Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-19
The Argus Daily Story
Fathers Gift-By Maurice Rouget.
Copyrighted, 1912, by Associated Literary Bureau.

: mat hung over France in their case
had been frightened by their coming
nuptials
When the day arrived for the mar
rage settlements Victor went to his IA
I Tiers safe to get the paper that had
put him in possession of his Inherit
ance. suit had already been COM
meuced to deprive him of 1t, but he
had no fear but that when II became
known that he had been the owner for
some time before his fathers death 81
would be withdrawn. Opening the
! safe, he took out the tin box and be-
gan TO hunt for the paper he wanted.
1t was not to be found. Again and
again he went through everything In
the box. but nothing transferring any
property to him appeared. Beside
himself with anxiety, he examined
every document in the safe. Not a
scrap of pen either transferring or
bequeathiuG property to him was there.
fastening to Natalie. he asked her If
she had not been mistaken IN the place
his father had told her she would find
the transfer. She replied that she was
positive the marquis had said 1t was
In tin box in the safe.
When NJ. Villaret was apprised of
the fact that Victor must gain posses
sion OF the estate as heir-at-law through
the courts. that suit for 1t had al
ready been commenced by Victor's
cousins. he refused to give his consent
to the marriage. Natalie would have
been willing to wait till the inheritance
was decided. but suits in chancery are
long drawn out, and unless the estate
involved Is a very large one 1t is usu-
ally eaten up in litigation. Victor was
: too honorable to permit her to remain
tied to him with so desperate q pros
pect before him.
But>the love between Victor and M
tale was too strong to be broken,
though their union was given up. The
courts permitted the young marquis to
retain temporary possession Of the
family residence In the Faubou:g st.
German, and Victor spent many an
hour in his fathers cabinet trying to
conjure up some reason for the non
appearance of the missing paper which
his father had evidently mislaid in
stead Of putting away in the box. as
he had supposed he had done.
The old world has not, or at least
had not at that time, done away with
many Of its ancient usages. The La
Ferriere residence was very old one.
In the cabinet was a huge fireplace
with one of those enormous chimneys
requiring to be cleaned at stated times.
The chimney sweep. with his smock
frock and sooty face, even to this day,
Is an institution in parts of Europe.
Victor was sitting in his cabinet one
day when his major domo ushered in a
sweep and told him to clean the Chin
ney.
So wrapt was Victor in trying to
solve the problem OF the missing pa
per that he was unconscious OF any
R. one having entered the room. Sudden
g ly he looked up to be confronted by
/, the black face and white eyes of the
n sweep, who stood before him with
II outstretched hand, in which there was
10 something yellow and black. Victor
# took a crumpied paper from the sweep.
n smOOthed II out and at a glance recOg.
4 nized the paper for which he had been
n hunting.
j. When, a few moments later, he ran
10 out of the cabinet, meeting the major
3 dOmo in the hall, the latter thought
lie some accident had happened to his mas
h ter, for Victor's face and shirt bosom
lie were covered with SCOT He had en-
braced the sweep. He was selling his
v hat to go to inform Natalie Of the find
u when the servant held him and begged
l..
the house. He did SO and saw that
lie he must delay to wash the SCOT off his
to face and put on clean linen.
8 There was rejoicing in the two
,e families at the recovery. Its posses
ID sion forced Nictors opponents to with
II draw their claims as heirs Of his
IS father and begin all over again as
Y heirs Of the late marquis grandfather.
" Discouraged, they were ready to listen
" to a proposition Victor made them TO
In pay the costs of the suit, which had
IL already become considerable.
- When Maitre JOnssieur was informed
70 of the recovery of the transfer he had
s. executed he remembered that when
y he opened the door to leave the late
Is marquis cabinet n draft had swept
nc Iue IdljeTS OH Tue Idile. his theory
In was that the paper the marquis had
just signed had been carried into the
ls chimney, where it had lodged In a
ne crevice. Fortunately no fire had been
III made there since. The chimney was
go being cleaned preparatory TO its use
to in the approaching winter The mar
quis who was greatly agitatcd at the
he time, had doubtless supposed the In
IT. strument was among the papers he
d, had picked up of the floor. Those In
g. terested were Obliged to be content
I'd with this explanation since the mar
as quis was alone when he replaced the
IN scattered papers and was the only
We person who could have given any &C
e count OF the matter.
he As soon as the suit against yictor's
estate had been Withdrawn NJ. WI
n laret settled a hundred thousand
be francs on his daughter, and the nup.
a falls with the young marquis were
10 celebrated