The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-01-08

HOW THE Willy COLLECTOR DEALS
IN FUTURES WITH THE PEASANT.


Secure Specimens Of Old Dutch Furni
ture-Imitstions Are Made and Freely
Sold to Collectors Who Are Not Posted.
Though nearly every dealer in antiqui-
ties will deny 1t unless ho sees that by af
firmihg such thing cautiously he can
get higher price for the articles at pres
ent In his warerooms, 1t Is fact that the
old furniture nlarts Of New York and Lon
don-New York particularly-have been
swept very nearly clean. There are still to
be found, 1t is true, good pieces of ancient
furniture-colonial, Dutch, old English,
French and Spanish-here and there, but
they are seldom pieces of as fine quality
and of as good a style of decoration as 1t
was possible to purchase ten years ago,
while at moderate prices 1t is impossible to
buy anything of great excellence, save by
the barest chance. To the unwary, the
badly posted collectors, the old furniture
mart does not show this, for the trade has
been tampered with, and limitations are
freely sold in many quarters Buying old
furniture Is now like buying Japanese Gu
rios In Japan-one must be keen collect
or not to load himself up with plausible
seeming truck
by the agents of American and English
dealers in every hole and corner so thor
oughly that nothing remains to be pur-
chased. The we'll to do in the towns and
villages, even in the open country, will
not yield, of course, to the wiles and per-
suasivepess of the dealers agents, even
when very high price is offered. Within
the last two OF three years the principals
themselves of old furniture concerns have
been visiting this corner Of Europe i'm the
hope Of doing better, but they, too, have
failed to pick up much OF value 1t Is said
that practically every cottage in the land
of the dikes has been gone through, with
disappointing results.
Old Dutch furniture has such sure and
profitable sale today, even when the dealer
himself has to pay high prices for 1t, that
this state of affairs Is most distressing
one. The only chance of getting any speci-
mems now has come to be by visiting the
islands of the North sea chit are off the
line of travel There the dealer meets with
some success, though he has to buy in a
most curious way. He arrives at some
small village or town hardly known to
the rest of the world and, taking his post
at one of the tables in the "taproom" of
the little tavern of the place, begins to
smoke long pipe and to quaff a mixture
of schnapps
About the room are seated Dutch vii
layers, putting away placidly without O
word. Chance Offering, the dealer speaks
to the one nearest hxfn and announces the
fact that he Is desirous Of buying some fine
old pieces of furniture. The Dutchman
smokes meditatively for full five minutes
before he answers that he is sorry, but he
has none to sell. The dealer, still sending
out clouds of smoke from his pipe bowl
and ordering more schnapps after allow
Ing the proper number of moments to pass
in silence asks If he then does not know
of some one who might be induced to sell.
Half day has been consumed altogeth-
er before the yillager finally answers that
he thinks he does know of such man.
There are more pipes and more drinking,
and then the Dutchman agrees to take the
dealer to that man the following after
noon. The next day there Is another ses-
sion of smoke and schnapps in the tavern
~, sore they start out. AT the house of the
v,llaeer yy.s.eore Is another hour or two spent
An leading up to the subject, haste Of any
kind being hated In dealings with the
North sea islanders, and then, after care
ful consideration, the grizzled old head of
fbe family decides that he cannot sell his
household relics.
Any other man than thoroughly post
ed dealer would know he was beaten and
leave in disgust But the dealer who un-
derstands these islands and the ways OF
their Inhabitants has another card to play.
Bidding goodby to the old man, he and
his guide 90 in search Of the son. The
dealer while he was in the villagers house
saw the furniture and knows what he
wants. The son Is not so obdurate. He
likes the clink and the rustic of the gold,
silver and bank notes the dealer produces.
But" he says, 81 cannot sell the fur
niture. 1t Ia not mine to SELL" All the
same, he looks wistfully at the money.
1T understand answers the dealer.
"Of course you can't sell. The furniture
Is not yours. But it will be soon, perhaps
| in less than year. Your father is getting
! to be an old man. He will die In little
| while. You are the heir. When he dies,
the property will be yours to do what you
will with"
The son smokes on stolidly, but with q
| CLEAN of understanding in his heavy eyes
| He looks up at the dealer with great inter-
est.
"Now," that gentleman goes on, "I
have proposition to make to you, myn-
heer Promise me when your father dies
and you come into the estate you will sell
me this and this and this" (He names
several articles he saw In the house.) 81
will pay you SO much for them, and 80
many guilders down to bind the bargain. "
This proposition Is invariably accepted,
and something like $40 In gold secures
these pieces Of furniture. "Wben your ia
ther dies, mynheer," the dealer continues
you can let me know. Twill send you
the balance Of the money, and you car
ship the goods over to me-"
Il 10 In this way that the best of the ole
Dutch furniture has to be bought nova
days So honest are these North sea Is
land peasants that no bill Of sale is mad'
out and no agreement drawn up. Th
young peasant word stands and is though
sufficient When he comes into the estate
be carries out his end of the bargain AM
sends over the furniture. York Trih
une
Dissipated.
"I am confident" said the cheerful Id