The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-01-14

cit Isn't only lack of, motive which
l makes IL mysterious" l commented;
its everything about II. / can't I'M
derstand either why II was done or
Ing about 1t, / feel as though were
wandering around and around In a
maze from which I can never as
cape
''Oh. yes, you'll escape. Lester" said
Godfrey, quietly. and that before very
long"
"If you have an explanation. God
frey" / 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 1t Is all about?"
Know is perhaps a little strong.
There isn't much in this world that we
really know. Suppose we say that
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 romance has
come true
'T'll take IL all back" I said, meekly.
There's another thing these talks
| do" continued Godfrey, going off rath-
l er at a tangent, land 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 lawyer makes you unusually
quick to sec 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
I never allow myself to be convinced
OF theory until have convinced
You. Not always. even then" he added
with a smile.
well, I'm glad I'm of some use," 1
said. III II 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 1 had found out he
wasn't Armand. Felix Armand is in
Paris at this moment. You were too
credulous. Lester"
| ''Why, never had any doubt of his
being Armand" 1 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 confederate In this fellow
| employ: and it was that confederate
who answered II. Our friend, the I'M
known, foresaw, OF course, that cable
would be sent the Armands as soon as
the mistake was discovered, and he
took his precautions accordingly"
1
met was sent to Vantine by design and
not by aecident?"
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 how you know all this, God
frey" / said.
| why IL was easy enough. When YOU
told me yesterday of Armand, knew,
or thought 1 knew. that 1t was a plant
Of some kind. But, in order to be sure,
I cabled our man at Paris to investi-
mand, pere, and he learned q num-
Der Of very interesting things. One
was that the son, Felix Armand
was in Paris; another was that no
member Of the firm knew any
thing about your cable or the an
swer to 1t; a third was, that, had the
cable been received, 1t would not have
been understood, because the Armands'
books show that this cabinet was
bought by Philip Vantine for the sum
Of 1900 francs
MOT this one!" ! protested.
yes, this one. And it was cheap at
the price or course, the Armands
knew nothing about the Montespan
story-they were simply selling at a
But 1 don't understand" I STAN
mered. "Vantine told me himself that
he did not buy that cabinet"
Nor did he But somebody bought II
in hts name and directed that 1t be
sent forward to him."
And paid $4,000 franc9for it?"
"Certainly-andp paid $4,000 francs to
the Armands."
Rather an expensive present" said
feebly, for my brain was beginning to
whfrl again.
"ob, i wasn't intended as a pres
emit. The purchaser planned to reclaim
it--but Vantines death threw him out.
II II hadn't been for that-for an acct
dent which no one could foresee-
everything would have gone along
smoothly and no one would ever have
been the wiser"
but what 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 1t to
your"
NO." 1 said, ct didn't think there
was any to refund. Vantine really paid
the duty only on the cabinet he pur-
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 didn't see that
there was anything coming to Van
tine's estate. There Is probably some
thing due the government, for the cabi-
net Vantine brought in was, Of course,
much more valuable than his manifest
showed"
mo doubt Of that; and the other
cabinet Is the one which Vantine really
purchased. 1t was, OF course. sent 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-
haps 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 have been able to pull
] II off bat for the fact that Vantine's
death and that Of DPouet had called
our attention to the cabinet: we fol-
lowed him, and the incidents of this
afternoon ensued."
| And he accomplished all this by
means Of q confederate in the employ
Of the Armands?"
mo doubt of it. The clerk who made
the supposed sale to Vantine and got a
commission on 1t, resigned suddenly
two days ago-just as soon as he had
intercepted your cable and answered
1t. The Paris police are looking for
him, but I doubt II they'll find him"
paused to think this over; and then