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HME.a«sftr THE DIAMOND CIPHER /^BASEBALL ROMANCE BY W. A. PHELON .'v-vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv^: (Copyright, IMS, by W. Q. Chapman.) IDaepnsttUiOjuiadtaBd OMMBrlUtaL) "I see, meln frient." quoth the baron, "dot you vos, ad lasd, in safe hands. Vere Iss your partner?" The baron was much worried at the news that Solano had escaped, but expressed marked relief at the ^formation that the Cuban had not succeeded in getting away with the letters addressed to Gomez Esteral. "Dot iss veil," he sighed, happily. "It iss, berhaps, better yet dot he haf gone—he can haf nodings to say, und dere iss but de von left to disbose off. Shall ve get down to bitzness? Vere Iss de llddle ledders, gaptain?" A sentinel at the northern edge of the clearing gave challenge, and two more of the bandits came across the glade. With them walked a little brown man, suave and gentle—the lit tle man whom Brockett thought long Since dead in the waters of North river—the tireless agent of Japan— Bone less than Mr. Yazimoto! Baron Zollern greeted the Nippon ese with evident surprise, but with forced courtesy. "I subbosed," said he, "dot my ab bolntmend vos exclusive mit de cap tain. Sdill, Herr Yazimoto, you are welcome. You unterstand, of gourse, dot I haf de virst und only glaim to dese Esteral documents? De key off Be cipher code. Herr Yazimoto, I will share mit you, undygladly. Iss dot agreeable?" Mr. Yazimoto purred his dissent. The entire dossier of Esteral letters, as well as the cipher code, he ex plained, were his. After he had per sued them, be would gladly'let his old friend, the Baron Zollern, glance through them, but for the present time, though It desolated him to be so selfish, he must insist upon the first inspection of the papers, already purchased from the honorable cap tain. Baron Zollern glowered and growled bis statement that he had paid for the letters, and that he, he alone, should have first reading of the missives. Both men appealed to Juan Torrejon. That operatic brigand promptly found refuge in his ignorance of the English tongue. Loud language was heard the big German purpled in the face, and the suave smile left the counte nance of Mr. Yazimoto. Brockett, fas cinated by the faces of these two men, whom he had thought removed from his path forever, almost forget that he was a prisoner, and completely for got the dangers of his situation as he listened to the quarrel. Juan Torrejon stood by and smiled humorously at the babel of tongues, but finally seemed to tire of the up roar. He beckoned the young Mex ican who had previously translated bis words to Brockett, and calmly laid down the law to the contending •Pies. "I must confess, senores," said Torrejon, pleasantly, "that I forget which one of you should have prece «n vmir dealings with me. It is true, also, that I did accept money from you both. That money, how ever, was but a retainer, an advance fee, let us say. Here are the letters, Intact, even as I but a few hours since took them from this young caballero. Suppose, senores, that you make further offer for them?" Baron Zollern emitted a snort of indignation. "A hold-up, iss id?" he fairly bellowed. "Veil, I should haf oxbected id. Here"—and he dragged a capacious wallet'from his inner Pocket—"iss ten tousand dollars more. Vill dot suffice your rabacity?" Juan Torrejon bowed with all the grace of a true Spanish cavalier. "It •will be ample, senor—unless this other gentleman desires to offer still more." Mr. Yazimoto turned white beneath his saffron skin. "T had imagined,." he protested. -that tat Mrgaln coneiuaea wita toe honorable captain was a business transaction. Unfortunate to declare* brought no money with me. Still, If the honorable captain will agree, I will bring twelve thousand dollars be fore the sunrise of another morning." Torrejon shook his head. "I fear," said he, ''that present op portunities must be accepted rather than future chances. Senor Zollern, permit me to present you with the documents in question." Grunting with heartfelt pleasure, the German seized the envelopes and thrust them, unopened, into his pocket, Mr. Yazimoto, clenching his small brown hands in rage and disappoint ment, eyed him like a wildcat hesi tating before a spring. "Dere vas great need," said Baron Zollern, "dot I should haf dese led ders. Herr.Yazimoto, rebeat to you —you vas endirely velcome to de cipher code Vill you agcept id from me tomorrow? Also, I bromise you, you shall haf de obbortunidy to ex amine all bortions off dese babers dot may goncern you or your gofernmend. Vot say you? Vill you agcept a seg ond reading?" "It seems to me," came a soft, well modulated voice, "that a third reading will be better for Mr. Yazimoto. At least, that is my opinion." Juan Torrejon, petrified where he stood, was staring open-eyed and open mouthed at a small, almost insignifi cant individual, standing not ten feet from the bandit's side. The members of Torrejon's gang, suddenly convert ed into most peaceful citizens, had dropped their arms and were ranged ro meek and gentle groups along the glade. Across the clearing was streaming a long column of superbly armed and mounted riders, and addi tional horsemen were already holding every exit from the camp-ground. "I believe," the little man resumed, "that every man is entitled to a first perusal of his own correspondence. Will you kmdly hand those envelopes to me, Herr Zollern? I am Gomez Esteral." CHAPTER XXX. Baron Zollern buttoned his coat, clenched his fists, and snarled defi ance. "No! Nefer!" he roared, step ping forward and glaring at the little leader.. "Dake dem ofer my dead body—If you can!" Gomez Esteral smiled compassion ately. "I do not wish to be too strenuous," said he. "Still I think we can obtain the letters without having to commit any massacres." The close-ranked horsemen opened up a lane and Ramon Solano, leaning MD unwmHatrme mir»Arcof/r/i/m on the shoulder of a small, stocky, redheaded boy, limped up to the little chieftain. Brockett, with a whoop of delight, fell upon the Cuban, who hugged him delightedly for a brief in stant, and then turned smiling to Gomez Esteral. "Why not let Baron Zollern keep his papers?" spoke Solano. "The real letters, Senor Esteral, are here." Gomez Esteral took the battered old ball gingerly, as if suspecting a bomb plot or a practical joke. Brockett, sensing the comedy of the scene, laughed unrestrainedly for a moment, and then, taking the ball from the puzzled leader, ripped open the seams. The yarn was torn away, the papers came in view, and Brockett, still laughing, handed the crumpled mis sives to Gomez Esteral. "Madre de Dlos!" cried Juan Tor rejon, "but that was cunning work! The draft of a fox! The generalship of a Napoleon! But what, young friend, would you have done if you had not possessed this ball?" Both boys joined in a peal of merri ment. "That, Senor Captain," Brock ett answered, "would have been the least of our troubles. We would have borrowed a new ball from you!" Torrejon smote his thigh with open palm. "Carramba," he shouted, "and I would have given it, beyond a doubt! Then I would have been ten times more the monkey and what you Grin gos call the goat! Gomez Esteral, I am your prisoner. Do with me what you will—I do not care. After behold Ing a good joke such as this, I can meet any fate, well-satisfied!" Gomez Esteral spoke gravely, thoughtfully. 'There is much here to perplex and bewilder me. I will re tire and reason out the full meaning of these letters. Rest you here, senores, all of you. I will return in perhaps an hour." And the little man, attended by two or three of his horse men, disappeared amid the chaparral. Bacon Zollern drew the worthless envelopes from his pocket, tore them open, and stared at the blank sheets they had contained. Then, with a gesture of utter disgust and sardonic contempt, he offered them to Mr. Yazimoto. The Japanese struck them from the German's hand, sank down upon the soa. and sobbed ilk* a little child. Baron Zollern drew himself up proudly, gallantly. J'For me," he spoke, 'id iss all ofer. I may not go back to Berlin now. Young chentlemen, I gongrachulade you. You haf outvitted me from start to flnlcb, und you haf dricked me at de lasd. Vill you shake hands mit me?" Brockett and Solano stood with bared heads as they clasped the baron's hand. A great soul had broken before them, and a patriot had come to the bitter ending of his dreams. They clasped the German's hands— and all was silence save the sobbing of the little Japanese, unnerved and overwhelmed. "Id vos not a fair contest," the baron said, patting the boys on the shoulder. "Dere vas you two—und agalnsd you twenty spies und skilled hunters of men. Somedimes, Herr Yazimoto und I vorked togeder. Some dimes ve vorked abart. Mit all de resources at our gommand, ve kebt ubon de drail—two men can hardly vool twenty. Ve did all ve could— und yet you beat us, beat us at efery blace, und in efery city. At lasd, here in Mexico, I beliefed ve had you— und you gafe us de checkmate at de lasd turn off de road! Boys, again I gongradulate you. You vill be great 6ome day—I, Baron Zollern crushed und beaten, say it now!" "He didn't count de numbers right, dere," piped up the small red-headed A'smrwriv/t ffir/fymr /Pimm/Mow?* youngster who had escorted Ramon Solano to the scene. "Where'd de hull bunch o' youse a* been but for Mike McKane, I'd like tuh know?" "What I'd like to know," queried Brockett, "is how you happened to get down here, anyhow? Who turned you loose?" "Turned loose nottln'," answered Mike McKane. "Didn't I tell yoqse guys I was goin' on dis trip? Well, I made good. Lissen tuh me, bo: youse two left a track so wide yuh coulda driven an ortermobile over it.'When rouse left Washin'ton I was right in de neighborhood. If youse wanter know, you'd a hadda heap o: trouble gettln' clear from dat street fight wit* de bulls but for me. I pointed 'em up an alley, an' dey went up it like a lotta boobs. After dat, It was plumb easy fer me to keep »n touch wit' youse. One or two times, youse did a doublin' act, like a guy tryin' to t'row de shadows off when his wife has hired de Pinks ter watch 'lm, but I kinda figgered out just where you'd likely light—an* I didn't miss out once, pid dem letters have youse a-guess to'?" "Well, rather!" cried Brockett. "What's the explanation?" "Explanation's dead soft," grinned the messenger boy. "Yuh see, old Chief Wilkins an' General Cole has al ways thought I had de goods in me fer a Sherlock Holmes. So when youse was all framed up fer de trip dey calls me in an' tells me to hang 'round in de vicinity, see? And tuh keep a close eye on youse, do all I could to help youse, an', if youse got stalled at de finish, to shoot home de news. In oder words, I was guardeen an' shadow over de whole journey— man? That sunset head would tip you an* de letters was jest part of it all. off to every1- crook in North America." It was a pipe fer me to learn your cipher—any baseball bug can easy do it—an' as for de letters, I can say dis* I may talk on de fritz, but at school I always got any spellin' prizes dat was to be had." "You must have kept in touch with the Filipino with whom you had some the chief, too, didn't you?" asked So lano. "I surely did. I was de live wire, de line of communication, an' I just ferried along some letters dat de chief an' de general managed tuh sret tuh I was Johnny on de spot riant todde finish—an' I'm thinkin' dere'd •jn9, up to finish—an I' thinkin dere have been a different finish today but fer me." "That's right," cut in Solano. "You noticed I was limping a little, didn't you? I was making the best speed I could to get away from our friend Torrejon's people, when, maybe two miles out of camp, I wrenched my ankle. They were almost on top of me when this imp of Satan jumped out from a patch of cactus by the me Into the bush, and there we crouched while the hunt went by. They are good trackers and it wasn't long before they were back, all 'round the spot where I had disappeared. Mike proposed to give them a fight as soon as they found us, and I think he'd have cleaned up their whole company—only he didn't have to. They couldn't have been ten feet from us when Gomez Esteral rode up with 300 men and that changed the story." "Youse never thought to ask how dis Gomez party happened along in the neighborhood, didja?" questioned Mike McKane. "Naw, I thought not. Charge dat to me, too. When youse guys rode outa de cavalry camp, I was five miles in de lead. I ain't no rider, so I was paddin' de hoof ahead. When youse was held up I was may be tree hundred feet away. I knew where youse was headed for, an' so I beat it to dis Nogal joint, where de Gomez feller holds out Den I tells him all I know he agrees to turn right out, quick as he can get some men togeder, an' 'I tries to hurry back to see If dere was anyting I could do. On de way, I falls in wit' Solano—an' youse knows all de rest" Gomejs Esteral was holding judg ment in the center of the clearing. The face of the man who had dreamed of empire was lined and drawn twenty years seemed to have been added to his age in one hour's time. Somberly he gazed at the little group before him, and his voice choked as he spoke "I have had a rude awakening," said Gomez Esteral "I have learned that friends arev false, and that ene mies may be truest friends. The shock has almost overwhelmed me—I can say but little Baron Zollern, Mr. Yazimoto—go your ways Whether my dreams are ever realized or my am bition wrecked, there shall be no profit for Japan or Germany. The world of Latin-America shall know of the tre mendous treachery they planned, and that knowledge will end the hopes your nations may have held. Juan Torrejon, I pardon you and your men for any indiscretions you may have committed. Young gentlemen of the United States, you may return, under escort and protection, bearing with you my heartiest admiration and as surance that your noble nation, at least, need fret no more over the plots Of Gomez Esteral!" CHAPTER XXXI. "Nice promotion waiting back In Washington for you, Mr. Brockett," Bald old Colonel Lewis, beaming with fatherly affection upon the messen gers "Too bad you are not In gov ernment service, Mr Solano" The Cuban smiled delightedly. "I'm sorry, at times," he admitted, "that I am not an American citizen and working in the same department as Harry Brockett Still, Cuba Is quite a country—and I am told that a re sponsible post will be given me at Havana, just as the outcome of these id ventures." "Glad to hear it, my boy," replied the colonel. "By the way. there is quite a lot of news from Washington besides your promotion, Mr Brockett. Chief Wilkins' stenographer, Miss Lawson, will not be there when you return. You can probably imagine why. No arrest, no trouble—nothing at all. 'For the good of the service,' you understand? This redheaded imp" (Mike McKane looked combative for an instant) "Is to go into the secret service—the chief says he regards him as a most promising junior operative. How about dyeing that hair, young "Aw, dat's nottln'," remarked the crimson-head. "Trouble an' wisdom Soon tilrn de hair white an' make a guy look dignified." "A bit from Chicago, also, gentle men," resumed the colonel. "Agullar, exciting experiences, has been iden tified as one of the last ladrones, or murderous robbers, that prowled the Island of Luzon. Nice reward for his capture. I would suggest that it be divided up between yourselves and the policemen who made the capture. The big negro whom Agullar stabbed will get well." "Glad of It," interrupted Mike Mc Kane. "He looked like a big, good natured mutt to me when I slipped him a cipher letter In Detroit." The colonel laughed good-naturedly, and continued: "Everything that you were asked to do has been done with honor, young gentlemen. And now, boys, there is one thing I wish you would explain to me—I have official permission from General Cole to re ceive enlightenment upon the subject Will you kindly map out to me the details of this confounded cipher? .It Is easy enough to write and work out when you have tbe key—but what is the basic foundation of the key? I've tried every way I could imagine to work it out I understand that the best cipher experts of Germany and Japan found the task hopeless and Impossible. That was one reason for their anxiety to get the key away from you. Just to satisfy my own curiosity, I have submitted the code to three American gentlemen who were sup posed to be marvels in deciphering puzzles of the kind—and they gave It up in anger and abasement They said 'that there was no law. no logic, no road. Somehow or other he dragged borrowed from baseball. That's easy foundation from" which to unravel nuch a cipher. So much the better. That made It the safest and surest thing in secret service codes that any one ever Invented. It Is a marvel— I'll take my hat off to It—but, just to ease the old age of a bewildered man, you will show me the idea and the backbone of the thing." "It's as easy as A C," said Brock ett, "if you start it right and get ac quainted with it. As you doubtless understand, the terms used are all enough, isn't it?" "It ought to be," assented the col onel, "but how about the order and lequence of the hieroglyphics?" "Well, here you are," said the in ventor. '1 took a guide-book, a base ball book covering the season of 1910, us my model, and classified things in this fashion: "A: Numbers. The numbers which 3corers give to the players are re membered—and used the other way. rhe scorer usually calls the pitcher ttfo 1. In this cipher P—the abbrevla fion for pitcher—does duty for the The numbers, then*, are as figure 1. follows: 1—P. 2-C. 3—IB. 4—2B. 5—S3. 6—3B. 7—RF. 8—CF. 9—LF. 10—Sub. O—Umpire." "Not bad," chortled the colonel, as this last announcement was read. "Go »head—this is good." "I decided," Brockett continued, "to let 100 stand for the word manager— used either way, of course—and 1,000 stand for magnate. Certain figures, to make the cipher a trifle harder of unraveling, were then added from the averages. If, for example, I had oc casion to use the figures 385 in any connection, I used the word 'COBB.' $85, you see, was Cobb's batting aver age on the 1910 season." "That word," laughed the colonel, "proved the death-blow to one of my experts who had been getting along swimmingly till he encountered it. Go an, son." "The letters of tbe alphabet," Brockett resumed, "were taken from the details at the heads of columns in the scores, or from the details at the lower portions thereof. Let me show you the idea: "A—Pos. "B—AB. "C—R. "D—BH. "E—SH. "F—SB. "G—2BH. "H—3BH. "I—HR. "J—TB." "Hold on," Interrupted tbe colonel. 1 can follow so far—but what does the TB represent in baseball?" "Total bases, colonel," Brockett ex plained. "K—BA (batting average). "L—PO. "M-A. "N—E. "O—TC (total chances). "P—FA (fielding average). "Q—IP (innings pitched)./ "R—W. "S—L. "T—To (taken out).' "U—Fin. (finished.) "V—T (tied). MW—BB. "X—HB (hit by pltchery. MY—WP (wild pitch). "Z—SO. "And—PB. "The—ER (earned runs). "Of—LB (left on bases). "Some of the last-named abbrevia tions, colonel," Brockett went on* "ar* realiv hist ornamental, but can help to puzzie anyone «n aa iaqmac tive nature. Then, too, you can use the order in which the teams finished In 1910 to designate the terms first, second, third, etc. See how It all runs?" The colonel looked over key and code once more, and then solemnly shook hands with all three of the youngsters. "Boys," said he, "I surrender at discretion." "Shall we leave tomorrow?" asked Brockett, as the common citizens were arraying themselves for the decisive game against the cavalry* The Cuban nodded, emphatically. "Not that it isn't pleasant enough "round here," explained Ramon Solano, "and we could put in the whole month of your leave-ot-absence among good friends. Still. I want to so back east By the Way, now ww riiirTnifTsHI' tttt^ ball that Delehanty gave year Brockett sighed sympathetically. "You have my condolences. Ramon I really wanted you to have that a but it so happens that it was the verjr ball In which I put those messages^ that night near Rancho Nogal—anOkk™ Gomez Esteral now holds it as ?i souvenir." \~i "I'll go over and coax it away froittflf him," volunteered Mike McKane. W)b "Not a chance." neeatlved Btoetett-£4& SAW "BOyf./dM/fMPffiArMXMfr/M' "Not a cnance. Jisterai prizes that ball above all other trophies, ana you'd be lucky to escape unhanged itr you tried to get it. Sorry for you.. Ramon—there's one of your dreams, that won't come true." "It looks that way," smiled the Cu ban. "Still—there are other dreams. That's why I want to go back east to morrow. I promised that I would pajr a call upon your sister, Harry—anoL the call is overdue." Solano's dark face flushed frankly Brockett began to whistle, and Mike McKane revolved away toward th* ball field by a series of handsprings. A bugle sounded the athletes of the cavalry trooped out to take up their positions, and the bearers of. the. Diamond Cipher started happily to wards the battleground. (THE END.) AW HOUR'S WALK. You Would Hardly Think It Meant Traveling 85,253 Miles. Have you ever thought of the dis tance you travel when you are out. on an hour's stroll? Possibly youa walk three miles within the hour, but that does not by any means represent the distance you travel. The earthv turns on its axis every twenty-four hours. For the sake of round figures^ we will call the earth's circumference 24,000 miles, and so you must have traveled during the hour's stroll 1,000* miles in the axial turn of the earth. But this is not all. The earth makes* a journey around the sun every year., and a long but rapid trip it is. The distance of our planet from the sun we will put at 92.000.000 miles. Thls is the radius of the earth's orbit—half the diameter of the circle, as we caU It. The whole diameter is therefore 184,000.000 miles, and the circumfer ence, being the din meter multiplied by 3141G, Is about 578,000.000 This'amazing distance the earth trav els In its yearly journey, and dividing It by 3G5 we find the daily speed about 1.58GO0O Then we get tbe distance you rode around the sun during your hour's walk, divide again by twenty four, and the result is about GG.000* miles. But this is not the end of your hour's trip The sun. with its entire brood of planets, is moving in space at the rate of 100,000,000 miles in a. year. That is at the rate of a little more than 438.000 miles a day, or 18. 250 miles an bour So, adding your three miles of leg: travel to the hour's axial movement of the earth, this to the earth's orbital journey and that again to the earth's* excursion with tbe sun. and you find? you have traveled in the bour 85253: miles. Made the Sea Run. "Ah, yes." murmured Miss Screech er after the first selection at the mo sicale, "I have had some exciting ex periences. Coming over here frontt London a terrible storm arose, and E had to sing to quiet the immigrants. You should have seen tbe heavy "sea* running!" And the big. rude man in the pink: necktie gazed out of the window. "I don't blame the sea," he mutteredV Longirtg. He—What a glum and dismal wife you are! I don't bellve you could be lively or pleasant to save your lifes. She—I may be a dull wife, but justs give me a chance and see wbat merry widow I would make.—London* Stray Stories. WANTED IDEAS Our Four Books sentl Free with list, of Inventions wanted by manufactur ers and promoters, also Prises offered* for Inventions. Patents secured or Fee RETURNED. VictorJ. Evans& Co. W Safety Razor Blades MadeSharper Than New Doll rworbtedaa rwhinwiwl tT KMMdr* B«We riot— ("tbe onlyw»y"J. tOetheta. tft rcpeaMBt Stud ad «tm fm IMWM •mu n») CO. DW New Ulna Patrons leave their order* with OCH8 ft BAEB. •f :$