Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-02-07
before I answered.
Eyes, i do" I said finally.

cabinet l was telling you about. Per
| haps It belonged to him"
Hardly" l protested. recalling his
/ shabby appearance.
| AT any rate. remember as I was
looking at his card that some such
I thought occurred to me. 1t was for
that reason I told Parks to ask him TO
wait"
Its possible. of course" admit
ted "F1t that wouldn't explain his
excitement And that reminds me-"
added. II haven't sent or that cable"
ANY time tonight Will do. 1t viii
be delivered in the morning. But you
haven't seen the cabinet yet Come
down and look at It"
He led the way down the stair.
Parks met US in the lower hall
There's a delegation of reporters
outside. SIR" he said. They say
they've got to see you.".
Vantine made a movement of impa-
tience.
"TelI Them" he said, that / posi-
lively refuse to see them or to allow
my servants to see them. Let them
get their information from the police
VERY well, sir" said Parks and turn
ed away, grinning.
Vantine passed on through the ante
room in which we had found the body
OF the unfortunate Frenchman and
into the room beyond. Five or six
pieces of furniture. evidently just I'M
packed. stood there: but, ignorant as
am of such things, he did not have
to point out to me the Boule cabinet.
/ looked at 1t for some moments, for
it was certainly a beautiful piece OF
work. with a wealth of inlay and in
crustation little short OF marvellous.
But | may as well say here that l
never really appreciated it The ford
style of the fourteenth and fifteenth
Louis is not at all to my taste. / am
afraid that yantine found me little
cold.
You don't seem to care for it." he
said, looking at me.
That's my fault and not the fault
Of the cabinet" l pointed out. I'm
not educated up to it. I'm too little of
In artist perhaps"
He was flushed. as a man might be
should another make disparaging re-
mark about his wife. and he led the
way from the room at once.
Remember. Lester" he said a little
ternly, pausing with his hand on the
ront door, there is to be no foolish
less about securing that cabinet for
ne. Don't you let it get away. I'm
n deadly earnest. Let me know as
Don as you have any news"
Was Vantine quite normal I wonder
d on my way home. Could any man
'e normal who was willing to pay
100000 for a piece of furniture, espe-
tally man who could not afford such
knew the size of Van
ines fortune 1t was large, but $780,
100 represented more than years
ncome.. And then smiled to myself
Of course yantfne was merely Testing
when he named that limit. The cabi-
net could be bought for a tenth of it,
1t the most.
1t was about s o'clock that evening
hat Godfrey tapped at my door, and
when l let him in could tell by the
way his eyes were shining that he had
iome news.
II can't stay long, he said. 'T've
rot to get down to the office and put
he finishing touches on that story"
But nevertheless he took the cigar i
,roffered him and sank into the chair
opposite p1y own.
81 want to say this, Lester" he said.
that of all the cases 1 ever had not
ne has promised better than this one
Ices. The coroner's physician finished
lis postmortem half an hour or SO
go"
''Wen?" said
"The stomach was absolutely nor
nal. 1t showed no trace OF poison of
ny kind. Rather a facer for our
riend Goldberger."
whats the matter with Goldberger?
lie seemed rather peeved with you this
fternoon."
mo wonder. He's Grady man, and
Te're after Grady. Grady isn't fit to
cad the detective bureau. He got the
ob through his pull, he's stupid and
suspect he's crooked. The Record
avs he has got to so. Once he's out
will be serene again"
"Look here, Godfrey" said, '.if it
'asn't poison what was it?''
But 1t was poison"
inserted at the hand:"
lie nodded.
"Goldberger says there's no poison
nown which could be used that way
nd which would act so quickly
"Goldberger is right in that agreed
odfrey. But there's a poison I'M
nown that will. because 1t did"
"It wasn't q snake bite?'
"oh. no. Snake poison wouldn't XIII
man that quickly, not even n fer-de
nee. That fellow practically dropped
here he was struck
Then what was it," ,r
Godfrey was sitting erect again.
as not smiling now His face was
cry stern.
That fellow was killed by some
yency outside himself" he said I'm
'me way n drop or two of poison was
troduced into his blood by an instru-
ent something like a hypoderrnic
eedle. and that poison was so power
Il that almost instantly it caused