whirligigs-第10节
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so Scott knew a little about cipher…writing。
〃It may be what is called an inverted alphabet cipher；〃
said he。 〃I'll try that。 'R' seems to be the oftenest
used initial letter； with the exception of 'm。' Assuming
'r' to mean 'e'； the most frequently used vowel； we
transpose the letters so。〃
Scott worked rapidly with his pencil for two minutes；
and then showed the first word according to his reading
the word 〃Scejtzez。〃
〃Great！〃 cried Boyd。 〃It's a charade。 My first
is a Russian general。 Go on； Scott。〃
〃No； that won't work；〃 said the city editor。 〃It's
undoubtedly a code。 It's impossible to read it without
the key。 Has the office ever used a cipher code？〃
〃Just what I was asking；〃 said the m。e。 〃Hustle
everybody up that ought to know。 We must get at it
some way。 Calloway has evidently got hold of some…
thing big； and the censor has put the screws on； or he
wouldn't have cabled in a lot of chop suey like this。〃
Throughout the office of the Enterprise a dragnet
was sent； hauling in such members of the staff as would
be likely to know of a code； past or present； by reason
of their wisdom； information； natural intelligence； or
length of servitude。 They got together in a group in
the city room； with the m。 e。 in the centre。 No one had
heard of a code。 All began to explain to the head investi…
gator that newspapers never use a code； anyhow that
is； a cipher code。 Of course the Associated Press stuff
is a sort of code an abbreviation； rather but
The m。 e。 knew all that； and said so。 He asked each man
how long he had worked on the paper。 Not one of them
had drawn pay from an Enterprise envelope for longer than
six years。 Calloway had been on the paper twelve years。
〃Try old Heffelbauer；〃 said the m。 e。 〃He was here
when Park Row was a potato patch。〃
Heffelbauer was an institution。 He was half janitor；
half handy…man about the office； and half watchman
thus becoming the peer of thirteen and one…half tailors。
Sent for； he came； radiating his nationality。
〃Heffelbauer；〃 said the m。 e。； 〃did you ever hear of a
code belonging to the office a long time ago … a private
code？ You know what a code is； don't you？〃
〃Yah；〃 said Heffelbauer。 〃Sure I know vat a code is。
Yah； apout dwelf or fifteen year ago der office had a code。
Der reborters in der city…room haf it here。〃
〃Ah！〃 said the m。 e。 〃We're getting on the trail now。
Where was it kept； Heffelbauer？ What do you know
about it？〃
〃Somedimes；〃 said the retainer； 〃dey keep it in der
little room behind der library room。〃
〃Can you find it asked the m。 e。 eagerly。 〃Do you
know where it is？〃
〃Mein Gott！〃 said Heffelbauer。 〃How long you
dink a code live？ Der reborters call him a maskeet。
But von day he butt mit his head der editor；
und 〃
〃Oh； he's talking about a goat；〃 said Boyd。 〃Get
out； Heffelbauer。〃
Again discomfited； the concerted wit and resource of
the Enterprise huddled around Calloway's puzzle； con…
sidering its mysterious words in vain。
Then Vesey came in。
Vesey was the youngest reporter。 He had a thirty…
two…inch chest and wore a number fourteen collar； but
his bright Scotch plaid suit gave him presence and con…
ferred no obscurity upon his whereabouts。 He wore his
hat in such a position that people followed him about to
see him take it off； convinced that it must be hung upon
a peg driven into the back of his head。 He was never
without an immense； knotted； hard…wood cane with a
German…silver tip on its crooked handle。 Vesey was
the best photograph hustler in the office。 Scott said it
was because no living human being could resist the per…
sonal triumph it was to hand his picture over to Vesey。
Vesey always wrote his own news stories； except the big
ones； which were sent to the rewrite men。 Add to this
fact that among all the inhabitants； temples； and groves
of the earth nothing existed that could abash Vesey； and
his dim sketch is concluded。
Vesey butted into the circle of cipher readers very much
as Heffelbauer's 〃code〃 would have done； and asked
what was up。 Some one explained； with the touch of
half…familiar condescension that they always used toward
him。 Vesey reached out and took the cablegram from
the m。 e。's hand。 Under the protection of some special
Providence； he was always doing appalling things like
that； and coming； off unscathed。
〃It's a code；〃 said Vesey。 〃Anybody got the key？〃
〃The office has no code；〃 said Boyd； reaching for the
message。 Vesey held to it。
〃Then old Callowav expects us to read it； anyhow；〃
said he。 〃He's up a tree； or something； and he's made
this up so as to get it by； the censor。 It's up to us。 Gee！
I wish they had sell； me； too。 Say we can't afford to
fall down on our end of it。 'Foregone； preconcerted
rash； witching' h'm。〃
Vesey sat down on a table corner and began to whistle
softly； frowning at the cablegram。
〃Let's have it； please；〃 said the m。 e。 〃We've got to
get to work on it。〃
〃I believe I've got a line on it；〃 said Vesey。 〃Give
me ten minutes。〃
He walked to his desk； threw his hat into a waste…basket；
spread out flat on his chest like a gorgeous lizard； and
started his pencil going。 The wit and wisdom of the
Enterprise remained in a loose group； and smiled at one
another； nodding their heads toward Vesey。 Then they
began to exchange their theories about the cipher。
It took Vesey exactly fifteen minutes。 He brought to
the m。 e。 a pad with the code…key written on it。
〃I felt the swing of it as soon as I saw it；〃 said Vesey。
〃Hurrah for old Calloway！ He's done the Japs and
every paper in town that prints literature instead of news。
Take a look at that。〃
Thus had Vesey set forth the reading of the code：
Foregone … conclusion
Preconcerted … arrangement
Rash … act
Witching … hour of midnight
Goes … without saying
Muffled … report
Rumour … hath it
Mine … host
Dark … horse
Silent … majority
Unfortunate … pedestrians
Richmond … in the field
Existing … conditions
Great…White Way
Hotly … contested
Brute … force
Select … few
Mooted … question
Parlous … times
Beggars … description
Ye … correspondent
Angel … unawares
Incontrovertible … fact
*Mr。 Vesey afterward explained that the logical journalistic complement of the
word 〃unfortunate〃 was once the word 〃victim。〃 But； since the automobile be…
came so popular； the correct following word is now pedestrians。 Of course； in
Calloway's code it meant infantry。
〃It's simply newspaper English；〃 explained Vesey。
〃I've been reporting on the Enterprise long enough to
know it by heart。 Old Calloway gives us the cue word；
and we use the word that naturally follows it just as we
em in the paper。 Read it over； and you'll see how
pat they drop into their places。 Now； here's the message
he intended us to get。〃
Vesey handed out another sheet of paper。
Concluded arrangement to act at hour of midnight
without saying。 Report hath it that a large body of
cavalry and an overwhelming force of infantry will be
thrown into the field。 Conditions white。 Way con…
tested by only a small force。 Question the Times descrip…
tion。 Its correspondent is unaware of the facts。
〃Great stuff！〃 cried Boyd excitedly。 〃Kuroki crosses
the Yalu to…night and attacks。 Oh； we won't do a thing
to the sheets that make up with Addison's essays； real
estate transfers； and bowling scores！〃
〃Mr。 Vesey；〃 said the m。 e。； with his jollying … which …
you … should … regard … as … a … favour manner； 〃you have
cast a serious reflection upon the literary standards of
the paper that employs you。 You have also assisted
materially in giving us the biggest 'beat' of the year。 I
will let you know in a day or two whether you are to be
discharged or retained at a larger salary。 Somebody
send Ames to me。〃
Ames was the king…pin； the snowy…petalled Marguerite；
the star…bright looloo of the rewrite men。 He saw
attempted murder in the pains of green…apple colic；
cyclones in the summer zephyr； lost children in every top…
spinning urchin； an uprising of the down…trodden masses in
every hurling of a derelict potato at a passing automobile。
When not rewriting； Ames sat on the porch of his Brooklyn
villa playing checkers with his ten…year…old son。
Ames and the 〃war editor〃 shut themselves in a room。
There was a map in there stuck full of little pins that
represented armies and divisions。 Their fingers had
been itching for days to move those pins along the crooked
line of the Yalu。 They did so no
