Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1920-04-09

room," said Alice.
Mrs. Farnsworth had excused her
self to finish letter, and from my
chair | could see her head bent over
the big desk in the library. Alice rang
for Antoine, and | followed her into
the hall to offer my aid.
"Oh, don't trouble" she. said. San
tome can do anything necessary. Yes;
thanks il you will turn on the dining
room lights"
| was gone hardly half a minute.
When | reached the drawing-room
door Montani had crossed the room
to the table OH which Alice had
dropped the fan and was examining it
closely. He faced the door, and the
moment he detected me exclaimed
carelessly: ".An exquisite little bauble !!
| am always curious as to the source
of such trifes. was looking for the
makers imprimatur. know a Pari-
sian who, is the leading manufacturer
of the world. But it is not his. i
see.''
AS we stood talking of other things
he piled the fan careleSSly as though
for the pleasure of the faint scent it
eXhaled, and when Alice called us he
put it down carefully where he had
found it.
He really did seem to know some
thing about ceramics and praised, with
lively enthusiasm, the pieces that had
been set out on the table. One piece,
as to whose authenticity my uncle had
entertained serious doubts, MOntani
unhesitatingly pronounced genuine and
stated very plausible reasons for his
opinion.
On the whole, he was an interesting
fellow. When he had finished his in
spections he fingered for only a few
minutes and took his leave, saying
that he was spending the night at an
inn near Stamford.
"Well," said Alice when the whir of
his machine had died away, what do
you think of him?'
"A very agreeable gentleman" an
swered. IF he doesn't know pOrce-
lans, he fakes his talk admirably"
"And as to fans" suggested Mrs.
Farnsworth.
had not intended to mention Mon
tanis interest in Alice's fan, and the
remark surprised me.
"Oh, | saw it all from the library"
laughed Mrs. Farnsworth. MY back
was to the door, but was facing. a
mirror The moment you and Alice
went into the hall he pounced upon
the fan-pounced is the only word
interest in it very neatly when you
caught him examining it."
Fans are harmless things" said
Alice, land If there's any story at
tached to this one I'm not aware of 1t.
MY father bought it in Paris about
three years ago, and it has never been
out of my possession except to have
it repaired. There's a japanese jew
eler who does wonderful things in the
way of repairing trinkets of every
kind. ! left it with him for few
days. l can't tell now which panel
was broken, he did his work SO
deftly."
| took it from her and balanced 1t
In my fingers. 1t was beautiful
piece of workmanship with the sim
plest carvings on the ivory panels.
HE couldn't have seen it anywhere
before tonight" observed Alice mus
ingly. "In fact, hadn't used it at all
for year. 1t was really by mistake
that my maid put it into my trunk
when | went to Japan. | didn't want
to risk breaking it again, so I've been
carrying it in a handbag. The last
day we were in Toxic | think | had it
In our sitting room in the hotel, TO
make sure it wasn't damned into the
trunk again. We had good many
calIers-a number of people came in
to bid us good-by, but I'm sure Count
Montani was not among them, and II
would have been impossible for him to
see ii at any other time"
"Oh, there is nothing disturbing In
the counts interest in the thing" said
Mrs. FarnswOrth with an air OF dis
missing the matter. "If it were jade
trinket inscribed with Chinese mys-
teries. you might imagine that it would
he sought by some one--l have heard
of such things-but Alice's fan has no
such history"
I'VE weren't very hospitable," said
Alice. II might have asked Conh'
Montani to dine with us tomorrow
and we might even have put him NJ
for the night in this vast house
Not with Antoine on the premises
exclaimed. "AntOine is convinced
that the man is what we call in Amer
lea crook And antoine takes his
responsibilities very seriously"
While ! was breakfasting at the
garage the next morning Antoine ap-
appeared and waiting until Flynn was
out of hearing handed me a slip OF
| paper.
That's a New York automobile
| number" he said sit was on the tag
| of that machine the party came in last
| night. ! heard him saying, sir. as how
| he had mOtored up from the Elkton
inn at Stamford. Visitors from Siam