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Show John Chatwood s Collection h By i I VmrrTiJ mns, then old brass and Iron, SWftS" Mary Chatwood said rf moment of warmth, whon lH M Jc " new hat and a lailor-aHS lailor-aHS Snly w discover Ihnt her fhnd expended the necessary 3Kwsd o RiranKe looking copper vessel lMSSftf??MCk Venetian flask, nolthor JHKwsf,M serve for personal adorn-ftftorL adorn-ftftorL " Why don't you get 'Hji or rtr, John Chfctwood. and SEs"? ufe strcots. calling through 'Rlbf'01c rass-'n-lron!' like tho real i-WSf'iTmen' You'll come to that. Jfaiia'M0anthi)e, how am I. to get ' without clothes!' BP Wwood was a gentle soul. -Mag" ?.yr vou mco. Mary?" he said. .sflw!'1 i.. "Mice things would have "flKfc' if I hadn't nailed them Just r" have them I HK' nr cotirse. when I tliat Is "B? hve the money. And you know "m3?jJam go out of style and arc iH&WJ nothing Now. with thesu cy 50 out of stylo the C In style. They will be times what I paid for thern $R"nI -f ever I wanted to sell Zln never will You wouldn't sell 'Pffie corner pots of yours if you .fUt a hundred times what It cost. BiSdrfl sell one if we, were ularv-vou ularv-vou wouldn't 1" 1 MLyoai foul too. Mary! I'd do it in mm'f:,1. Tf we ay needed anythlng-iRilk- needed It bad enough; but ?J Marv vou've got a good many iBjWdSsand-aSd things Any-'tU. Any-'tU. "ell nil the old traps, whon AiSS e0 .Mcbbo they'll bring P lirJ. then, and you cun have all jgil" 'but, of course, that set- Blt'thaSavv Chatwood did not iME most 0 the 'rare and beautiful SLifo "whlcli John Chatwood spent a .SSfdSn of their otherwise sufficient IT She did care for them, though MS'gere likely to be other than her husband. To him they re-IHSl re-IHSl tbe history of nations, their art. BSard decuy. Even deeper was his Krt m a collcctor-that Interest BEv ic likely to become a. passion. -EdJr a ianlo. It is believed that HMJ flwood was not far wrong in Kirritc of her husband's ambition. Irifci he declared was to own all the 'BTrtO and battered copper and fat-"IfiWnMr-""- hi the world, with a place JflBTtEOUf-h to hold them and a string jyfto cnv' iiim ihir possee" iBfe-liBrself. she loved the things ho-iK ho-iK ttwwsro .beautiful, and for their HKL She fouud great Joy in lustrous Efca from tho looms of the east, folic iMtWM'u curl up among them to dream fKTnioaiiw and the history of the In--tRtmn strands that semi-barbaric Of-Sows had mingled, that dusky hands slender feet of the Orient had ,EttL SI10 could picture it all. and Smtotothe magic hues and patterns a 'I'Ecand and one Arabian entertainments IjBM-ifhea her floors, her wallK, and e- her ceilings, had been well nigh Ktd with these marvelous things, and sHta on night John Chatwood had jgEertt home almost an exact duplicate fle; 0! his rarest pieces because, as he Kll, tie man who wovo them both had ' jKjcdud ronic hundreds of years, and nKjjt wcro only these two samples In all MeTorid-wlicn later, it developed, that 'K'bd expended on this purchase an jHent which was to have paid for a. tflBmlty partv she had planned then jIHkj Chatwood gave it out rather au- smtfvely that their rug collection was r Ikre were other" woi Ids to conquer. iHB6arug5 to tapestrlc-s seemed a natural Ifjpwliion. from tapestries, the down-iMBri down-iMBri iy to old school samplors was "jptflten, with a sudden shift, to beaten jrfjpd TTWht metals, and later to the bot- IBttf ttrangc lands and "other days. jHK3 C15C3 followed the dialogue with -lBjd'thla gtory opens bird cages of all . 4Bj& and of every age. They were 'Bkr handsome, too, some of them, and tji'iHpr Out-rood was at first resigned. ' 'rSBl tn there were us many in the id liB Mid library as good taste would m ''bK. with a surplus that filled the IggfButroom upplalr? and overflowed into "ipmi, and whon It became at last l'j JHpHlion of choice botvcn a fur-lined fecaie and some former and far-off r-blro'g battered but not Inexpensive Pjjij'gjJI)lng she could nolthor nu , .'.J10,' 10 .t,lc theater John Chatwood sighed to find that the wife of Ills bosom elected to take the article of apparel, which made it necessarv for 11 ? ,scour lho cage 011 credit, utid to night earret- surreptitiously, by But winter suits, opera capes and home parties wore trivial and temporary needs. Within aiury Chatwood's heart lav a dream and a desire more vital and moro expensive than any of these. Kor as many as tcii autumns she hud planned a trip 10 the Mediterranean 10 Home and iNnpIes. and tho sunlit villages and vino-clad vino-clad slopes of Italy. John Chatwood had abetted these plans, once even to tho point of selecting the steamer, but always just at the critical moment certain events had occurred: some sale or other rare opportunity to add to his collections, and the needed funds had gone for something 01 perhaps more permanent and increasing increas-ing value, but which seemed cold and unsatisfying, and afforded hut poor comfort com-fort to tho heart of Mary Chatwood. When her Uncle Chester died, she had determined deter-mined to use her share of the money for tho Mediterranean trip. But Uncle Chester's estate was long in boing settled. set-tled. There was property to be sold, and your after year dragged by. while the end seemed no nearer. There- came an autumn at last when Mary Chatwood avowed she would wait no longer. They were going lo Italy, she said, about Christmas time. If Uncle Chester's money came, they would use it. If not, then it was for her husband to provide tho means. . Chatwood's face grew long. 'But you sec. Mary. 1 bought that peach-bloom vase at the Dcland sale-: " "Then you can sell it again either that or something else! Of cotirse, If Uncle Chester's money had come, it wouldn't matter. The vase is beautiful and I love it. Besides, it belonged once to Marie Antoinette " "Let's let's look through what we've got. Mary," he said, presently, without enthusiasm. Mrs. Chatwood regarded him with deep sympathy, half relenting. Then she hardened hard-ened her heart. Together they set out to look through their possession?. Often before they had done this, though never with the same purpose. They began rather Dilently in the half-lit half-lit parlor where rare draperies hung close about the walls nnd made the floor soundless sound-less to their tread. Here and there from among them, some ruddy coppor vessel sent, like n gleam of fire, Its deep and changing glow, while In alcoves and corners cor-ners the -rare and wonderful furniture of our forefathers was revealed in graceful grace-ful curve and simple line. From the ceiling and In the window arches some of the more decorative cages luing pendent, pen-dent, and along the mantel and above the doors, or in curious corner niches and cabinets, wore displayed a few of those marvelous bits of glass, created when bottle-making was an art nnd not. a trade, which somehow have caught and held the hues of a thousand suns and summers, to give them hack to us now In a million matchless iridescent shades. Mary Chatwood felt her courage weakening weak-ening among these things. Tho Importance Impor-tance of a winter voyage lo the Mediterranean Medi-terranean seemed likely to dwindle In the contemplation of any part of these as tho possible price: John Chatwood, too, wns thoughtful. When he spoke, his voice had a husky sound, and the words did not come freely. "I 1 suppose I might sell one or the blue Persians, Mary. Kisanslan lias mado me a. standing offer or a thousand for it. Tou sec, there are only those two in the world, and he knows the price will go up. Or course, when I'm gone that Is I mean " "Suppose wc look through the dining room, John." But in the dining room most of the things were really for use. With tho exception ex-ception of a fow cages and some copper things there was little that Mrs. Chatwood Chat-wood herself would have been willing to spare. She led tho way to the basement base-ment stairs, where, below. In tho hall and in tho two rooms especially shelved and fitted, were the greater portions of the splendid bottle and roppor collections collec-tions that we're ihc prldo of John Chatwood's Chat-wood's heart and had made his name familiar to collectors ovorywhore. Chat-wood Chat-wood followed with lho air of a man going to receive sentence Jt was dark In tho basement, hut suddenly sud-denly Mary Chatwood touched a button in tho wall, and lho place was flooded with a blazo of electric light. Vet it was not suoh a light as may bo found in the splendor of tho glhlod hotel, or In lho onyx- and mar bio palaces of. the truly rich. It was a light caught up and reflected and multiplied by a thousand burnished surfaces, refracted through a myriad of crystul shapes and marvelous hues, until the whole became such a coruscation cor-uscation of living color as one might imagine im-agine for Aladdin's cave. Perhaps because thoro were so many together, or because some of them seemed rather less human In their associations, as-sociations, Mary Chatwood cared leas for these things. Still, thoro were the old samovars from which lea had been drawn for generations, and tho holv lamps and drinking cups and' odd pots, smooth with tho polish of vanished hands. Ilien thero were the rare scent bottles or old Persia that some slender-throated woman of long ago had prized and illlcd with such a marvel of perfume that now, when she wns dust and ashes these centuries, cen-turies, tho trace of it still lingered. Mrs. Chatwood did not care to part with those, iiesldcs. they were John's vcrv soul sho knew that. To sell these, or any part of them, meant for him roal sorrow. Yet in her heart she did not mean to surrender. surren-der. She had 1 planned her trip too long, it was her one great desire, and she meant to hold fast. The" It was for him. as woll. He needod It In the blaze of light that reflected re-flected on his face and silvering hair she thought he looked old and worn. And she wished he would not be so still, it only he would object and protest now she could urge und combat and get the matter settled off-hand. But Chatwood merely walked slowly down. one side and up the other, observing now and then in a tired far-away voice, that ho seemed trying, for her sake, to make cheerful, how he had bought this in one placo and found that in another. "I picked up that melon-shaped samo- l?ZJn a,Jl,n,,c shop onc n'GhU on tho lower east side. It was all green and dented then, and 1 got It for tho price of old metal. There arc no chances, now. All the junk dealers havo got smart, and people havo literally raked the shops for anything that looks like old copper. That's worth today fifty times what I paid for It, and somo day, .when I m I mean " "Come upstairs, John, to tho second floor, where the bird cages .re." kIuuK, a,3cen,d,e(1 the east room, whero walls and celling and floor were covered with tho curious gilt and silver and reed-Jattlced reed-Jattlced homes of a hundred silent song-n?!?' song-n?!?' &omo, 0.t!10 cages were still occupiednot oc-cupiednot by living singers, but by their !?mi&eron. or hright-hued Imitation little birds to glvo tho prettv prison dwelling an air of life There were cages of every land cages of even some of the far Pacific Islands Insect cages from .Tapun, made tall so that the leaping mushi or grasshopper-stager can exercise one rare glass cage from old Venice, and finally, tho rarest !of all, a curious little Uelft cage, ono of the only thrco known to be in existence. Somehow Some-how in tho atmosphere of this rather chilly and cheerless room empty but tor these lifeless and voiceless cages, Mary Chatwood regained courage. "Now. ilohn." sho began, "you might just as well part with some of these cages. They are of no use up here. They arc not even very beautiful, stored as they are. and wo have all wo need for ornament, down-stairs. Somo of these cost a lot of money and 'should bring enough to pay for our journey. 3 won't say a word about the copper and bottles and other things. They are all beautiful, and we have a place for them. But these cages of course, they arc pretty and. Interesting, In-teresting, too. in their wav hut they simply fill up this room to no special purpose, and you've a lot in tho garret besides. I didn't know you had so many until I went up there yesterday. I'm quito sure I hadn't seen some of them befoio." Chatwood did nol find words at once. When he did. he said: "Mcbbo I have one of two you haven't soon. Perhaps you were out when they came in. I guess J thought you wouldn't care for thorn very much." "But I do care. John. I care for them a groat deal, and especially, as I know you care. Only, we havo got to take that trip. John, and If it means to sell something, some-thing, then let it bo the cags." "T don't know ns they'll bring iheir value. Mary not yet. You see, peoplo haven't begun o much 011 bird cages as they havo on old ooppor, and such tilings. Of course, come day mcbbo when I'm "Never mind about some day. It's now we're going to lako that trip. John. If you can got anything for them at ill what vou paid, or oven loss lot I horn 1:0. ItH roally wrong not to do It. You nocd the trip moro than, I do. I thought so as I looked at you a while ago, and hero we go on, year after year, until by and by we won't euro anything about it, nor for theso things, olther. Anyway, sell enough to pay for this trip, and buy thorn back or others like them, after wc get home." But John Chatwood shook his head. "If we soil any, we'll sell all, Mary. Tho collection Is about complete us it stands, and ltiwouldn't do to break It. You'ro right, though, about the trip, and wo'll take It. I'll drop into Kinsloy's auction rooms tomorrow, and let him advertise the salo for next week." And then, all at once. Mnry Chatwood' was In his arms, crying and- sobbing on his shoulders, declaring that he was the best man In the world, and that he shouldn't do any such thing not for her no, never! And, of course, this mado John Chatwood Chat-wood all tho moro firm in his good resolve, re-solve, though Mnry In all honesty had not meant It to do bo, yet was nono the less happy to know that they were really gojng. Sho consoled herself with tho thought that John would be glad, too, when at last they were on their way. lie was at Kinsloy's bright and oarly next morning and tho salo of the Chatwood cages was announced in tho evening papei. During tho week that intcrvoncd Mary Chatwood tried to rejoice in tho preparations prepara-tions for their voyage. There wore a good many tilings to gel ready, and it kept her busy. She desired most especially espe-cially to buy some nice Christmas present for John something that would cheer him. Their Hrst. morning at sea would be Christmas morning. Sho had read a jolly story of a Christmas at soa a wonderful day of surprises, holly and mistletoe and bowls of good things, with a grand ball and revelry under the swaying sway-ing lamps at evening. Sho had made this plcturo a part of her dream nnd aho wantod to surprise John with something that would cnuso him to bo happy and to forget. When sho recalled that some of the things he cared for most were boing sacrificed for her sake, she became feverishly anxious to buy somothlng. or do something, or be something, that John would appreciate beyond words. She had all sortB of impulses. She even contemplated selling some piece of Jewelry Jew-elry and buying back in secret tho rare Delft cage, to produce It suddanly on their first morning out. She reflected, however, that this could bo no moro than a sad reminder an aggravation rather than a comfort; besides, a bird cage would bo a frail and inconvenient piece of baggage later on. She grew almost morbid amid thcHe reflections, ovon re-pontant re-pontant at times nnd remorseful. It took dally renewal of purpose, with constant justification and the rchardening of a very feminine heart that had no Inclination Inclina-tion to" become hard, or once hardened, to remain so, in order to avoid complete surrender at tho eleventh hour. As for John Chatwood, he was about as cheerful as martyrs are likely to be. During tho day he assumed what was doubtless Intended to be a bustling air. and catalogued and recatalogued the doomed cages a labor that seemed unnecessary. un-necessary. Inasmuch as ho had done all this at least twice before. If he weakened weak-ened he did not givo evidence of It In words. At. times tho thought that his treasures might go for little or nothing filled him with a sickening dread. More than once he was templed to treat with Mnry with the view of buying them back, in event of such a disaster, but he put this Idea aside as unworthy, and hummed cheerful tunes instead, when sho was about, though for some reason they wore In minor keys. At dinner he managed to tell at least two of his best old stories, and once, by some chance, he romembcrcd a ncw one. Tic could not be expected to do bettor than that. Tt is doubtful If thp old martyrs themselves did much better. It is truo that his storytelling story-telling and music depressed whero they were meant lo cheer, and the shine in Mary Chatwood's eyes wns not always due lo mirth or Joyful anticipation. The hardening process had to be very carefully care-fully performed at such moments. Whon tho day cume that the cages wore to be removed, and she got a look at John's face unawares; when sho walked through (ho II bran and parlor whore no longer in tho arches hung pendent lho airy homes of those silent singers of other days and cljmos. sho broko down altogether: alto-gether: and 'when from amid the parlor cushions she watohod the loaded wngons drive nway. sho had to rub and dab her oyos until ihoy woro almost as red as her noso hi ordor lo pee at all. "Oh. oh. It s jusl as If tho HliTlff wore taking our tilings for dobtl" sho walled. I in going to have them all brought back l I'm going to tell John to have those wagons turn around and bring every one of those lovely cages homo again where he can have thorn as long as ho lives. Oh, dear, Fvo been planning for such a happy trip and such a good ChriBtmas at 3en, and I know now I shall Just hate it, and tho voyage and Italy and and maybu John will die. tliore! Ob, why was I ever bom. anyway?" But sho did not call tho wagonrl back. Perhaps she know they would not come, even if sho did call that tho matter had gone too for to retreat now. Perhaps she never really meant to do so, hut only found comfort in giving vent to hor self-abasement In that form, hoping to appoaso tho gods by so vigorous a simulation simu-lation of good intentions. We poor humans hu-mans are likely to do such things. Chatwood left tho house early on tho morning of tho sale Ho kissed his wife goodby with nuIXIcfbnt hcartinoss. But Mary remembered tho night when he had found the old Delft cage during ono of his many noctural rambles In tho Jewish quarters, how ho had walked three miles ,to brlug It homo, becauso he had paid out every cent. In his purse, oven to car faro, and how ho had grabbed her at tho door and danced her around and a-round in the Joy of his new treasuro and kissed hor so loudly that tho sorvants had thought it necessary to look in. If the difference netween his salutes now and tlion indicated indi-cated tho change in his regard for her, Bho felt thnt tho world their world without a Delft cage, and all tho other cages, woa a pretty poor cxcubo aftor all. ' She turned back Into tho houso to busy herself with her preparations. She felt that sho must put by all regrets and mako tho best of tho journey for which uo sad a price was being paid. Yet, try an sho would, she could not forget. In fancy sho saw the crowd of bidders at tho auction rooms saw John's treasures boing put up plocc by piece and competed for by those who had been always his rivals, and hud envied htm his raro possessions. pos-sessions. Then suddenly she, too, was seized with a cold fear: Suppose, after all. the bidders did not come. John had enld himself that the fancy for cages was still young. Suppose nobody that really counted came to buy, and Uiat John's treasures were knocked down, given away, for a trifle. Suppose they brought only a fow cents each. What then of their winter voyago to the south, of their happy Chrlstrilas at soa? After hor husband's noble sacrifice for her, aftor all his patient martyrdom, suppose It should be all to no purpose, except to benefit a lot of poor fools who buy priceless price-less cages for a song, because, forsooth, they might somo day have the singers. Tho thought made her weak and trembly. Sho droppod Into a chair to gather a little strength. Tho ringing of the door hell just then mado her Jump. But It was only the postman, and a moment later the maid brought the letters. ' There were two ono for John from tho steamship company, onc In a large official envelope, for .herself. This she tore open and some papers dropped out. When she had examined thorn once over then twice she leaned back In tho chair again trying to think. It seemed to her that tho air had become rather close. Presently she sat up qulto straight, then suddenly hurried out Into tho hall whero sho put on her coat and hat. A moment later she was in the open street. When John Chatwood reached homo that evening he did not look like a man who was glad to come. Ills countenance did not avear the resigned look of ono for whom tho worst is over. Tils depression depres-sion of the morning may have been less marked, but something that was more like fear, a hangdog look of guilt, had taken Its place. He drew a long breath of relief when he saw that Mary was not there to welcome him, but. sho come In just then, and he prepared for tho cyclone. cy-clone. How wonderfully cheerful sho was. Sho was singing like a. young girl as she laid off hor" things In the hall. He grew almost bitter in the rellootlon that she could bo so happy In what might havo oost him so much. Moro than all was ho overwhelmed with the burdon of imminent im-minent confession. It seemed to him I hat he could not faco her not yet. He must slip out and then, suddenly, sho had rushi'd In and grabbed him about tho neck and was hngging him and calling call-ing him dear old John, hor dear old, foolish John. In (ho regular old-tlnio way. And this mado ll hard, nh. vory hard. t for John, conblderlng what ho had to confono. All at once she caught his faco In her liands and looked him straight in the eyes. "Why," Bhe said, "why don't you bo happy? I know you miiBt bo glad, now its all over and we're going off eo soon. Ju8t think, wo rail tomorrow. Our first morning at sea will be Christmas. Tliat Is tho finest Christmas present I could havo. Tho very finest in the world, except ex-cept for you to bo happy. Why don't you be happy, John? Happy for my sake, anyway?" He grow a shado paler; hia tongue clove to his mouth. Whon ho opened his Hps. scarcely anything Isauod therefrom. "Mary," he managed to say at last, "Mary we--that is I'm afraid, Mary, wc wo can't go after all not thia time, Marl'." She drew away from him, as In great astonishment. "Can't go! Why, John, what do you mean? Of course, wo can go. Wasn't that what tlio salo was for? ' Then, In changed tone: "Oh. John, do you mean that they wont too low that .your cages didn't bring onough to take us? I had a presentiment that they might do thatl I did, John, early tills morning perhaps It was a communication telepathic, vou know. It was Just after you left. But wo can go cheap, dear. Wo can uho what they did bring." Heavens, how hard sho made It for a guilty maul VMary," lie groanod, "they did go low, ridiculously low, though that's not the reason that Is tho only reason, I mean. No bidders wori there, hardly one man, Lawaon you know, tho dealer got thorn all, every ono, for for " "Walt, John, T'o got another presentiment presenti-ment communication, I mean lot me guesB what thoy brought. That man Lawaon bought thoso cages for another party. He got them all. evcrv one for " sho named a figure that caused John Chatwood's Jaw to drop In wonder. "Mary!" ho gaaped, "1b It in the evening even-ing paper?" "Why, no, John, not tliat I know of. I haven't seen the evening paper." He stared at her a moment longer. How Ky.?nd J'apPJ" she looked in the face of all his misery. What did It mean? There was something unreal, almost uncanny about her behavior: and how had sho known thoso figures? "Mary," lie began with effort, "If If you know that much, then maybe you know the rest. Maybo you know that I cou dn t see them go for that I Just cou dn't, Mary, and that I bought them back, Mary.'' He had hardly known what ho expected her to do or say. Sho did nothing at all but look at him in that wild, queer way. Then, very slowly: "Yes. John, and you paid you bought thorn book from X,awson for " again alio jtfl; f named a sum that held him transfixed. aHIrt and sllont. Then, suddenly, she flung EH 'l hor arms about him once moro and drew KM! n hls head down closo. lillril "John Chatwood." sho said, "you old alii u fraud, don't you think you ought lo be fM r.fj ashamed to pay mo no moro than 10 per all! P cent, profit on a bargain llko that?" IfWIlil Whn he got freo ho stared at her Lll dazed. B-Vllllf "You!" he gasped. "You! Paid you fflmi 10 per cent. Who paid you 10 per cent?" i jHlj R "Why, you did, John. That in, you I mM raid Lawaon, and Laws on was my agent. t Jbi I j did havo a presentiment about thoso im'lnl cages, John, Just as I said. ItTrightened in' Mi me awfully, and then, Just at tliat min- Jfil; II j uto. tho mail came, and what should be MM, II II in it but a letter with tho settlement of ifflJll ! Uncle Chester's cstato. They had cloocd lMl. il it up, at last, and the checquo and all, for aSllI1 1 my part, waa right there in tho letter. I Wl pi didn't wait a second, John, or not much SSlullj moro than that. I'd been wondering all j S Hit the week what I could got for Christmas, ! lj and this coemod my chance. I know 1 1 fljjjlljt couldn't stop the sale, hut I got down .o SMlHl Lawaon'u and told him to buy those cages. IKlfl! Ml no matter what they cost. 1 was going mmJI I! to givo them to you, John, every one cf 8141 I them I really meant to hut when I jKjli I! found that I could sell them to you aPm ji whon Lawson telephoned that you would t6ulllij buy them all back and pay me 10 per cent on my Investment I couldn't resist, Jfjjfi , John, I really couldn't. Of course, you'll fljrjy H have to pay the auctioneer':? commission. (I too,V 1 suppose, but aftor all it doesn't VI" III seem very much on a small sum llko llalll that, especially when we're so happy, and fSBllF' going ito have such a beautiful -voyaco and iSu 1 1 such a merry Christmas at sea. You are BgH $ happy, aron t you. John? You are glad, 5 now, you're going? I'm going tc pay tor W tho trip, you know. That's my present to Hfil 1 And John Chatwood confessed in th ImIIiII fulness of that rare Joy which is tempered Sal' : with humiliation, that ho waa pcrfoclly , happy, and supremely glad. Ml 'in |
