CHAPTER XVI
THE STRANGE AND SURPRISING WARREN
The volume was a loose-leaf diary, with each page dated, and of
letter size. It covered more than the current year, however,
running back for nearly eighteen months. It was as scrupulously
edited as a lawyer's engagement book, and curiously enough it was
entirely written in typewriting!
Most surprising of all, however, was the curious code in which
the entire matter was transcribed,--the most unusual one which
Shirley had ever read.
Here was the first page to which he opened, letter for letter and
symbol for symbol:
"THURSDAY: JANUARY SEVENTH, 1915.
;rstmrfagtp,ansmlafrav;rudyrtaftreadocayjpi
dsmfaoma,ptmomha,pmlassdohmrfaypayscoae
ptlagptayrsadjomrasddohmrfagocahrmrsypta
,sthoragsotgscafsyraeoyjafrav;rudyrtasyagobra
djomrasmfalprajse;ruavobrtomhas,rakslras
smffanrmasddohmrfan;svlavstagpta,raqsofaqj
o;apmrajimftrfavpbrtomhadqrvos; aeptlakpn
agomodjrfatobrtdofraftobrasyarohjyoayjotfad
ocadjstqafrqpdoyr famohjyasmfaffuagpitayjpi
dsmfadsgrafrqpdoyagogyrrmajimftrfa; rmyaf
p;;ua,stopmayepajimfrtgptaftrddagptaqstyua
eoyjabsmv;rgyamrcyasgyrtmppmasfbsmvrfad
jomrapmrayjpidsm daypavpbrtapqyopmapga
usvjyadimnrs, aqsofaypantplrtayjsyamohjyapt
frfaqtpbodop,dayr;rqjpmragptausvjyayepa,p
myjabtiodra, pmlasddohmrdagptkpnamrcyafs
uasfbs mvrfadjomragojimftrfapmasvvpimyae
ptlapmaer;;omhypmadrtts;a,syyrtatrqsitdan;
svla,svjomra"
and so it ran on, baffling and inspiring a headache!
Shirley went over and over the lines of this bewildering phalanx
of letters with no reward for his absorbed devotion to the
puzzle.
Pages:
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200