A MYSTERIOUS CASE OR TRACING A CRIME.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 220, 16 September 1893, Page 6

A MYSTERIOUS CASE OR TRACING A CRIME.

ffl K. F. SILL.

Author of 'Tho Dumb Detective,' 'Prince and Peasant,' 'The Twin Detectives,' etc

CHAPTER VI.

SEVERED AT THE ALTAR.

The morning of Ruth's wedding dawned clear and cold, bub sunshiny.

The girl had some difficulty in getting away alone, and ib was only by a happy accident that she did so at length, for Aunf Agnes was bonb on accompanying her : bub her dressmaker arrived, and the lady was coon deep in a discussion aboub shirrs and folds, revers and puffings, and Ruth made her escape in the midst of it. Melville was waiting ab the corner appointed, and sprang from the carriage with a happy smile when ho caught sight of Ruth's bright face. She was becomingly dressed ; for 'breathes there a woman with soul so dead ' thab does nob want to look well upon her wodding-day ? She woro a pretty dress of cadet blue silk —papa's Christmas present, and nover worn before ; a seal-skin sacque — Melville's latest gift,and a small bonneb, entirely composed of whito daisies. Her bright brown hair was pushed back, leaving just a little fringe of curls for the winter sun to kiss into bronzo ; her large brown eyeß were bright with happiness, and softly shy with maidenly modesty; while the fresh bloom of cheeks and lip 3 proved that Ruth was no subject for Aunt Agnes' boneset tea. 'My darling, how sweet you look! How glad I am to see you 1 I nover slept lasb nighb for fear somebhing mighb happon bo detain you,' exclaimed Melville, love Bhining oub of hia eyes aa his hand clasped hers. . ,

He, too, looked liko himself. His cheeks were brown and ruddy. His fine features, bright black eyos, and curling hair, made him a lover any girl might be proud of. He was tall, and Ruth was petite, and they made a very pretty picture as they stood on the corner and gazed into each other's oyes, oblivious to the passing strangers. ' Ain'b you going any furbher, sir?' inquired the coachman, waxing impatient. ' Oh, yes. Come on Ruth. Drive to St. Mark's Church.'

'Going to the weddin'?' said the hackman. ' All young fools rushes to weddin's. I'd a sighb sooner go to funerals ; they aro more jollier, for when a feller's buried his troubles end, but whon he's married they only begins; 'sides, ab funorals you generally gits something to drink.' The gloomy soliloquy of the man on tho box did nob interfere with tho happineßS of the young couple inside the carriage. . Molville tried tho bran new ring on Ruth's fingor, and she laughed softly and blushed violently, and felt that all their troubles were over, when, aa Jehu wisely remarked, they were only beginning. Soon they arrived at the church, and they had to get out and walk quite a distance, for the street was full of carriages.

• It is a grand wedding;, Ruth. General Forrest ia the groom,' eaid Melville, aa they pushod their way into the porch. 'And who ia the bride?' waa the natural question Ruth asked in reply. ' I don't know; some Miss Cardell. I believe she ia a niece or something of Vandelier, bhe millionaire.

'1 hope ahe is pretby.' ' Oh, she is the greatest beauty I ever saw !' cried a lady who stood near.

' Is she V asked Ruth, with inberesb.

• Yea. I saw her as she passed in leaning on Mr Vandelier's arm, and her dress is heavenly—all covered with poinb lace, and such a train !'

' What is she—blonde ?'

• No; very dark, with the most magnificent black eyes, and hei* diamonds are perfectly eleganb.' The wedding-march sbruck up; the bridal party wero coming out, and Ruth saw the bride as the party passed into the vestry. Very small and insignificant she felb, too, when she gazed upon the superb being leaning on the stately general's arm, and noticed his proud glance as ib rested on the exquisite downcaab face. ' A lovely creature, Heaven bless her,' said an old woman, enthusiastically.

Rtfbh looked at tho raggod old creature imploringly. Could she not bestow a blessing on her 1 ' Perhaps I don'b deserve one, for I am disobeying my father,' thoughb the poor littlo brido. dolefully.

' Come, Ruth,' whispered Melville : and tbey passed on through bho crowd up to tho altar.

The clergyman evidently expected them, and a fow ot the fashionable crowd, Beeing the youthful pair were bo be united, lingered to witness tho ceremony.

Whispers wenb around, and Ruth's painfully sensitivo nature keenly felt that she was the observed of all beholders.

' What a conbra3t bo bhe other bride !' said a lady, watching the modest, flushed face through her eye-glass. ' Yes,' replied horson. ' And if I was bhe bridegroom I'd bo glad of tho contrast.' * Why. you don'C mean to say you don'b admire Miss Cardell?' exclaimed his mobher. ' Yes, I do. I also admire a tigress—in a cage,' he answered, dryly. 4 What a comparison !' • A very apt one, bub hush, bhe ceremony has commenced,' It commenced, ancl before Ruth was well awnro of it she was the wife of Melville Norton,'for better, for worse—in sickness and beniu-i.' She scarcely comprehended the words which came to her hearing in a sort of buzz, as if they proceeded from a phonograph. Just as the service ended there wasa stir and bustle among tho people who half filled the church. A party of men had jusb entered the sacred building, and pushed their way up to the altar. _

As Me' ille caught sight of them hi 3 face undonvs it an extraordinary chaage. He ' :ew deadly pale, and his eyes became .ixed and glassy. Ruth lifted hers to his face, for she felb su> prised that he did not.oiler to lead her from tho altar.

'I forbid this marriage 1' exclaimed a loud voice.

An awe-sbruck hush fell on the crowd, They wero glad thoy bad remainod.behind, They were about to enjoy a sensation.

When anything happens, it is so nice to be able to say to friends : ' Why, don't you know I was there?' ' Tho ceremony has taken place!' said the clergyman, looking very much surMelvillo nover uttored a word; his face wore tho dazed, helpless expression of an 'On whab grounds do you forbid the marriage ;' inquired bhe pasbor. ' Because the man i 3 my nephew ; lam his legal guardian, and ho is insane !' •What?' screamed Ruth, roused from her °»!l6 is a fact; two doctors have declared him so, and they are here to prove the truth of what I say. He is insane,' 'lb is false!' cried the poor, trembling littlo bride. ■ • . 'It is true. Look at him. Can't yon sco for yourself that lie is mad ?'

•Oh, Melville!' cried Ruth, taking his hand in hers.

He Btared blankly ab her and neither moved or spoke.

' Are you convinced V asked the man, who had interrupted the wedding, harshly. ' No, I am not,' replied Ruth, in a calm, even tone. ' I am convinced that Melville is under somo powerful influence—some strange hallucination, but he is as 9ano aa lam.'

Murmurs of deep sympathy went round the church. Ruth was so young, so innocent, and she seemed alone.

' Melville, come with mo,' said the man, putting hia hand on tho youug man's shoulder.

Drawing his hand away from Rubh the young bridegroom followed his uncle, and while the whole assembly were filled with surprise tho party walked out of tbe church, leaving the pale, frightoned, child-like bride ab the altar— alone.

CHAPTER VII.

THE MESSAGE IN CIPHER.

Hazard, the detective, had made a specialty of bhe sbudy of cipher language. Ib was of greab value bo him in his profession, and he enjoyed puzzling out a message that bafllad the skill of tho whole bureau.

As he sat with the ' Herald' before him which contained the message, ho reasoned in this way :

'The woman is dbep and would not be likely to use any ordinary modo of sending a message.' He examined tho personal carefully, and, after studying ib a long time, he exclaimed:

•I've gobib! She is nob so clever after all. Ah, madam, you should work with bettor tools than these.'

He again scanned the lines very closely. ' Very clumsily done. I'm beginning to lose all my rospecc for you,'

The cipher lay beforo him

' 19.5.3.21 — 10.5 — 4.21.13 — 15.5.8.1— 17.10 — 5.4.19.21 — 9.24.21 — 24.17.9 — 17. 6.6.21.17.8.21.20 — 2.21.10 — 3.21.24.21.17. 8—22.8.5.3-15.5.11—

' Philotus to 18—9—'

'An ordinary alphabet—so you can't do better than this ! Leb me see where our bosb friend comes in—our faibhful libble letter c ; that is the key to your very mysterious message, and I think, madam Philetus, I'll Boon have you down fine.'

By going carefully over tho message he found thab the number 21 occurred nine times in the message.

The number 5 occurred six times,

The number 17 occurred five times. 'Now I'll read your message, madam, wibh or without your permission,' said Hazard triumphantly. ' No. 21 is the letter c, consequently No. 17 is the letter a. Thab accounbs for the milk in the cocoanut.'

He wrote slowly, for he was not a rapid penman. 'Now I guosß I know a little of your game.' He laid the sheet of paper down on which he had inscribed the letters thab formed the message, and thia is how they lookod:

' 0.0.M.E —T.O — N.E.W — Y.O.R.K —A.T— 0.N.C.8 — S.H.E — H.A.S — A. P.P.E.A.R.E.D— L.E.T—M.E—H.I..A.K—F.R.O.M— Y.O.TJ.

' Philetus to b—s —,

' Tho dobs between the figures separato the letters, and the dashes separate the words ; so, Philetus, my friend, your message is simply:

• "Como to Now York ab once, Sh° bas appeared. Leb me hear from you.

' " Philetus to B. S." ' Now what does B. S. stand for ?'

Ha gob up and walked up and down, running his hands through his hair, as he did when plunged in deep thought. ' I have it, by bhe great Ciesar ! " B. S." stands for " black snake." '

He sab down now to think more comfortably. Here waa a discovery worth making.

The woman who committed the murder in the Vandenhoff House needed help from some one who was nob in tho city.

Another poinb indicated by this message was thab thero was another woman involved in this mysterious crime.

' Two women in ib, one of them young and beautiful and marked by such a sign as this black snake. I oughb to be able to get at bhe bottom of this mystery in a vory short bime. We'll sco what we can do for you, Mrs Philebus,' ho mused. ' For some reason or other she prefers to communicate with this confederate by the columns of tbe "Herald." Ib is quicker bhan a letter, I suppose, and not so noticeable as a telegram. If I only had tho slightest clue as to thab dead man's identity —bub I have nob. She understands how to cover up her tracka and burn her bridges: The effects left by the murdered man were valuable, but indicated nobhing of their wearer's position in society beyond the facb thab he was a gentleman.

His watch, a handsome gold one, bore no monogram, his studs, cuff buttons, and pin were in the possession of the authorities, and had not been identified.

Ib was nob likely thab any clue to where the poison had been procured could be traced, for in all probability it had been purchased in somo other ciby. The woman commenced to bebray herself by the insertion of the message in cipher; ib would call forth an answer,

The day after hia discovery Hazard's eye eagorly scanned the porsonal column of the New York 'Herald.'

1 Yos, thero ib was, tho same alphabetical ciphor message.

Hazard took it home with him that he .might decipher it at his leisure.

It was longer than the first, and no signature appeared. ' Ha ! A clever villain has written this ; ho does nob givo himself away so easily as Philetus did,' eaid Hazard.

He slowly reduced tho figures to letters, and the message ran :

• Will come as soon as possible. Am de tamed hero by matters of importance. Keep her ab bay.'

'Keep her ab bay,' repeated Hazard. ' Then she is an onemy, nob a friend. It is her I must get hold of.'

Do sprang up and rubbed his bushy crop of thick black hair till ib all stood up on end, pacing bho floor meanwhilo, and talking eagorly to himself.

' It's thab smart villain I must try to catch,' he said, as his hasty strides took him to and fro. ' Will ho fall into a trap of my setting ?—that's the question. If I can only get tho ghost of a cluo as to "her" whereabouts, tho whole thing will lie in a nut-shell. Anyhow, I'll try.'

Ho sat clown, and after some laborious efforts succeeded in writing out a 'personal,' which appearod next day in the 'Herald.' He also placed this advertisement among the 'lost and found' notices :

If the friends or relatives of a gentleman whose body wasmysterioualy found recently, will addreaa R.H., 'Herald' Office, they will hear all the particulars of liis mysterious disappearance. Deceased was young, tall, fine-looking, elogantly dressed, and wore a gold watch, valuable jewellery, and a pocketbook containing a sum of money.

'Now, wo'll&oe if that don't bring forward something besides five hundred letters from distractod wives and mothers whose husbands and sons are out on a jamboree.'

On the same day as Hazard's personal appearod, a dispatch flashed over the wires. Ib merely said:

' Take no notice of personal. Ib is nob mino.'

[To be Continued.)