Show mao house of the vo sr 4 QC C oll V S by liming irvin bacheller CoDy copyright right by y irvine tr service SotT lee SYNOPSIS ragged and starving a boy of about sixteen Is found in the woods wood by a camping party having tied fled from hla bin brutal father bat at morrison Mor ryson fed and I 1 in n clean clothes the tha boy sh shad ad sheridan la Js sent to canton with wit h a letter to colonel odonel blake the colonel his wife and nd their al r young daughter ruth are impressed m pressed by the tha boys manner goes to work in amity darn dam and becomes friendly with a youth of hla his age vi bony and bumpy brown tinker village character bat Morr Wor yeon ryson determined to take hla his son back to hla his own dissolute life Is overawed over awed by colonel blake the district attorney and his father passes out oi of chads shads life A girl young and pretty cornea to browns brown a shach aback inquiring for him shad applies himself himself dl diligently L t I 1 to hla his neglected education love tor fo isih aluth blake takes a strong hold on his hes heart rt in an attack ande on the perry family oscar parr perry the father la in fatally fa a y hot ahot and his daughter mrs lira doollittle wl wife of cyrus doolittle pro prominent t citizen it on seriously wounded C circumstantial acu m ev evidence idenie points to bumpy bump Y brown as a the assailant ile he Is arrested the friendship between shad and ruth blake kindles into love col onel blake blaka arranges for the youth t to take up the study of law under his guidance now new evidence points to robert robart royce as the possible mur murderer murdene dere of perry bumpy brown to 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 ate a proclamation calling for the arrest of donald allyre 8 bandit and bank robber the stranger has associated with robert royce CHAPTER VIII continued i 16 shad began his abts story there Is a wise man whose name I 1 cannot give you he ere thinks that algyre had a hand in the killing of i oscar perry I 1 with a memory that missed no de tall he presented the doctors theory and its background and bis own notion that the man whose arm had reached through the panel in their wall was A either that of algyre himself or that of the real murderer the colonel Us ile J bened with wa deep interest upon my word it Is a most plausible theory he said the man who made it Is no fool and he has some knowledge of the ease case of course the fellow who did the shooting had a confederate some one had to do the planting that night it might very well have been algyre it la Is possible that he needed cash if that Is true he paused and smoked thoughtfully you say it was up to royce again shad asked royce I 1 yes he keeps in the picture still we must be sure of our ground this time im going to give royce a private examination and see what happens has bumpy brown riven 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 ill have a word ord with hod sherman and his club mates then well ell 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 royce boyce 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 w which had bad been delivered t to 0 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 waa nearly spent darkness had fallen the colonel sat down and began to study the message making notes with his pencil in a few minutes he be 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 11 what shad saw was this 2 4 6 5 will sent them to me by post boots 8 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 reading 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 alternately from right to left and from left to right it Is very easy yet ibe flie average detective would see nothing in the words they hold a warning and information of prime importance it if I 1 am right the man who sent that ines message sage Is either here or has been here ile he Is probably here now he knows know a what the pinkerton men mea are doing you yon see algyre has a clever system ile he has a man shadowing the detectives he always knows know where no doubt been posted in another mes they ari moreover the shidow has ba sage sent to this office as to the present whereabouts of algyre this may lead to interesting adventures roy my ba boy come let us go back to the telegraph office they went out to the ashfield station on the great wire way tho the manager 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 for one sewel tram yes one it came yesterday I 1 remember that peculiar name slay I 1 see it pie please a se the manager brought the message from his file and colonel blake copied it on a western union bla blank n k he asked the young man kindly to drop in to his room at the westminster hotel for a minute on hla his way to supper the colonel and shad hurried back to their quarters blake spread out the message on his desk and studied tl 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 the message to sewel tram ashfield N Y 8 3 8 5 7 we must revere mr brock hla his house 4 gave big order to our man ville good 6 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 ire he must have a new name every time he moves moreover his new name must always be known to his confederate therefore algyre gave him hla his ashfield name his telegram was signed mart lewes spell it backward and you get the name of the shadow to tola this new message algyre signs den revel therefore I 1 presume that algyre I 1 Is now known as ned lever it i 1 likely what do you make out of this message shad asked it look simple to me naturally not said the colonel it looks like a perfectly innocent communication muni cation from one business man to another but it clearly tells his confederate to address him at the revere house Broc brackville brockville kville canada the key to the cipher Is in the figures fugures they indicate the words which carry his message therefore the message begins at the third word alter after he be reaches the double numerals he omits in each case the first figure so BO that 14 for instance becomes simply 4 this avoids confusion its fairly ingenious gen tous 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 lied lever at our mercy well say nothing to anybody and just go and get him it will be more tun fua than hunting grizzly bears the local manager of the telegraph company arrived the colonel asked did tram call for his message yes sir I 1 suppose it was tram I 1 gave him the message myself ile he had bad a full beard and rather long hair yes sir and was well dressed yes he looked like a drummer probably you have not seen him since no sir air thank you I 1 request that you yon 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 Is not all that I 1 am after but the reward ts Is not to be sneezed at if those pinkerton 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 la Is I 1 go home on the morning train 1 I shall do as ag you say bay it will cause you some trouble perhaps but you yon will be doing a service to the public and if ao all goes well it 11 will pay you good night shad was waa thrilled by nil all this and by thoughts of the prospective adventure he asked now how did you know that tram had bad a full beard and long hair the colonel replied you ton see the pursuit has just begun they have been making a still hunt for their man it Is now an open hunt they have hit the tha trail and are ara asking ashing for or the help of af 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 if he shaves off 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 whiskers side whiskers that harig hang like drooping lilacs the handful of hay on the chin of the bumpy brown variety the dignified imperial then think what the barbers dye can do for you yon 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 his rock of safety of course he be la is likely to have only casual observers to contend with he Is a cunning chap he 11 a fusses busses around with some kind of bustness business of the house to house variety main street sees little of him shad asked can I 1 go with you to brackville brockville Broc kville shad I 1 uke like you I 1 dont mind getting hurt myself if 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 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 la is to be hurt burt I 1 aint afraid ill 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 was always with him they returned to their room colonel blake blaka eat ant down at his desk and began to write this Is wednesday he ha remarked we will tackle our little job tomorrow I 1 think that my plan will work he sat for some minutes composing hla his telegram he summoned the boy to his side here Is the little joker which will I 1 think put us next to our man when that la Is accomplished I 1 shall know what to do this Is the message which blake blaka had written to ned lever revere house brackville brockville Broc kville ont 1 4 new field watch developments and a 0 meet competition smith sends cash 2 a 8 from morristown goods due at dock 8 9 montreal midnight today consignment number GM let will 5 IT thompson whistle demand three 8 3 times bonus offered and an answer 5 before two tomorrow also balance of dollars sewel tram now there Is a commercial message I 1 can see nothing in it to excite suspicion it Is lilie like the kind of thing that shoots over the wires every day between principals and agents here on the border this to Is exactly what algyre will get from it I 1 havo have placed the numbers so that you may clearly see the system he read tha translation as follows new developments meet cash morristown dock midnight today whistle three times answer two morristown la Is opposite brackville brockville Broc kville the colonel went on 1 I know the tha ground very well the dock lies low its a favorite landing for small boats the river Is still open there Is no lea ice in it the ferry stops at seven algyre can easily get a boat and boatman to bring him across the trip would not take more than fifteen or twenty minutes it if we can get 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 foot in my trap it if he does he ha may maul us up a little why I 1 think better keep away TO BE CONTINUED |