Because then Id I'd be such a perfect Jackass that I could win medals at a show I ought to have guessed it at first glance from the fact that the advertisement advertisement ad- ad vex couldn't well have been mailed to Robinson originally anyhow any any- how Why not 1 Because hes he's not in the sporting goods business and the advertisement is obviously addressed to the retail trade Dont Don't you remember it offers a i showcase free What does a man living living living liv liv- ing in an apartment want of a showcase showcase show show- showcase case to keep artificial bait baitin in What we need we-er-need er need here is steam is-er-steam er steam A moments moment's manipulation of the radiator pr produced a small Jet In this Average Jones held the envelope The stamp curled up and dropped off Beneath Beneath Beneath Be Be- neath it were the tho remains of a small portion of at a a. former postmark I thought so murmured Average Jones exclaimed Bertram corroborated his friend I expect well we'll find the others the same saine One by one he submitted the envelopes envelopes envelopes en en- to the steam bath Each of them as the s stamp amp was peeled off off exhibited more or less leas fragmentary signs of a previous cancellation Careless work vork criticized Average Jones Jones- Every bit of the tho mark should have havo been removed instead of at trusting trusting trust trust- trusting ing to the second stamp to cover what it bit toward toward toward to to- little was left by shifting shirting a ward the center of the envelope Look you on this one where the tho original stamp was peeled off On this the traces of erasure aro are plain enough That's why manila paper was selected Its It's easier to erase from om Is Robinson faking asked Ber Ber- tram Oh has some someone no been rifling his waste basket That would mean an accomplice In Inthe inthe inthe the house which would be dangerous I think it was done at longer range range Drawing the tho telephone to him he called the tho Caronia apartments Hello Mr TUr Robinson Robins m 1 This is Mr A. A Jones You hear me Yes Yes Mr 11 Jones What is it Is there thero In all your acquaintance any person who ho never go goes s out without without without with with- out an attendant Take time to think now stuttered Robinson Robinson Rob Rob- Why Why why why inson and fell Into silence From the depths of the silence ho ha presently exhumed exhumed exhumed ex ex- the following I did have a a. a paralytic cousin who always went out in a wheeled chair But she's dead And theres there's no one else No Im I'm quite sure al all Good Goodby What was that about an attendant attendant attendant attend attend- ant 1 inquired Bertram as his |