Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-12-24
CHAPTER XVII.
ENTER NJ.

49, i1S VI
l got back to the office to find that
M. Felix Armand. of Armand ct Fills.
had called, and, finding me out. had
left his card with the pencilled memo
arndum that he would call again Mon
day morning. There was another call
er. who had awaited my return-a tall.
angular a with a long m%ustache,
who introduced himself as Simon w.
Morgan. of Usage City. Ia.
Poor Philip Vantine's nearest living
relative, sir" he added. Il came as
soon as possible"
1t was very good of you" / said.
The funeral will be at 10 o'clock to-
morrow morning. from the house"
You had a telegram from me?"
Yes" I answered.
He hitched about in his chair uneasily
for a moment. | knew what he wanted
to say. but saw no reason to help him.
He left a will. l suppose?" he asked.
at last.
ooh. yes; we have arranged to pro-
bate it Monday. You can examine it
then. if you wish"
Have you examined it?"
Il am familiar with it's provisions. 1t
was drawn here in the office"
He was pulling f%uriously at his mus
tache.
Cousin Philip was a very wealthy
man, | understand.' he managed to say.
Comparatively wealthy. He had Sc
curities worth about 81. $50, 900. besides
a number of pieces Of real property
and. of course. the house he lived in.
He owned a very valuable collection of
art objects-pictures, furniture. apes
tries. and such things; but what they
are worth will probably never be
known"
Why not?" he asked.
Because he left them all to the Met
ropolitan museum of art. Outside of a
few legacies to old servants. he left
his whole fortune to the same institu-
ton"
l put it rather brutally, no doubt, but
was anxious to end the interview.
Mr.. Morgan's face grew very red.
He did!' he calculated. "Ha-well,
have heard he was rather crazy"
He was as sane as any nan l ever
knew" retorted drily. And then I
remembered the doubts which a as
sailed me that last day, when Vantine
was lingering the Boule cabinet. But
l kept those doubts to myself.
"Ha-we'll have to see about that"
said my visitor. threateningly.
BY all means, Mr.. Morgan" I as
scented heartily. IF you have any doubt
about it. YOU should certainly look into
1t. And now, if you will pardon me, l
have many things to do. and we close
early today
He got to his feet and went slowly
out; and that was the last I ever saw
of him. I suppose he consulted an at
torney. learned the hopeless nature Of
his case, II tool the first train back
to Usage City. He did not even wait
for the funeral.
Few people. indeed. put themselves
out for it. There was a %sprinkling Of
old family friends. representatives of
the museum and of various charities
In which Vantine had been interested,
a few friends of his own. and that was
all. He had dropped out of the world
with scarcely a ripple; Of all who had
known him. I dare say Parks felt his
departure most. For Vantine had been,
In a sense. a solitary man; not many
men nodded oftener during a walk up
the avenue. and yet not many dined
oftener alone; for there was about him
q certain self-detachneent which dis
couraged intimacy. He was a man.
like many another. with acquaintances
in every country on the globe, and
friends in none.
as | sat at home that night; and not
without some self questioning as to
my own place in the world. Most Of
us. l think, are a little saddened when
we realize our unimportance; most of
us. no doubt, would be a little shocked
could we return a day or two after our
death n see how merrily the world
wass on! l would be missed. I knew,
scarcely more than Vdntine. It was
not a pleasant thought, for it seemed
to some deficiency in myself.
Then. too. the mystery of Vantine's
death had a depressing effect upon me.
So long as there seemed some theory
to build on. so long as there was ' q ray
OF light ahead. 1 had hoped that the
tragedy would be explained and expi-
ated; but now my theory had crumbled
to pieces; | was LETT in utter darkness.
from Which there seemed no way out.
Never before. in the face Of a mystery,
took such a grip that it kept me
awake for a long time after 1 got to
bed. 1T seemed. in some mysterious
way, that | was contending with a
power greater than myself, a power
threatening and awful, which could
crush US me with a urn of the wrist.
morning. He had directed that his col
lection of art objects be removed to
the museum, and that the house and
such portions Of it's contents as the
museum did not care for to be sold
Tor the museums benefit. I had al
ready notified Sir Caspar Purden
Clarke Of the terms of the will, and the
museums attorney was present when
1T was read. He stated that he had
been requested to ask me to remain in
charge of things for a week or two,
untll arrangements for the remova
could be made. 1t would also be neces-
sary to make an inventory of Vantine's
collection, and the assistant director of
the museum was to get this under way
at once.
I ~acquesced in all these arrangements.
but l was feeling decidedly blue when
/ started back to the office. Vantine's
collection had always. seemed to me
somehow q part OF himself: more espe-
cially a part of the house in which it
had been assembled. 1t would lose
much of its beauty and significance
ticketed and arranged stiffly along the
walls of the museum. and the thought
came to me that it would b. a SPLEEN
did thing for New York if this old
house and its contents could be kept
intact as an object lesson to the ner-
vous ard hurrying younger generation
of the easier n more finished manner
of life of the older one: something
a flor tho fo chiny, +5.st fIa hoo,tff-J Il,