The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-12-24
fishers who reckon uteratura a COM

fishers who reckon literature a COM
modify. along with soap and cheese.
mat, OF course, would be impossible
10 40; the last barrier to the CONNER
clal invasion of the avenue would be
removed; that heroic rear-guard of the
oIo oroer OF things would be destroyed:
ia d year or two. a monster of steel
ana stone would rise on the spot wher
three generations of Vantines had lived
thelr lives; and the collection, so uni
iied n coherent, to which the last
pantlne mad devoted his life, would be
merged n lost In the vast collections
u 1ue museum. It vas a sad ending.
Gentle1nan to see you. sir" sal the
ollice boy, as | sat down at my desk,
ana a moment later, M. Felix Armand
was shown in to me.
l nave only to close my eyes to call
again pefore me that striking person.
allty, FOR Felix Armand was one Of the
tlost extraordinary men I ever had
sHe pleasure OF meeting. Ruddy-faced,
pllsnt-eyed, with dark full beard and
waving hair almost Jet black-hair that
crlnkled about his ears in a wav that
| can describe by no other word than
tasclnatng-he gave the impression of
tremendous strength and %virility. There
was ABOUT him, too, an air Of culture
not to be mistaken; the air Of a mar
VINO mao travelled much, seer much,
and mixed with many people high and
low; the air of a mar at home any
Mnere. IN any society. 1t is impossible
LOT me. by mere words, to convey env
auequate idea of his vivid personality;
put confess that. from the first mo-
iient. was both impressed and
charmed by him. And I am still i'm
pressed; more. perhaps, that at first.
now that I know the whole story
but you shall hear.
L speak English very badly, sir"
Te said' as he sat down. "If you speak
Not half SO well as you speak Eng
l1sh,' l laughed. IT can tell h a from
your first sentence"
In that event, I will do the best
l can he said. smiling, land you must
parqon my blunders First, Mr.. Lester,
ASK your pardon for this mistake. so
lneXcusable." 81
~ was a mistake, then 2" + asked.
one most embarrassing to us. We
cannot ind for it an explanation. Be
tieVe me- MT. Lester. 1t is not our habit
tion or which We are very proud: bur
the cabinet which was purchased by
MI. Vantine remained in our ware
mouse, and this other one was boxed
ana shlpped to him. We are investi-
eating most r~igidly."
Then Mr.. Vantine,s cabinet "a e+i1l
in PARISH" " SIN
mo, MIR. Lester; the error was dis
covered some days ago, and the cabi-
net to Mr. Vantine was
snlppeq TO me here. 1t should arrive
next Wednesday on La Provence. T
snail myself receive it, and deliver it
to Mr.. Vantine."
MI. Vantine is dead" I said. you
did not knoW?"
He sat staring at me for a moment
as though unable to comprehend
Did 1 understand that you said Mr.
Vant1ne is dead?" he
L toid MN briefly as much as I knew
OF the tragedy. while he sat regarding
me with an air Of stupefaction.
1t is curious you saw NOTHING Of n
IN the papers" l added. "They were
full Of it," "eAe
I have been visiting friends at Que
bec,' he explained. TT was there that
the message from our house found me,
mmandin me to hasten here. 1
started at once and reached this civ
Saturday. I drove here directly from
the station, but was so unfortunate as
to miss YOU"
I am sorry to have caused you so
much trouble" I said.
tes ~B1t my my e, dear Mr.; Lester" he pro
A blunder of this sort we feel as a dis
grace: My father, who is of the old
school, Is most upset concerning it.
But this death Of Mr.. Vantine-it Is a
great blow to me. I have met him
@N~HS hhhiCS liz was d real COnnO1SSenr
We nave lost one Of our most valued
patrons. You say that he was found
dead IN a room at his house?"
Yes and death resulted from a small
wound on the hand into which some
very ieaied powerful poison had been in
That is most curious. In what man
ner was such a wound made?"
mat we know. 1 had a the
Yes" he questioned, his eyes
cleaning with interest.
man a been found in the same room,
killed in the same way"
Another MANI"
"A stranger who had called to see
Mr.. Vantine. My theory was that both
this stranger and Mr.. Vantine had
been killed while trying to open a
secret drawer in the Boule cabinet.
DO you know anything of the history
of that cabinet, Monsieur Armand? '
w believe it to have been made
Tor Madame de Montespan by Mon
sieur Boule himself" he answered. "It
is the original of n now in the
Louvre which is known to have be-
longed to the Grand Louis"
That was Mr.. Vantine's belief" I
said. why he should have arrived at
that conclusion, l don know"
Mr.. Vantine was a connoisseur"
said NJ. Armand, quietly. There are
certain indications which no connois-
seur could mistake"
1T was his guess at the history of
the cabinet" I explained. which gave
me the basis for my theory. A cabinet
belonging to Madame de Montespan
would. Of course, have a secret draw
er; and since it was made in the DAYS
of de Brinvilliers and La Voisin, what
more natural than that it should be
guarded by a poisoned mechanism"
what more natural, indeed"
breathed my companion, and l fan
cied that he looked at me with a new
interest in his eyes. 1T is good rea-
soning, Mr.. Lester"
1T seemed to explain a situation
for which no other explanation has
! been found" 1 said. And it had also
the merit of picturesqueness."
1T is unique" he agreed eagerly, his
eyes burning like two Goals of fire, SO
intense was his interest. II have been
from ~boyhood," he added, noticing my
glance, "a lover of tales of mystery.
They have for me a fascination / can
not explain; there is in nv blood