太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > whirligigs >

第9节

whirligigs-第9节

小说: whirligigs 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




dicker down in Susanville。  I'd do anything I could to

free the lady; but it out…sizes my pile。〃



〃Could you stand one thousand two hundred dollars?〃

asked the lawyer; insinuatingly。



〃Five hundred is my limit; I tell you。  Guess I'll

have to hunt up a cheaper lawyer。〃  The client put on

his hat。



〃Out this way; please;〃 said Lawyer Gooch; opening

the door that led into the hallway。



As the gentleman flowed out of the compartment and

down the stairs; Lawyer Gooch smiled to himself。  〃Exit

Mr。 Jessup;〃 he murmured; as he fingered the Henry

Clay tuft of hair at his ear。  〃And now for the forsaken

husband。〃  He returned to the middle office; and assumed

a businesslike manner。



〃I understand;〃 he said to client number three; 〃that

you agree to pay one thousand dollars if I bring about;

or am instrumental in bringing about; the return of Mrs。

Billings to her home; and her abandonment of her infatu…

ated pursuit of the man for whom she has conceived such

a violent fancy。  Also that the case is now unreservedly in

my hands on that basis。  Is that correct?〃



〃Entirely〃; said the other; eagerly。  And I can

produce the cash any time at two hours' notice。〃



Lawyer Gooch stood up at his full height。  His thin

figure seemed to expand。  His thumbs sought the arm…

holes of his vest。  Upon his face was a look of sym…

pathetic benignity that he always wore during such

undertakings。



〃Then; sir;〃 he said; in kindly tones; 〃I think I can

promise you an early relief from your troubles。  I have

that much confidence in my powers of argument and

persuasion; in the natural impulses of the human heart

toward good; and in the strong influence of a husband's

unfaltering love。  Mrs。 Billinos; sir; is here  in that

room  the lawyer's long arm pointed to the door。

〃I will call her in at once; and our united pleadings  〃



Lawyer Gooch paused; for client number three had

leaped from his chair as if propelled by steel springs; and

clutched his satchel。



〃What the devil;〃 he exclaimed; harshly; 〃do vou

mean?  That woman in there!  I thought I shook her

off forty miles back。〃



He ran to the open window; looked out below; and threw

one leg over the sill。



〃Stop!〃  cried Lawyer Gooch; in amazement。  〃What

would you do?  Come; Mr。 Billings; and face your

erring but innocent wife。  Our combined entreaties cannot

fail to  〃



〃Billings!〃  shouted the now thoroughly moved client。

〃I'll Billings you; you old idiot!〃



Turning; he hurled his satchel with fury at the lawyer's

head。  It struck that astounded peacemaker between

the eyes; causing him to stagger backward a pace or two。

When Lawyer Gooch recovered his wits he saw that his

client had disappeared。  Rushing to the window; he

leaned out; and saw the recreant gathering himself up from

the top of a shed upon which he had dropped from the

second…story window。  Without stopping to collect his

hat he then plunged downward the remaining ten feet

to the alley; up which he flew with prodigious celerity

until the surrounding building swallowed him up from 

view。



Lawyer Gooch passed his hand tremblingly across his 

brow。  It was a habitual act with him; serving to clear 

his thoughts。  Perhaps also it now seemed to soothe the

spot where a very hard alligator…hide satchel had struck。



The satchel lay upon the floor; wide open; with its con…

tents spilled about。  Mechanically; Lawyer Gooch stooped

to gather up the articles。  The first was a collar; and

the omniscient eye of the man of law perceived; wonder…

ingly; the initials H。K。J。 marked upon it。  Then came

a comb; a brush; a folded map; and a piece of soap。

lastly; a handful of old business letters; addressed 

every one of them  to 〃Henry K。 Jessup; Esq。〃



Lawyer Gooch closed the satchel; and set it upon the

table。  He hesitated for a moment; and then put on his hat

and walked into the office boy's anteroom。



〃Archibald;〃 he said mildly; as he opened the hall door;

〃I am going around to the Supreme Court rooms。  In five

minutes you may step into the inner office; and inform the

lady who is waiting there that〃  here Lawyer Gooch

made use of the vernacular  〃that there's nothing

doing。〃







               CALLOWAY'S CODE

                                        

The New York Enterprise sent H。 B。 Calloway as

special correspondent to the Russo…Japanese…Portsmouth

war。



For two months Calloway hung about Yokohama

and Tokio; shaking dice with the other correspondents

for drinks of 'rickshaws  oh; no; that's something to 

ride in;  anyhow; he wasn't earning the salary that his

paper was paying him。  But that was not Calloway's

fault。  The little brown men who held the strings of

Fate between their fingers were not ready for the readers

of the Enterprise to season their breakfast bacon and

eggs with the battles of the descendants of the gods。



But soon the column of correspondents that were to

go out with the First Army tightened their field…glass

belts and went down to the Yalu with Kuroki。  Calloway

was one of these。



Now; this is no history of the battle of the Yalu River。

That has been told in detail by the correspondents who

gazed at the shrapnel smoke rings from a distance of

three miles。  But; for justice's sake; let it be understood

that the Japanese commander prohibited a nearer view。



Calloway's feat was accomplished before the battle。

What he did was to furnish the Enterprise with the

biggest beat of the war。  That paper published exclu…

sively and in detail the news of the attack on the lines of

the Russian General on the same day that it

was made。  No other paper printed a word about it for

two days afterward; except a London paper; whose

account was absolutely incorrect and untrue。



Calloway did this in face of the fact that General Kuroki

was making; his moves and living his plans with the pro…

foundest secrecy; as far as the world outside his camps was

concerned。  The correspondents were forbidden to send out

any news whatever of his plans; and every message that

was allowed on the wires was censored  with rigid severity。



The correspondent for the London paper handed in

a cablegram describing; Kuroki's plans; but as it was

wrong from beginning to end the censor grinned and let

it go through。



So; there they were  Kuroki on one side of the Yalu

with forty…two thousand infantry; five thousand cavalry;

and one hundred and twenty…four guns。  On the other

side; Zassulitch waited for him with only twenty…three

thousand men; and with a long stretch of river to guard。

And Calloway had got hold of some important inside

information that he knew would bring the Enterprise

staff around a cablegram as thick as flies around a Park

Row lemonade stand。  If he could only get that message

past the censor  the new censor who had arrived and

taken his post that day!



Calloway did the obviously proper thing。  He lit his pipe

and sat down on a gun carriage to think it over。  And

there we must leave him; for the rest of the story belongs

to Vesey; a sixteen…dollar…a…week reporter on the Enterprise。



Calloway's cablegram was handed to the managing editor

at four o'clock in the afternoon。  He read it three times; and

then drew a pocket mirror from a pigeon…hole in his desk;

and looked at his reflection carefully。  Then he went over to

the desk of Boyd; his assistant (he usually called Boyd when

he wanted him); and laid the cablegram before him。



〃It's from Calloway;〃 he said。  〃See what you make

of it。〃



The message was dated at Wi…ju; and these were the

words of it:



Foregone preconcerted rash witching goes muffled

rumour mine dark silent unfortunate richmond existing

great hotly brute select mooted parlous beggars ye angel

incontrovertible。



Boyd read it twice。



〃It's either a cipher or a sunstroke;〃 said he。



〃Ever hear of anything like a code in the office  a

secret code?〃  asked the m。 e。; who had held his desk

for only two years。  Managing editors come and go。



〃None except the vernacular that the lady specials write

in;〃 said Boyd。  〃Couldn't be an acrostic; could it?〃

                         

〃I thought of that;〃 said the m。 e。; 〃but the beginning

letters contain only four vowels。  It must be a code of

some sort。〃



〃Try em in groups;〃 suggested Boyd。  〃Let's see

 'Rash witching goes'  not with me it doesn't。  'Muf…

fled rumour mine'  must have an underground wire。

'Dark silent unfortunate richmond'  no reason why he

should knock that town so hard。  'Existing great hotly'

 no it doesn't pan out I'll call Scott。〃



The city editor came in a hurry; and tried his luck。

A city editor must know something about everything;

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 b

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的