The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-02-15

! presently They are all pretty good
and one is Il thing OF beauty It's
more than that-it's an absolutely
unique. work OF art. Only. unfo-tu-
nateiy. IL isn't mine"
at isn't yours? 2"
''NO and ! don't know whose 1t is.
II I did. I'd 20 buy It. That = what /
want you To do for me. It's Boule
cahinet- the most exquisite I ever saw
II came FROM Paris. and IL was ad
dressed to me. The only explanation
Paris made mistake. sent me cabi-
net belonging to some one else and
sent mine to- the other person"
You had bought one. Them
Yes and Ii hasn't turned up. But
beside this one It's u mere daub. My
man Parks got it through the customs
yesterday. Az there was q BOule
cabinet on my manifest. the mistake
wasn't discovered until the whole lot
was brought up here and uncrated
this morning.
''Weren't they uncrnted In the Gus
tonlsg'
mo I've heen bringing things in
for good many years. and the GUS
toms people know I'm not u thief
Come in be added. answering a tap
at the door.
The door opened and vantine's man
came in.
"A gentleman to see you. SIR he
said and handed Vantine card
Vantine looked at IL n little bIankly
- don't know him. be said. What
does ne want?''
He wants tn see you. sir-very bad.
| should say. think he's French
man. sir. Anyway. be don't know
sirT'
No" said vantine. after an inxtant's
hesitation. Tell him to wait
Il tell you. Lester. he went on as
Parks withdrew. when I went down
stairs this morning aud saw that cab
met could hardly believe my eyes.
thought | knew furniture. but I hadn't
any idea such a cabinet existed. The
most beautiful | had ever seen rs at
the Louvre. II stands In the Sale
Louis XIV. to the left az you enter
1t belonged tn Louis himself. OF
course ! can't he certain without a
careful examination. hut believe that
cabinet. beautiful "a II IL. In merely
the counterpart of this one"
He paused and looked AT me. his
eyes bright with the enthusiasm of the
connOisSeur
"Rouie furniture" he continued. ''is
usually of ebony inlaid with tortoise
she'll and incrusted with arabpSques in
metals of various kinds The incrIlS-
tation had to be very exact. and to
get II so the artist ciampPd together
two plates OF equal size and thickness.
one Of metal. the other OF tortoise shell.
traced his design an the top one and
then cut them both ont together The
result was two combinations. the orig
inal. with tortoise shell ground and
metal applications. and the counter
part. applique metal with tortoise shell
arabeSQues The original was really
the one which the artist designed and
whose effects he studied The conn
terpart was merely a resultant acct
dent. with which he WIS not especially
concerned. Tnder<tand?'
'Yes. I think so.'' said.
"WeiI. it's the original which has the
real artistic value OF course the coun-
terpart Ia often beautiful. too. but in G
much lower degree
~ can understand that" said.
and now Lester" Vanfine went on.
his eyes shining more and more. IF
my superstition Is correct. If thP Grand
Louis WAS content with the counter
part OF this cabinet for the Tong gal
lery at Versailles who do you suppose
owned fhe Originally"
SAW what ne WIS driving at
al believe II belonged to Nine de
Montespan." he said
''Really. Vanfine." I exclaimed. 81
didn.t know Won were So romantic
You quite take my breath away
He flashed iitsi.. at the words. and
I saw hmE deeply In earnest he was.
1.-THE erase OF the collectos takes him
q long Av aOmefimes" ne said