Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-08-11

M. Felix Armand Was Shown In to Me.
ton Of art objects be removed to the
museum and that the house and such
portion of it's contents as the museum
did not care for be sold for the mu-
seum's benefit. I was requested to re-
main In charge of things for week
or two until arrangements for the re-
moval could be made.
acQuiesced in all these arrange
ments, but l was feeling decidedly
blue when l found myself back In the
Office.
Gentleman to see you, SIR" said the
office boy as l sat down at my desk,
and a moment later NJ. Felix Armand
was shown in to me. Ruddy faced.
bright eyed, with dark. full beard and
waving hair almost jet black. he gave
the impression of tremendous strength
and virility. There was about him.
too, an air of culture not to be mis-
taken. was both impressed and
charmed by him.
'T speak English very badly. sir" he
said as ne sat down. eff you speak
French
Not half so we'll as you speak Eng
lish." laughed. 81 can tell that from
your first sentence"
"In that event will do the best that
l can" he said, smiling, land you
must pardon my plumbers. First, Mr..
Lester, on behalf of Armand & Son, l
must ask your pardon for this mistake,
so inexcusable We cannot find for it
an explanation. The cabinet which
was purchased by Mr.. vantine re-
NAMED in our warehouse, and this 9th
er one was boxed and shipped to him.
We are investigating most rigidly."
'Then Mr.. Vantine's cabinet Is still
in Paris?"
mo, Mr.. Lester; the error was dis
covered some days ago. and the cabi-
net belonging to Mr.. Vantine was ship
ped to me here. 1t should arrive next
Wednesday on La Provence. ! shall
myself receive it and deliver it to Mr..
Vantine."
"Mr. vantine is dead" / said. "You
did not know"
He sat staring at me for a moment.
did l understand that you said MT.
vantine is dead?" he stammered.
/ told him briefly as much as l
knew of the tragedy.
1T is curious you saw nothing OF it
in the papers," l added. ''They were
full of It."
81 have been visiting friends at Que
bec," he explained at was there
that the message from our house found
me commanding me to hasten here. A
blunder of this sort we feel as dis
grace. I have met Mr.. Vantine many
times. He was a real connoisseur.
We have lost one Of our most valued
patrons. You say that he was found
dead in room at his house?"
Eyes, and death resulted from
small wound on the hand, into which
some very powerful poison had been
injected"
"That is most curious. In what man
ner was such wound made?"
"That we don't know. | had the
ory"-
"Yes?" he questioned, his eyes
cleaning with interest.
"A few hours previously another
man had been found in the same room,
killed in the same way"
Another MANI"
"a stranger who had called to see
Mr.. Vantine. Ny theory was that both
this stranger and Mr.. Vantine had
been killed while trying to open Sc
cret drawer in the BOule cabinet. DO
you know anything of the history OF
that cabinet, NJ Armand?"
1--WE believe it to have been MADE
for Mime. de Montespan by NJ. Boule
himself" he answered. 1T Is the
original of one now in the Louvre
which is known to have belonged to
the Grand Louis"
ut was Mr.. Vantine's correct guess
at the history of the cabinet" l ex-
pIaiDod ..--+t1: y 80 basis fox
To BE CoNTINUEDo