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A ,m‘wn‘h:§vfi-v‘~x“i~r":0¢fit L)le » v~<em~uw.m. a.» ...,...w ...;..,.....;-. 4. ... . , t '++++++++++++++++++++3_ iii 'lillllfl l Hill +. ++++++++++++++++++++++ From the day on which I first met Lii’lan Elsmore at a tennis party I put- forth my utmost effort to win he: affection. Fortune was kinder to me than I could have hoped. I soon saw that she was not averse to my attentions, and when in due time I plucked up courage and confessed my love she blushineg acknowledged that she loved me, and referred me to her papa. To my surprise and disappoint- ment her father refused his consent to a formal engagement between us. “Lilian is all I have," he said, "and I have no wish to part with her yet awhile. You are both young and can alfordvto wait. Let things drift for a time ; then if you both remain in the same mindâ€"well, I mry give my consent.” “Lilian and I understand each other perfectly, and we are both sure~â€"â€"” “Yes, yes, I know,” he interrupt- od. “I don’t object to a secret treaty between you ; all I say is that it must not be made known un- til I give my consent. Now run away and tell her so.” I was disappointed but not alto- gether discouraged by the result of my interview. Squire Elsmore was a. fine type of the real old English gentleman, comprising the bluff heartiness of the typical squire with the shrewd common sense of the successful business man. If he had not been satisfied with me he would have said so in his blunt, straightâ€" forward fashion. . ++++++¢¢ ++++++ The more I saw of Elsmore the more I liked him. He Was a selfâ€" made man and a terrible boaster, but his boasting seemed in keeping with his character, and pleased in- stead of irritated you. “I started as an errand boy, and finished up ,as aâ€"wellâ€"a far richer man than the Commissioners of Inâ€" come Tax have any idea of," he would say. “During a long and sucâ€" cessful business career I never made a. mistake ; few men can say that 1 But I was an early riser, and the ~ man who wished to get before me would have to stop up all nightâ€" and many nights l” One evening his boasting begat a kindred spirit within me. “There is no doubt you did fairly well,” I said, patronizingly. “But it was in your favor that you operated in the days before the rain came. _If you lived and moved and had your being in the city to-‘day we’d lime the twig and catch you every time.” “I was surprised at my own tem- erity, but my astonishment was no- thing to his. He looked at me and gasped. I thought for a minute or tw0 that my words had cho’ked him, but he managed to swallow them somehow. ~ " "Well, I’m jiggered.” he ejaculated. “So that is your opinion, is it ?” I nodded. “You thinkyou could manage it, do you ?" L I nodded again. He looked at me wonderinglyâ€"pityingly. He cleared the plate and glasses from before him and, leaning forward, rested his trulded arms upon the table. "You are keen on marrying lJlian ‘2" he queried, slowly. "Very," I replied. “You love her, and I believe she loves you.” he continued, deliberate- ly. “I rather like you myself, and have only withheld my consent to your engagement because I do not Want you to live an idle life. Idle- ncss very often breeds vice, while work, with its engrossments and re- sponsibilities, makes for health and happiness. But you are fairly esâ€" tablished now, so I am going to make you a sporting offer.” "Yes ?" I said, eagerly. "Go and buy an engagement ring, Iii-75m I’ll tell you what it is,” he an- savored. “I have one already," I said, fiunbling in the corner of my waistâ€" coat pocket. “Oh ! Let me look at it.” I took out the little box and handed him the diamond ring I had purchased. For a time he sat toyâ€" ing with it. "You are certain you could take a rise out of me ?" he asked, . sud- denly. “Yes, I rather think I could," I answered, confidently. “All right, do it !" he said, em- phatically, bringing his clenched fist down upon the table with a bang that made, the plates and glasses rattle. “And .the day on which you manage it you may place this ring '0 Lilian’s finger, and not before.” “Tint how ?" I asked, nervously. "That's for you to find out and mat for me to tell you,” he said, good-humoredly. ‘ “Suppose it takes a form you don't like ‘2" I asked, cautiously. my. .o‘ll‘ silly joking it can take any form you choose,” he replied. “Now run away and tell Lilian about it and let her hold the stakes." When I told Lilian her remarks were neither comforting nor comâ€" plimentary». _ Elsinore was in fine form when he joined us in the drawing-room. But his ancient stories and hearty laugh- ‘- depressed me ; while Lilian made r... ‘.‘.T01‘l‘. to conceal her disappointâ€" ment. when I ‘iissed her good-night she broke down and sobbed helplessly, and I walked home the most miserâ€" able man on earth. Days passed in hopeless inactivity. Harebrained schemes were concoct- ed and dismissed hourly. I hadn’t a. mind'above a practical joke. Then an event happened which drove all other thoughts from our minds. -The Dutton Diamonds were stolenâ€"istolen so cleverly that the whole bounty was filledhwith con- sternation at the consummate dar- ing of the thieves. ‘~ The Duchess, after placing the case upon her dressing Table, left the room for a few moments. When she returned the case had vanished. There was absolutely no clue. The police were at their wits' end. Li'ke cverybne else, Elsmore had a pet theory which he advanced with his usual dogmatic pers‘is-tency. His idea was that the jewels had been hidden somewhere in or about the house by someone connected with the establishment, who was also a member of a clever gang of thieves and forgers, acting under the leader- ship of an American known to the police as Red Erick. “As soon as the storm blows over they will remove their booty,” he said ; “and as they cannot com- municate with each other by post, for fear of the letters falling into the hands of the police, they will have recourse to a cipher advertise- ment 'in one of the daily papers.” I shook my head doubtfully. “The police are too clever at read- ing ciphers for the thieves to have recourse to such a method,” I said. “They could easily concoct a code which the whole of the CriminalInâ€" vestigation Department could not read quickly enough to frustrate their plans,” he said, confidently. “Watch the papers, and see if I am not right.” The manufacture and elucidatiOn of codes and ciphers was Elsmore’s pet. hobby. His ambition was to com- pile a, unique and comprehensive commercial code, and he had devot- ed years to that object. - Lilian’s eyes twinkled merrily as she led him. on to boast of his ability as a 'cip-her reader, and once started on his favorite topic he certainly did himself justice. . “Your old dad may be behind the times in many things, but there is no expert in England who Can give him pointan the making and readâ€" ing of codes and ciphers,” he said. . Then he settled himself comfort- ably in a deep easy chair, and took up a paper. Lilian challenged me to a. game of billiards, and we left the room toâ€" gether. As soon as the door of the billiard-room closed behind us she threw her arms round my neck and kissed me. ' “Isn't he the dearest old boas‘ter that ever lived ‘2" she said, en- thusiastically. V “He certainly does not hide his light under a bushel,” I answered, sarcastically. "No, he boasts and performs ; whereas some people of my vauaint- anceâ€"” “Yes, I know," I interrupted. (‘Youflifl “Oh, I thought perhaps you had forgotten it," she said, sweetly. “What do you propose doing ? Have you any plans ?" I replied woefully that I had not the ghost of a, plan. “Well,” answered Lilian, giving me another hug, "I have. A real beauty. I thought it all out while he was boasting. Now listen.” For half an hour I played the part of interested listener, then we went back to the drawing room and talk- ed Dutton Diamonds to her father. A few evenings later I found Elsâ€" more in a state of suppressed excite- ment. “Have you seen the ‘Times’ ?" he asked, as I entered the room. "Not toâ€"day. Why ‘2 Anything special in it ?” “Come into the library and I’ll show you.” I followed him into the room, where he took up the paper and pointed to the following. cipher ad- vertisement :â€" “Arqohzmsf. JBdees 2 r 3’ tcux. cvasz Hirfgtzrq. 5 qq. (9) 2 15 14 3’ 1832 13 12.” ‘ “The man who solves that cipher will have the thief of the Dutton Diamonds in the hollow‘ of his hand,” he said impressively. “Think so ?” I queried. "I know he will. It confirms my theory, and I intend to solve it. I wish I had seen it first thing this morning, I would have worked it out before now. Prompt solution is everything in a case of this kind. Toâ€"morrow will be too late.” “Then why bother about it ?” I asked. “Because it proves the truth of my theory,” he answered,_ shortly. “How do you know ?" "By the numerals at the end. There are so many cipher communiâ€" cations in the daily papers that inâ€" terested watchers would wish to know at a glance the particular one for which they were waiting. As soon as I. saw the cipher it struck me that. the numerals were the signaâ€" ture and the key to them was in the cipher itself. I worked it out and ‘got the following result :â€"- “9f. 2r. 15c. 14d. 18r. 32f. 13c. 12k.â€"-(F) redErick." ‘1Frederick,” I salxd. "Well, and liowâ€"'~â€"-" “Red Erick," he interrupted, testâ€" ily. “Can’t you see that the F is bracketed to show that it is useless. It’s as plain as a pi'kestaff that the cipher is Red Erick’s instructions to the man who I hid the Dutton Dia- monds. I wish to goodness I had seen it this morning. 1 should have missed it altogether if Lilian had not pointed it out to me.” "Then you have not been able to solve it ?" ‘ “I have not had time to do more than catch the drift of it. I believe the capitals are intended for num- erals, having the va‘lue of their place in the alphabet, and that the num- erals are either frequently recurring consonants or vowels. The 2 and 5 are probably the vowel e, the 2 signifying its order as a vowel and the 5 its place in the alphabet. The 3’ is probably q,, the third letter which occurs four times.” “You may be right,” I raid, as he paused to take breath, "but I doubt it. In fact, I don’t believe‘it has anything whatever to do with the Dutton Diamonds. My opinionâ€":J’ “Your opinion,” he sneered, "is like your boastâ€"worthless/ When you have fulfilled the ‘one I shall be glad to listen to the other." He turned angrily and seated him- self at his desk. I accepted my disâ€" missal and joined Lilian. We strolled into the billiardâ€"room and switched on the lights. But. we did not playâ€"at least not until We heard the sound of approaching footsteps, then I grabbed a cue, and when Elsmore entered Lilian was marking - and I was busy with a sequence of nursery cannons. There was an eager light in Elsâ€" more's eyes and he waved a. sheet of paper triumphantly. 9 “I’ve got it,” he cried, “and we shall have time to collar the beg- gars. The cipher was- a teaser, but I managed it.” ’ He laid the sheet of paper on the billiard-table, and we crowded eager- ly around it. Instead of the solu- tion we expected it contained the following cipher : “Bsrpianrg K 2 1 3 e dl‘esrsbty. Bwo 2 y 3 c 8 hsehsatrepr. (F) red Erick." “Why, that's another cipher," Lilian said, in a disappointed tone. "Of course itis," he cried. “You didn’t expect that Red Erick was fool enough to trust his message to a cipher which an ordinary police expert could solve at. a glance, did you ? He is a clever fellow, but your old dad has been one too many for him. It was a long time before I hit upon the key, and when I did the answer was a puzzler ; but I stuck to it like death to a darky until it yielded up its secret, and there it is." ' “It may be,” said Lilian, sarcas- tically ; “but I am not an expert. If you wish me to-understand you willâ€"" “All right, girl," he answered, soothingly. “The cipher, though in- tricate, was really very simple. They had submitted ‘a’ for ‘b’ 'r' for ‘s,’ and so on, and had mixed up the words so that the answer formed a second cipher. In order to add to its difficulty and prevent the recurâ€" rence of certain letters, they had used both the preceding and follow- ing letters. To anyone who held the key to ‘the second cipher this pre- sented no difficulty, but it was a million to one on a stranger hitting the right sequence. Even I did not get it until I noticed that the let- ters separated by the numerals 2, 3, 8 were oych, and that the first letter was b ; then running my eye along the remaining alternate let- ters I spelled out the word Boychesâ€" ter. After a little alteration I ap- plied the same method to the whole cipher, and read its hidden message: ‘Bring sparklers, 23, Derby street, Boychester, W., 23, 8 sharp. (F)red Erick.’ Sparklers is the slang for diamonds ; W. is Wednesday; 23 is the date, and as the 23rd does not occur on Wednesday again for eight months, it must be toâ€"morrow. Now do you understand ?" “Yes,” we chorused. “And what will you do now~communicate with the police ?” “No,” he answered promptly ; “Helstone and'I will work this thing ourselves. Lawson, the Chief Conâ€" stable of Boychester, is an old friend of mine. I shall go down there by the first train in the mornâ€" ing and ask him to find out whether Frederickâ€"or anyone answering to the' description of Red Erickâ€"is staying at 23 Derbystreet. Then I will wireyou, Helstone, and you can come down and be in at the death. By George ! Won’t the county be surprised i” We complimented him on his clever- ness, and the old boy spread himself like a green bay tree and boasted so loud and long that we reminded him that he was only at the beginning of his adventure. At three o’clock the next day he wired me, "Come by train arriving at 7.30.” As the train steamed into the station I saw him pacing the plat- form excitedly. “It’s all right," he said, as I slighted, “23 is an hotelâ€"The Alâ€" bion. They have engaged two pri- vate rooms and ordered dinner for four at 8.30. Scotland Yard have not the slightest idea of the meetâ€" ing. Police-like they are on another track altogether. I pledged Lawson to secrecy before I showed him the cipher. As a J.P. I’d have played the whole thing 'olf my own bat rather than have been robbed of the glory. It’s the biggest coup of my life !” ’ A few minutes before eight we were ushered into the private sitting- room reserved for Mr. Frederick. It was empty. As the time passed Elsâ€" more’s anxiety was painful to witâ€" ness. Watch in hand, he paced the room, starting nervously at every sound. “Do you think they have got wind of our movements ?" he asked. "Oh, no,” answered Lawson, reas- suringly. “There is a train at 8.15. A cab can easily do the distance .in five or six minutes, and the dinner is ordered for 8.30." ' The rattle of a. cab drew Elsmore to the window. '“Don’t look out/“I cried ; “they may see you." He darted back into' the middle of the room and stood with‘ a. tense, strained look, listening eagerly. The sound of. footsteps in the corridor increased his excitement. We tip- toed across the room and stood so that the opening door would hide us from view. The footsteps ceased at the door of the room -; there was a low knock, the door moved upon its hinges, someone entered, the door closed again, and we saw a. beautiâ€" fully dressed woman walking across the room to the window. At the sound madeby our4 move- ments she turned and, to his utter astonishment, Elsmore found himself face to face with Lilian. For a. mo- ment he stared at her in dumb asâ€" tonishment. Her eyes twinkled mis- chievously. “Lilian !" hegasped, at length. “What on earth are you doing here ‘2" “I came in answer to Frederick’s advertisement,” she answered. “Frederick’s advertisement ?” he echoed.- “What advertisement ?" “The cipher advertisement in yes- tel-day’s Times, which you' thought proved your theory concerning the theft of the Dutton Diamonds. These are the sparklers referred to.” As she spoke she took out the lit- tle box and handed it to me, and taking out the ring I slipped it on to her finger. Elsmore turned and looked at Lawson, who was watching him, a smile of amusement playing about the corners of his mouth. “You knew !” he said. Lawson laughed and nodded. “Well, I'm jiggered !" he ejaculat- ed. “What a sell l By Jove, Lawâ€" son, but‘they fooled me to the top of my bent !" Then a roar of hearty laughter filled the room, and we knew that not only had our ruse succeeded but also that we were forgiven. ~vâ€"â€"â€"-+ ED‘WARDS’ TROUBLED REIGNS. Three Rulers of That Kama Have V Been Murdered. The Edwards who have preceded the present ruler of England on the throne almost uniformly nave been unfortunate in their reigns. Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great, whom he succeeded in 901, battled with his cousin before he was the undisputed ruler of the Saxons. His reign lasted 23 years, which were marked by constant strife. Edward the Martyr, King of the West Sax- ons, took the crown in 9515, and was murdered by order of his stepmother three years later. The last of the Saxon Edwards was “the .Confessor" so called because of his reputed sancity. He reigned from 1042} to 1066 and died without issue. 'E-dward I. of England was king from 1272 to 1307, a. period marked by civil and foreign wars. He died while on the way to Scotland to subâ€" due an insurrection which had placed Bruce on the throne. 1 Edward II., who had been the first Prince of Wales, became king in 1307. Twenty years later, after warring with his barons, he was de- posed by parliament and murdered in Berkeley Castle. Edward III. succeeded Edward II., became involved“ in the “Hundred- Year-War”- with France and lost about all his continental possessions to Charles V. Twice during his reign did the black death devastate his kingdom. He died in 1377. Edward IV., king from 1461 to 1483,, was active in the‘ War of the Roses before he succeeded to the throne. His reign was marked by‘ the bloody dissensions between the Houses of York and Lancaster. Edward V., born in Westminster Abbey in 14:70, was king for three months in 1483, .when in June of that year he was murdered with his brother in the Tower by order of his uncle, lichard Duke of Gloucester. Edward VI., king from 1547 to 1553, closed a troubled reign by as- signing the crown to the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey, to the exclusion of Mary and Elizabeth. He was the last English monarch of the name until the accession of the present king. ' ' __ . DIGNIFIED SCHOOLBOYS. The model schoolboy is to be look- ed for in China. Eleven hundred college boys, all bound for Queen's College, Hong Kong, and not one of them indulging in boisterous laugh- ter or even letting off his super- fluous spirits by a run or a leap, is a sight to be witnessed any day in; that Eastern city. A correspondent' stood in one of the streets crowded by these Chinese schoolboys and watched them as they passed. They did not hurry, but walked sedately along, with their books under their arms. The utmost exhibition of youthful feeling was a reserved smile which lighted up the face of a boy here and there as he listened to the conversation of his companions. Boisterous behaviour would have been considered by _ these Chinese lads as undignified and quite conâ€" trary to all ideas of schoolboy good form. The more sedate a Chinese boy is in his behaviour, the more he conducts himself like a little old man, the more aristocratic he is considered by his schoolfellows, and the more praise he receives from his schoolmasters and his parents. There was little variety in the color and cut of their dress. They were no hats. Some had brushed all their hair straight back into their long queues ; while others had a fringe of stiff bristles dividing the shaven from the unshaven territory of their heads. A REMARKABLE- DREAM. RAISED A. FAMILY FROM POVr ERTY TO AFFLUENCE. A Clergyman of the Church of ' England Tells a Strange Story. The following, which our readers will probably admit is the most re< markable dream-story they have ever .heard, is given in the very words in which it is told by the dreamer, a clergyman of high re‘ pute in the Church of England, of whose absolute truthfulness there can be not the faintest possibility of suspicion. It is very doubtful wheth- er there is on record any dream eV< ery minute detail of which has been so exactly reproduced in fact, or which has so dramatically opened the door of wealth to a family at the lowest ebb of its fortunes. A few months ago I fell asleep and dreamed. In my dream I saw spread before me the open pages of a book, which a glance showed me was~ a. churchâ€"register book. and in clear writing I read the details of the marriage of Matthew 11â€" to Ellen Râ€"â€"â€". It seemed in my dream. as if the register were far away, al< though I could read it so distinctly. I felt a strong impulse to go to the railway station without 'knoW- ing my destinatiOn, except that it was a country village. I_asked for a ticket, and was told by the clerk that the » train in the direction I wished to go had left some», time ago, but that another train was due in half an hour, and he promised to call me. ' ' I felt no surprise at receiving the ticket without giving the name poi the place to which I wished'to travel. To my great annoyance. however, the man neglected to call me when the train arrived, and again I had to wait for another. This time I was more successful, and after a journey of just under an hour I alighted at a pretty ‘ LITTLE COUNTRY STATION. I went to the Vicarage and asked for the vicar, but was informed that he was not at home. I then begged“ the old servant, who answered thc door, to lend me the key to th( church. At first she hesitated, but when I persisted, saying I was my- self a clergyman of the Anglican Church, she acceded to my request. I easily unlocked the church door and proceeded .to the vestry. - On_ a shelf were a number of old reg’isten books, one of which I took down and opened. My eyes instantly fell on the entry I had seen a short time before, and then suddenly I aw0ke. For three successive nights 1 dreamed. this dream, until I at last began to believe there must b( something in it. I made a, few cautious inquiries, and, without betraying myself, gained the infon mation that there actually was a village, not an hour distant by rail, which answered exactly to the (lean cription of the place I had seen in my dream. . My mind was now made up. 1 went to the station and demanded a ticket for Mâ€"â€". I was told that the train had gone, but that then would be another one in half an hour, and as it was a beautiful~day I resolved to take a walk ; unfor- tunately I strayed too far, and on my returning to the station saw the train just steaming out. Instantly I remembered that it was by the third train that I had travelled in my dream. When, two hours later, I arrived at Mâ€"â€"â€"â€", I had no difliculty in find- ing, the way to the vicarage, and - was not at all surprised to heal that the vicar was not at home Exactly as , had happened in my dream, the housekeeper at‘ first de murred to my request for the key, BUT FIN ALLY YIELDED. I went to the church and entered the vestry. Yes, there was the shell with the row of browu leather vol- umes. I took one down, and m3 heart gave a great bound when 3 opened it at random and read “Mat thew H to Ellen Râ€"." I mad! a note of the entry in detail ant returned to the Vicarage. By this time the vicar had return ed, and in a matterâ€"ofâ€"fact‘ way i asked for the certificate of the mar- riage in question, giving dates, etc As there was nothing unusual in 111} request or my manner he compliet as a matter of course, and I return ed home armed With the certificate. But now that I had got it, whal was I to do with it ? What was it be the next step ‘? I could think of only one course Foolish as it may appear, I adver- tised it in one of the daily papers, and by return of post received an answer from a firm of solicitors in‘ forming me that they had vainly searched everywhere for the certif'r Cate, as it was of the highest im- portance to a family of good birth. but in very reduced circumstances Now that the register had been found it would mean aflluence in. stead of poverty, as a large fortunl depended solely on the production of the certificate in question.â€"â€"Londo: Tit-Bits. Mmq‘\.¢- nu- “Is Mr. Gayboy at home ?” asked the caller. “Yes, sir," replied tht educated butler. “He is at homeâ€" he's at his club.” “You’re a fraud, sir,’ cried the int dignant patient. “You guarantee: your medicine to cure after every ’thing else failed, andâ€"â€"â€"" "Well my dear sir," replied the fake medi cine man, “probably you haven'~ tried everything else.” r W’ amninwnwrw- Mrafimil’ymunwrautw»Iwmwuilwosmu... n... l «\WMI.W’..~¢AM.»-DÂ¥.T,A~J ~_. ._: iii