The suburban citizen., 1901-01-05
RANDOLPH Is such
charming teIIOW. Every
girl who knew him and

al chorus. He was the sort OF man
women love to love- His patrimony
was sufficiently to make him thorough
Iy worth while, his mental depth was
beyond nobOdy's fathoming, and even
the men who were inclined to leave
him alone admitted perforce, that he
was good enough fellow. He could
do so many useful things, too-wield
chafng dish or banjo, lead a german
or sail boat--all with equal grace
and skill.
But the measure of his popularity
was the measure of the plunder Ge
accumulated from year to year. His
apartments might have riyaled a pub
Tic exhibition in point OF his collection
of photographs. There were girls Of
all SORTS and conditions of beauty and
style; blonde girls and brunette girls,
stately girls and kittenlsh girls, tall
girls and petite girls, and girls in every
variation Of habiliment from bath
ing suit to mourning weeds, varying
IN size from tiny miniatures, gently
limiting they might be ershrined IN the
watch-case, to the large iridium panels
that lined his walls in tiers. And the
sofa cushions that filled every NOOK
would have made the fortune Of
charity bazar After noting the faCc
that about every third girl who gave
him her picture was industrious
enough or cared enough to make him
cushion, Randolph, ut a rough est-
mate had fixed the number at twenty
eight and two-thirds cushions. Every
holiday season a new pile was started,
and as each girl perfumed her gif-
with her fayorite sachet, nothing but
the most powerful disinfectant could
mitigate the combined odors Of the
twcnty-eight and twO-thlrd sachet
powders. Such it is to be acclaimed
~ charming fellow
But Randolph was not ungrateful;
I'm return he loved them all collective
ly. His only trouble was that he could
not deduce his ideals from the com.
poslte es-twenty-elght-a
twothirds to the individual. But Ms.
Il. Courtney Randolph was to be =
f6wless creature who combined every
grace Of mind and body, and much
time was spent in a diligent search fov
"'that not impossible che" The search,
indeed threatened to rival the hobby
he had ridden, or, rather, that had rid
den him at a break-neck pace all his
life. He had been a victim OF every
collecting fad people with long pockets
and short wits are heir to- But he
was sh9ewd in his judgment and his
insight had brought him not few
treasures from unsupported sources
The furniture he had gathered about
hlm evoked associations Of the First
Empire, early Colonial, O!d Dutch, and
French Renaissance. Once he had set
his heart on a piece OF bric-a-Orac he
could brook no barrier. But now, for
the first time. Randolph was baffled,
and by woman at that,
Down in Monterey, in n crumbllng
old abode house that might once hay'
been the home OF some naughty hida e
go, but which now bore only the pitifu,
traces OF It's early pgetontions, he dis
covered Il great treasurc--a fine old
Spanish chest Of most unique design
The old abode house had been burned
out on the inside, leaving the walls
blackened and chalTcd; the floor was
the bare ground baked almost into
cement from generations Of use; the
window-panos were broken and board
ed over to keep cut the rain. In such
rickety little hole stood this regal old
chest, that might have held the court
robes Of Queen Isabella. Almost black
with the lapse Of centuries, large
enough for a whole family's wardrobe,
the massive brass trappings tarnisht3
by the touch Of hands long ago crum.
bled to dust its every aspect breathed
IN atmosphere Of romance and trad!-
ton.
The manner Of It's discovery was the
merest chance. While taking shOrJ
cut from the bay back to the hotel,
Randolph had stopped at a house that
looked a little less dirty than its neigh
bors, to ask for a drink Of wa-er. While
rhe old senoFa had gone TO bring it, he
espled through a crack in the door this
marvel Of the metal-worker's art. The
chest which stood several inches from
the floor, supported by lions claws,
was Of cedar or mahogany, as nearly
as he could tell through its coating Of
dust. The edges were held by heavy
carved brass arabesqueg, and ia.
wrought on every lock and hinge was
the crown and shield OF Spain, the
proof Of its royal lineage.
When the woman returned with the
cool water she fund the stranger
seated on IN up-lurned whale yertebra
before the chest, pulling at the brass
rings, and wondering at its excellent
preservation. Dropping the glass and
shrieking Rosa, Rosa" she ran "a
give the alarm to her daughter that
there was a burglar in the house. u
was several minutes before Randolph
could allay their suspicious sufficient
ly TO ask them II they would sell thC
chest