“‘That tooth,’ he continued, after having made sure that we were alone, ‘that tooth holds, has held for thirty years, a secret of the utmost importance to you and me, and to all liberty loving Russians. I tell you this because I know you will guard the secret as you would your life. In the cavity of that tooth, under the gold cap (here he lowered his voice) is a piece of parchment which contains the plans of a secret underground entrance to the Czar’s palace at St. Petersburg, an entrance which, as you will readily understand, will prove of the utmost importance to our friends when the time is ripe to use it. This plan has been in the possession of our family for hundreds of years, having been drawn originally by an ancestor of mine, one of the designers of the palace. I am the last male member of my family, and now bequeath this secret to you. Upon my death, I desire that you extract the tooth, and preserve or dispose of the plan in whatever way seems best to you. You know its importance. I can rely upon your judgment. The dentist who inserted it in my tooth, thirty years ago in Russia, is now dead. You and I alone now hold the secret. Do you accept the trust?’
“‘I do,’ I answered.
“That was Mr. L——’s story.
“When he died I happened to be out of the city. On my return I hastened to obtain possession of the tooth in the manner that seemed best to me. I was not aware that the matter was mentioned in Mr. L——’s will, which it would appear he had intended to make public before his death, but was unable to do so. The plan which I found in the cavity of the tooth is now in safe hands in Russia, and the world may yet learn whether the well-guarded secret is destined to be utilized.
“I tell you this because I know you are an American, a lover of liberty, and will not divulge the secret I have told you.”
Mr. Johnson died many years ago, and now I give this story to the world, confident that even its perusal by the Russian officials cannot in any way endanger the secret of the gold-capped tooth.
Transcriber’s Note:
Punctuation has been made consistent.