Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-10-28
The Mystery of
the Bou1e Cabinet
BURTON E.. STEVENSON
Copyright, 1918. by Burton r. Stevenson
Copyright. 1913, by Burton E. Stevenson.

Grady pointed out. Cant you give us
a closer descriptions"
I'm afraid not. sir. l just got a gen.
through her veil"
You say you didn't search these
roolns?''
mo, sir. 1 didn't come inside the
door,"
"Why not?"
II was afraid to. sir"
Afraid to?"
Yes. sir; I'm afraid to be here now"
Did Parks come in?"
NO, sir; / guess he felt the same way
I did"
Then how did you know vantine
him
One look was enough to tell me that
wasn't no use" said Rogers, and
glanced, with visible horror, at the
crumpled form on the floor.
Grady looked at him keenly for a
reason to doubt his story. Then the de-
tect1ve looked about the room.
There's n thing 1 don't under
stand" he said, "and that is why Van
tine should want all these lights. What
was he doing in here?"
Il couldn't be sure, sir; but I suppose
he was looking at the furniture he
brought over from Europe. He was a
collector. you know. sir. There are five
or six pieces in the next room.'
without a word, Grady arose and
passed into the room adjoining. we aft
seated where he was. 1 remem-
Der glancing back over my should
er n noting how he hud-
died forward in his chair. as though
crushed by a great weight. the instant
our backs were turned.
But l forgot Rogers in contemplation
OF the scene before me.
The inner room was ablaze with
light. and the furniture stood hap
hazard about 1t. just as 1 had seen it
earlier In the day. Only one thing had
been moved. That was the Boule cab
met.
1t had been carried to the center of
OF the light from the chandelier. 1t
stood there blazing with arrogant
beauty. a thing apart.
Who had helped Vantine place it
there. 1 wondered? Neither Rogers
nor Parks had mentioned doing so. /
turned back to the outer room.
Rogers was sitting crouched forward
In his chair. his hands over his eyes,
and 1 could feel him jerk with ner-
as I touched him on the
shoulder.
ooh. is it you, Mr.. LESTER" he
r. lIlS, SlI. 1Q nOI All
all myself. SIR"
Il can see that" I said. soothingly;
and no wonder. l just wanted TO
ask you-did you help move any of the
furniture in the room yonder?"
Help move it, sir?"
"Yes-help change the position of
any of it since, this afternoons"
No, sir; I haven't touched any of
it. sir"
That's all right. then" 1 said, and
turned back into the inner room.
Vantine had said that he intended
examining the cabinet in detail at the
flrst opportunity; I remembered how
MS eyes a cleaned as he looked at
1T; how his hand had trembledo as he
caressed The a~rabesques. No doubt
ne was making that examination when
ne a heard a woman's cry and had
gone out into the hal to see what the
| matter was.
Then he and the woman had entered
the anteroom together; he had closed
the door; and then
Like a lightning flash, a thought
leaped into my brain-a
explanation-wild. improbable. absurd.
but still an explanation!
l choked back the cry which rose
to my lips: I 'gripped my hands be-
nina me. In a desperate attempt to
mold myself in check; and. fascinated
as by a deadly serpent. l stood staring
at the cabinet.
For there. I felt certain, lay the
clue to the mystery!