The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-01-31

never been long in realizing that there was a most redoubtable mailed fist un- der the velvet glove. I had never met him either professionally or person ally. and it was with some eagerness that I told the office boy to show him in at once.
 He was bluff and hearty man of middle age. rather heavy set fresh faced and clean shaven and with very bright blue eyes.
 We shook hands and he sat down and plunged at once without an in- stant's hesitation into the business which had brought him.
 ..Mr. Lester.'' he began, ttI under stand that you are the administrators of the estate of the late Philip Van- tine?''
 "Our firm is," corrected.
 .sBut you. personally. have been at tending to his business? He was col lector of old furniture. believe?"
 .sYes."
 ..And on his last trip to Europe from which he returned only few days ago, he purchased of Armand & Son of Paris a Boule cabinet ?''
 I could not repress a start of aston ishment.
 ..Are you acting for Armand & son?. I queried.
 .sNot at all. am acting for lady whom, for the present. we will call Mime.
 The thought flashed through my mind that Mime. X. and the mysterious F,renchwoman might be one and the same person. Then I put aside the idea as absurd. Serene Hornblower would never accept such a client.
 MT. vantine did buy such cab-s inet,'' said.
 s.And it Is in your possession P
 seThere is at his residence a Boule cabinet which was shipped him from Paris, but. only few hours before his death. Mr. vantine assured me that it was not the one he had purchased" :"
 s.You mean that a mistake had been made in the shipment"
 .sThat is what we supposed. and a cablegram from Armand 6 Son has since confirmed it.
 ssWhere is the cabinet which MT. yantine did buy
 ssI have no idea. Perhaps 1t is still in Paris. But am expecting repre- sentative of the Armands to call very soon to straighten things out,
 Again my companion fell silent. and sat rubbing his chin absentIy-
 "Tt is very strange he said finally. t1f the cabinet was still at Paris. one would think it would have been dis covered before my client made inquiry about it''
 sgThere are good many things which are strange about this whole natter : I supplemented.
 Would you have any objection to my client seeing this cabinet, MT. Les ter?''
 It was my turn to hesitate
 ssMr. Hornblower," said finally, CT will be frank with you. There is a certain mystery surrounding this cabi- net which we have not been able to. solve. suppose you have read of the mysterious deaths of Mir vantine and Of an unknown Frenchman. both in the same room at the vantine house and both apparently from the same cause P,
 Do you mean that this cabinet is connected with them in any way ?" he asked quickly.
 we believe so, though as yet we have been able to prove absolutely nothing. But we are guarding the cabinet very closely. I should not ob- ject to your client seeing it. but could OL- least, without knowing why she wish ed to do so. Ton will remember that you have told me nothing of why she is interested in it..
 .s1 am quite ready to tell you the story, MT. Lester he said "It is only fair that should do SO After you have heard it, if you agree. we will take Mime. x to see the cabinet My client is mes.iloer of prominent American family-a most prominent family. Three years ago she married French nobleman. You can perhaps guess her name, but I should prefer that neither of us utter it
 This nobleman has been both prodi-. gal and unfaithful He has scat tered my clients fortune with both hands. am free to confess that I consider her fool not to have left him long ago. At last her trustees in- terfered, for her father had been wise enough to place a portion of his for tune in trust They paid her husbands debts, placed him on an allowance and notified his creditors that his debts would not be paid again"
 had by this time of course, guessed the name of his client.
 The allowance is princely one,'' MT. Hornbiewer continued, .tbut it does not suffice Monsieur K No allowance would suffice him So he has become thief. He has taken to selling the objects of art with which his resi- dences are filed and which are really the property of my client, since they were purchased with her money About two weeks ago my client re turned to Paris from stay at her in d. had almost denuded the town house Among other things which he had ta- ken was Roule cabinet, which had been used by my client asher private writing desk The cabinet was a most valuable one. But it is not it's none tary value which makes my client so RrviO,1s fc re,oovor