The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-06-20

the meanest ranks of the law in Paris. instead of having his advocates robe stripped from his back and. perhaps. serving in the galleys as we'll.
 Afflicted with disease that made him loathsome to the sight, cursed by vice and poverty combined, he joined the group of avarietous beings that gath cred around skhe bedside of the dying collector. u
 Mime. cibot hurried to Remonenqe and told him to bring . man who could value the treasures. The old dealer brought in the famous Ellie Magnus, who lived in squaI6r, but owned a maEnif1cent collection of his own and could smell out masterpiece under a coating of dirt hundred years old. sT s.&t qt
 Magnus whispered to Mime. Cibot that he would give her. q great bonus if she could bring about that he might obtain the four great paintings the gems of the collection, for fortx thousand francs.
 She knew, as did old Magnus, that Pons never would consent to part with any of his treasures, but this did not deter her. Schmucle had come to re- gard her as. their guardian angel. and depended on her for everything, devot- ing his whole time and mind to his friend Pons. She had no trouble in making the old German believe that Pon's illness and other things had overwhelmed them and debt and that tcredit0rs were about to serve papers on them
 schmuck e was terrified not TOT himself but for friend. To save Pons from death he gave the cunning wo- man an order of sale. and Magnus obtained the four great pictures for the absurd sum that he had offered. Mme Cibot. however took care to 'ex- tort sixty-eight thousand francs from him for her share.
 Mime. Cibots magnificent business qualities were, unhappily. fatal for her husband, the little porter. Remon- enqc admired the clever woman so much and conceived so huge an affec- ton for her sixty-eight thousand francs that he decided to make her his wife. As a necessary first step he doc- tored her husbands drink with cop per spoon greatly oxidized and loving perseverance in this course of treat ment soon brought him to deaths door. So far the great collection, gather 1 ed by a good old man with a pure and l lofty purpose and without a thought of its value in ignoble money. had done mischief enough among the poor. leading at last to murder. It was now to extend it's malignant work to the
  deress in heart and almost in act. Frasier, having realized what the value of the collection was saw no profit in dealing with humble porter's wife. He went straight to Mme. Presi- dent Camusot de Harville, and told her that her cousin Pons owned a collection worth at least seven hundred | thousand francs, which would no doubt pass to the Camusots if Pons died without heirs.
 "If he were removed to the country" said Frasier, watching Mime. Prosf- dent closely, The might recover. But | he is under the care of an ignorant woman, Mime. Cibot, who irritates him continually and is determined to be remembered in his will. Unless sine is removed he win be a dead man In a .ew years.
 Poor manw said Mme de Marville piously, and thanked heaven inward l iy for having by Pon's side a crea- ture who could relieve her of him so honorab1y.
 Frasier was sure of his ground then. | and drove a bargain by which he was to be made Judge if he succeeded In saving the Pons collection for the Camusots, while his friend, Dr. Pou- lain. was to be made chief of a hos pital.
 Meantime Pons had discovered the ! loss of his four pictures. and he sue ceeded in convincing Schmucxe that Mime Cibot had cheated him. Fritz Brunner. who had visited them. had made the old collector aware of the enormous value of the collection. He sent her a notary and dicated a will to him leaving everything to Schmucke.
 Schmucke drew near to Pons and clasped his hand between his own, began to whisper a fervent prayer.
 "what are you muttering there in German?' asked Pons. "I was praying to God to take us to Himself together" said the old must . clan. weeping betterly.
 Soon afterward Pons died so quietly that Schmuoke did not know he was dead until they tore him away from the body of his only friend. stupefed agonized, he sat staring at nothing,