"PY PONK."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 109, 5 June 1909, Page 4

"PY PONK."

AN "AGONY COLUMN" STORY OF SEXTUN BLAKE. I. Like most detectives, Sexton Blake made a practice of reading aJI the "agony" advertisements that appeared in the leading London and provincial papers. Generally, 'tTTc advertisements were so trivial thait the 'detective's interest in them ended when he had read ttam. But there were exceptions to this rule, and the following was one of them.

It first appeared in t.he "agony" column Oif tlie Daily Letter on Saturday, oth January, 1907j and it appeared, so far as Sexton Blake could discover, in no other paper. It ran: "X. Y. Z. Py pan!;."' The detective road it and wrinkled his brow.

"Py ponk!" Xo language with which he was acqu-ain'tied t-ontainod such words. "A cryptogram," lie said to himself. "It's no use trying to solve a cryptogram of two short words j but other advertisements may appear, couched in tiie sa-me cipher, and then I may unearth the key." The advertistfnent appeared again m the following Saturday, 12th Jianuarv, .and again on Saturday, the llß'h, and again on Saturday the 20th. Its regular appearance at intervals of a week, and always exactly i-n- the same form, piqued the detective's curiosity. On Saturday, 2n<S February, the *dvci*Ks>ement appeared again, but this time with an additioai. It now ran:

"Z. Y. Z. Eska zoeoltox. Py ponk." Next Saturday advertisement reverted to its originaJ form "X. Y. Z. Py pout." In = tliis form it appeared on the lGtlh and the 23rd j and then, on Saturday. 2nd March, it appealed again as "X*. Y. Z. Eska zoeoltox. Py punk." 1 March pilssed ami April came. Apiil gave place to Alay, May to June, June to July, and July to August. And still the advertisement continued to appear every week, always in the Daily Letter, and always on Saturday. On ' tin? firstSaturday in the monitli it took the form o.f "Eska zoeoltox. -l'v ponk." On the other Saturdays in Mie month it simply said, "Py ponk." "If only the fellow would add a fe,v more words -to this advertisement, and give me samtfflhing to work on, I'd under,take to discover the key," muttered Sexton Ula.lic, one night towards the end of August*. "But he never will!" he added viciously. "It'll be 'Py ponk' a.nd 'Eska zoeoltox' to the end of the diaptcr." fri this, however, the detective was ;niL«takon, for, on opemfaig his Daily (Letter on tltc morning of Saturday,! tflst August, he saw that the familiar initials "X. Y. Z.," instead of bota" followed by the usual "Py ponk," "were followed by t'wo or three lines o.f unin-'telligSbJe-lookmg juirgoai, of whidh the fc'ir.-lt three words were "Ponk si yski.-' "At last!" cried Sexton Blake, with a %y, exultant laugh.

n. Proceeding on the usual well-known system—«f which the fundamental principle is to count all the clharactej-s m ■the cryptogram, and to assume that the ■one wJijfih appears the oftenest stands for the let-tea' ''e"—Sexton Blake speedily unravelled the tangle, and in less 'than half an hour had obtained a complete key to the unknown advertiser's code.

, With the holp of this key he asceT 1 (turned that "I'y ponk" stood for "No news"; that "Eska zocoltox" meant "Casli received"; and tliait "Ponk si uski" meant "News at last." That is to «av, for right months—from January to August tiic unknown advent'i'sur had advertised 6n tllie tiret Saturday in cacli month, "lash reechoed. No news." On the ot/iuM- Saturdays of the month ho had sinipfy stated, "Xo news." And now, on 1 the Ja-yl Saturday in August, he prefaced his advertisement with the statement, "News at last,"

What whs his faws? i*i»;>erfy the <letyctive deciphered the rest of 'Jhe ,ul-vertisi'im-irt; and,_ when lie had completed his task, this is L lie read: "X. V. 55.—News ,at last. Iluvc found mm. fie enlisted in: Torksliire Fun'iiliers last Juno in name of Trevor. Ikve seen him and struck up a«]uuiiUa.iH'i\ Your wish will be J Sunday uftermmn, •See .Monday s iligJiiield Tdeanipli lor fuli ji.iiitkTilars."

Dark thoughts lliit'icd ttii'ongh the do-1 t,ect*ve'.s brain as lie perused 4fci*c words. I'licn he walked across to the U'Tl'and TOllg up tilt.' \V,'|)- OlliCC, "Where are the Yorkshire Fusiliers s'ail.ioncd at prort'ii't?" he a>-il«:d, "Hi'ghlieJd," \v;i- the curl reply, lie consulted a 'Tiradsliaw," and 4 oi|,t for a han?oin. Hall an hour later Jus was on hit way to Ilightield, where, on arrival. he 'drove to tin; Wracks, ami asked <to see the colonel.

■ Ihe colonel received hl.m ill one of tßu: roiniiis of the oil&ett,'. mms, a .i„l lifstened t<v the sitorv with the (iaepest aitreutum.

Oil. yc<. hi'said. " 1 .know tlie young ta;-o.t; (■> whom tlliio adveitiseiueii,t r"ters. -[lis li-amc is -Tolin Trevor. lial. wliaL do you suppose, is the metuiiug of ■ hese ad\rrl^t'iuciiuh ?"'

( "In tny mind," said .Sexton 'li!aV>, there sno roo.m fur iluubt i ( > tiieir meaninc. The man iwho iiiMerteil them ill the Daily l.elter was evidently employed ia<t 'Tfimia.ry l>y 'X. whoever lie may he—to ascertain, t'ilie [iiv--sent wheiraiboiit.s of tlii? young fellow wilrnm you know as jolm Trevor. X. \. Z. ut»paieiLtily 'agreed to jiaiy tile nian a. eertaSn sum per month whilst ne was piosccuting his stuirclt, and instructed him to rejiOTt progrose every week in the Daily Letter,

I.'?, 1 ' 1 eoinUmtod Spston likiko. the nuin's iimwtigationfi ana eiitiiuries yiddcil ,uo result; so lie advertised eaci'li week, 'Xo newrf.' Prolwbly he lii,s promiwMl pay on tihe last ot eitrvli .iuont.h; on tihe first Saturday sirhsoqiient lie 'mldud to the aJrertiseuiervt the waffi, 'Cash received.' Now, at last, he tats discovered that the yonn»' fellow he has lieen searching .for enlisted m your .regiment last June." „ " AIJ , of wlikfli,'? . Sil id tlio ooJoutl, sounds very platisiUc. But what is Hie meaniMg of 'llaive .seen him and struck up sic.i|n-,iinil«nce. Your wi=h will gratified Sunday afternoon See IMontayV Ilighfield telegraph f M fuH (wtkulurj 1 ';"

j "i't la because of very ttwh," j said Sexton Blako gravely, "tUnt X luivel liurriod lmre n»s fast a.s train and cab'l woulct bring me. In my opinion, I X. Y. Z.,' in mldif;»n. to engaging this.' main, to bjoarch few Trevor, lias bribed I liim to murder him: and, ii 1 read Uusl advertisement airigliit, the man intends ! i .to commit Vm oriuie 'tomiorrow after-^

A look of horrilied 'ineredulity crossed tile wltme-r* face. "1 must confess I. lind it hard to credit juivr theory," lie ..suiu. "If 'X. V. Z.' had ■ooji.'cluded Ui'.s iiiia.m/?iL3 bargain with hi? vo-nt'edeiutc, why should he instruct Jinn to report Do 3mn iia Uie Daiiy Letter?-

, "iin' reason tfor the c.ip'it&r ih obvious," sa-vd ."Sexton BUiU'e. "As for tin; rust, suppose Liiait 'X. V.Z.' didn't to reveal his identity to Jiis eou>lcde.rat<-', foir fear 'Chat the latter might .blackmail khw't What could ibe simpler than for 'X. V.to 'arrange to tend his conredenaite h;s prouused pay each mo-nth through his bainkers, a«iid to instruct his icontodenile to conunuuieate with| liini, whencwr''he. .hail anything to commuuiica'i<-, by mean* of aiuiilvcHteirment in tlie Daily l,eiter?'' The -co.G'iu'l touched a bell, ami an orderly appeared. _ "Tell l'ljvate Trevor 1 wish to see him, aa'vd the coj.o,nv-J.

m. Trevor could throw no light On tlie lueaidug of t he iiiTrertfeenienis. "'Hre la-L one ecr[.villi scants to refer '"O nic,' he said; "but wijuit it means J IMIII'L kllilgilK." "It means,s.iid Sexton Blake, "that .miiielxxly li.us bribed somebody else to murder you. Te.'l me .vour history.'' "There's no rcamni, tliait 1 know of, why 1 Bhouldift nel.l you, my history." said Trevor. "I've done notning to be ailuLiucd 01. _\ly reail na.me iw Hugh Uiilgley, a-nd I was adopted when my I parents die.i Tjy'tiLe late Air ila-rk Baanford, who was an old friend, but no' reila'tion, of my 'father's. Si r Alark always intended to leave me the bulk of Ms fchi'tuue, but lie forgot to make a wi'lil; so, 'when ho died, a year ago til id moiit.li, his nephew, Harvey Bainford, obtaiinicd the whole of his uncle's money, auid 1 wns turned adlrift without a peiuny.

"Tile rest you can guess," he said bitterly. "After Sir Mark's death, I tirtod in vain to obtain, employment as a clerk, iwid at last, two months ago, 1 enl'foted in the Fusiiwiiis in the name of John. Trevor."

"Uiliait no'iv acquaintances 'have you made, outside the negiment, within the last ifew days?" alsloed Sexton Blake. 'Weill," sa,i<l Trevor, "tilicre is a man named Coonibe, iit present in. Higihlield on a visiit. Last Wedm-sdny X uluyed ill tihe annua] cricket niateli behviin ihc gairxisan and the Town, and at the conclusion of tlie match Jlr. Coodnbe came up and congraitulalSM me on, my ibatting. He afcike<l me to spcnxl the evening with Mm ait his Jmtel, wHiiioh I did, aad afterwsirds we a-rnwiged, at his suggestion, to go for a low on t.'ie ri'vor to-morrow a'fteimoon."

"Sunday afternoon!" said Sexton Blako meaaiingly, "Oan you swiui?" "No," said Trevor, in obvious sur-i

prise. "Stratagc t,o say, 3lr. Ooombe asked me tliait,"

Tlie detective laughed. "Now, come 'wit'h me 'to Mr. Coombe's hotel," ho said.

Trevor obeyed—.us everybody had a kniack of uo'mg when Sexton BiaJie commanded. They found "Mr. Coombe" i.n tile otdier'wfce deserted smoke-room of the hotel, a'nd t l hc mstani'fc Sexton Blake s'eit oycfi on him he recognised iiijn as a shady London "priwaitc enquiry agent" named Vilnccnt Wise. Wise w'as equally quick to recognise Sexton Blake, and started up. " 'Py ponk!"' said Sexton Blake, with a bilaind smile. n Also 'Eska-zoeoltox!' Likewise 'Poirk si uiski!' Siit down; tiie game's u:p. Xow, tell us all about it." Wise Wirew up tihe sponge without even tilie semblance of a struggle. "taut Sew Year's Day," he sa.id, ''a gentleman whom I had never seen before came to my office and ottered me a cerftiin sum to do a. certain work." . 1

''The said 'work 'being," said Sexton Blake, '"to find Hugh Laiwriey, and murder him?"

Wilsc sulfoul.v Hooded. , "Ho wouHdn't tell me liiis mt.ine," be said, '"or why lie desired Mr. Langley's death. Tie slid if I accepted his terms he would instruct, liis tankers to sand me a certain; sum on the last of each month, and he furtOier arranged that 1 was to put nji advertisement in the Daily Leitte.r every Saturday, in a cipher of Iris fliwii dwvißitig. to inform him of the progress of my .seaTc'h,*' "'You accepted life terms," sai'd Sexton Bla'ke. "and eventually you discovered that .Mr. Lanngley liad eiiilisted in the Fusiliers in the immc of Trevor. You invitod 'li.iiin to go for a, row on the l'iviM' (o-m.mTO'w, ami. liaiviug ascertained tlwt lie could ;nnt swim, you iuticmlKl there should be an accident and he should be drowned."

Arise hunt* his Head an" did not speak. "Your silciiM prove* that I am riirht e&id Sexton Blake. •''Sow, tell me, We you no suspicion wfon your unknown client is?"

"I know who he is." said Wise. ' I shadowed him when he left my office, and founld out who he was and where he lived; hut T ueve.r Ivit hiiu know I had disooverod his i'lemlity." "And he its Mr. Ifatrrcy Bainford, .:f course?" said Sexton Blake. "Yes." sawl \Vfeo.

"And he lives?" "At i\Tar<ton Mhii'iif, near Clioltoiiham."

The detet/rve turned to Hugh Langlny. "And now for Marlon Manor," ho said.

IV. It was' nearly midnight. ami pitch dark, when Sexton 81-.vko and Langl i.v reached Marton Manor. It wae a warm night, and they saw that tho French window of the library—-the only room whiicih displaced a light—Svas wide open.

As they drew nearer to the house, tne 1 sound of voices wais borne on their ears, aud a second or two later they per-' ceivcd tluLt the voices were those of, two men in the library. | "Ifarvey lVaiiuford amd Mr. Hampson," whimpered Langley. "That's Badnford | in the easy-eharr, and the other man, with tlhe footeup envelope in his (fraud, is Mr. lUnnpsAn. He was Sir Mark's 1 poJici/tofl'."

Tho detective i&igwed to his companion to tread lightly. "So you refuse to accept my terras?" the v .hoard the lawyer saw

"I do," sadd Bainford. "Do you rea-liso nvlmt your rcfusnV uu'ttiiM?" asked JTam.p.son. "nore in this '(wrvclopp is rn'ir uuc.lo'j will, leaving moiiitilis I luivo suppressed it '' ""or which you Uwive bocn Wf-U pivid,' ; I'liirTrupl-ed Bariiforil. "Admiibtcd/' jj'akl t!!u» lawyer. 'i'ut ■thaiL isn't rtihe point. As I've nJiroadj*! told yuu, .1 must ha'vi> un tliou-su.inl >pmiimls bofon* tin' end of next wcok, t>r 'fm a ruiUiod man!'' .vlSt-r to give you, 'this wi'lil ujii.l to lui. >ou burn it, and to tnd'ease you t'rom yo'iu - ba:i'giaiii, if you'll give iu<> ;i dieqmt far tin* amount 1 ilwvo inenlVoiit/d. I liavt* .oJiiy ,U> produce this will, ntiul to jiretml Uiiitt I owly found '.iit yesterday, :iud Lauglvy wLll In HM'cryth'mg, and you wifll be '•riifortuniibtcly for you,' retorted Bultoftml, 'mufiitili-s ago, and you don't know where the is," •'Aii w'i'il (|ukddy lind'biiu," «ud FTampsou. "And when will lihe ad\*ert'ifi<?ment ippciar'l" "On Monthly moimug," staid the l»*.vycr. Bsvinford mlwjuil a moijtfifn} oi smoke.

moruiiug?" •ho drawled, "Wyes! And tsr 'tluat time Hugh Langley will be .deud, Hi, lia! I thought \ltet ',vi>u)d give you a elioak! By tomwrrow ,uialit, ill this time, Hugh Uiuiglcy "Will be Sir .Mark's acknowledged iltei'i'!" cried Sextan Uleik'ti, leaping into •t'lie room through tho open window ami isn'akihlng the ivilli from Ohe stupelied •lawyer's hand. Much against his; will, hu.t ovurljo.vue l)y Langley's enltroiuti'es, Sexton :u;-ake •refrained from taking any legal action .against Vhtcent Wfec.'liar.vey Baiiuiord, and -Mr. Tfampsmi. The remit wa,s Uiat all the public knew of the ease was' that it was discovered t,lia;t Sir Mark IWnfxirel had left a wTll, aifiter all, and th.i.t Jlnglii Lairgley itook up h:is rightful position as squire o.f Marton Hanor.—"Answers,"