The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-01-14

can't be discovered. it is mighty hard
to make any progress
1T isn't only lack Of motive which
makes it mysterious I commented;
its everything about it. 1 can't UNI
derstand either why it was done or
how it was done. When I get to think
ing about 1t, I feel as though 1 were
wandering around and around in 8
maze from which I can never as
cape"
ooh, yes, you'll escape. Lester" said
Godfrey, quietly. and that before very
long"
If you have an explanation. God
frey" l protested, 'for heavens sake
tell me. Don't keep me in the maze
an instant longer than is necessary.
I've been thinking about 1T till my
brain feels like a snarl of tangled
thread. Do you mean to say you know
what it is all about?"
Know is perhaps a little strong.
really know. Suppose we say that I
strongly. suspect" He paused a mo-
ment, his eyes on the ceiling. you
know you've accused me of romancing
sometimes. Lester-the other evening,
for instance; yet that romano has
come true"
I'll take it all back" I said, meekly.
There's another thing these talks
do,' continued Godfrey, going off rath-
er at a tangent, and that is to clarity
my Ideas. You don't know how it
helps me to state my case to you and
to try to answed your objections. Your
being a lawyer makes you unusually
quick to see objections, and a lawyer
IS always harder to convince of a thing
than the ordinary man. You are ac-
customed to weighing evidence; and so
[ never allow myself to be convinced
OF a theory until I have convinced
you. Not always, even then" he added
with q smile.
We'll, I'm glad I'm of some USE" 1
said. IF 1t is only as a sort of file for
you to sharpen your wits on. SO please
go ahead and romance some more. Tell
me first how you and Simmonds came
to be following Armand"
Simply because | had found out he
wasn't Armand. Felix Armand is in
Paris at this moment You were too
~credulous, Lester"
Why, l had any doubt Of his
being Armand" I stammered. HE
knew about my cablegram-he knew
ABOUT the firms answer"
OF course he did. because your cable
was never received by the Armands,
but by a confederate in this fellows
employ; and it was that ~feder
known, foresaw, Of course, that a cable
would be sent the Armands as soon as
the mistake was discovered, and he
took his precautions accordingly."
Then you still believe that the cab-
met was sent to vantine by design and
not by a~ccident?"
Absolutely. 1t was sent by the Ar
mands in good faith, because they be-
lieved that it had been purchased by
Vantine-all of which had been ar
ranged very carefully by the Great I'm
known.
Tell me now you know all this, God
frey" I said.
why it was easy enough. When YOU
told me yesterday of Armand, 1 knew,
or thought I knew, that it was a plant
OF some kind. But, in order to be sure,
l cabled u man at Paris to ~investi-
gate. Our man went at once to Ar
mand, pere, n he learned a num-
Der Of very interesting things. One
was that the son, Felix Armand,
was In Paris; another was that no
thing about your cable or the an
swer to 1t; a third was, that, had the
cable been received, it would not have
been understood, because the Armands'
books show that this cabinet was
bought by Philip Vantine for the sum
Of $1,000 francs"
Not this one!" I protested.
Yes, this one And it was cheap at
the price. OF course, the Armands
knew nothing abou the Montespan
story-they were simply selling at a
profit"
But I don't underestimate" I STAN
mered. "Vantine told mo himself that
he did not buy that cabinet"
Nor did he. But somebody bought It
IN his name and directed that it be
sent forward to him"
And paid $4,000 francs for it?"
"Certainly-and paid Ii. 900 francs to
the Armands."
Rather an expensive present." I said,
feebly, for my brain was beginning to
whirl again.
"oh. it wasn't intended as a pres
ent. Inc purchaser planned to reclaim
it-but Vantine's death threw him out.
II 1t hadn't been for that-for an acct
dent which no one could foresee-
everything would have gone along
smoothly and no n would ever have
been the WISER"
But hat was his object? Was he
trying to evade the duty?"
oh, nothing SO small as that! Be-
sides, he would have had to refund the
duty to Vantine. Did he refund it to
your"
NO." I said, II didn't think there
was any to refund. vantine really PAID
the duty only on the cabinet he bur
chased, since that was the one shown
on his manifest. The other fellow
must have paid the duty on the cabi-
net he brought In; SO I didn't see that
there was anything coming to Van
tines estate. There is probably some
~ 1 4O4 luc CHILL
net Vantine brought in was, Of course,
much more valuable than his manifest
showed"
No doubt Of that; and the other
cabinet is the n which Vantine really
purchased: 1t was. Of course. SEM for
ward to this other fellows address,
here in New York. His plan is evident
enough-to call Upon Vantine, as the
representative Of the Armands. or per-
maps as the owner of the Montespan
cabinet, and make the exchange. Van
tine'e death spoiled that, and he had to
make the exchange through you. Even
then, he would ave been able to pull
1t off but for tho fact that Vantine's
death and that of Drouet had called
our attention to the cabinet: we fol-
afternoon ensued."
And he accomplished all this by
means Of a confederate in the employ
of the Armands?"
mo doubt Of 1t. The clerk who made
the supposed sale to Vantine and got a
commission on it, resigned suddenly
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