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Show I j No Fool Like An Old. Fool j . sywaitcregg J I i-K OSEPH GOLDSMITH, KfJzTi picture and art IKKt ) dealer in New York, fr4 walking down low- HI ? er Broadway, Jl A ISbJ stopped to speak to (iFmSb imwt a brther dealer l Wm Mm Isaac Henry Cahan. "Como to my office, ( JaKv Henry," he said. -S -I'll give you a BEi-O sood cigar." raSf S "Any business in it?" inquired Ca-lflV Ca-lflV han. Hr "Yes," was tho answer. "Enough Bg for two." On arriving at tho office Mr. Gold-smith Gold-smith began: "Last week at Whlt-aker's Whlt-aker's private sale I bought the cele-brated cele-brated Van Dyke portrait of tho Duchess of Croy, as you know. Now Patrick Arkley Riordan, of Chicago, wants to buy It, and I'm going to let him have it for $60,000. He'll pay that amount eventually." A whispered .colloquy followed this announcement In tho course of the conversation Mr. Cahan Bald: "Joe, do you know anything about Rlor- ilB dan?" itt , "Yes," was the reply. He keeps an account at the Hundredth National says ho makes automobiles for tho French government" Bi Two hours later, after Mr. Cahan jiad left Mr. Goldsmith's office, Mr. Riordan walked in. 1- "Mr. Goldsmith, my wifo has set heart on having that Van Dyke hung In her dining room In Chicago, so I'll pay you sixty thousand for it, although al-though as I've told you more than once, tho prlco Is excessive. But I expect ex-pect you to send tho picture to my house In Chicago in your own automobile auto-mobile van without extra charge. I'll como here tho day after tomorrow at .9 o'clock to aec tho van start, and I'll bring with me a check for the money. Will that be satisfactory to you?" Inquired In-quired the purchaser of tho Van Dyke. "No, sir," was Goldsmith's reply. "The cost of delivery by my van and by my own men will be an additional $300 at tho very least" "I won't pay It Two hundred is all I'll pay." "All right, Mr. Riordan. Como hero Thursday morning at 9 and please bring with you your check for $G0,200." Mr. Riordan arrived at Goldsmith's office and warehouse at the appointed appoint-ed hour and carefully inspected his new treasure with unfeigned delight No detail of the packing of tho Van Dyke or of the instructions to the men In charge of tho van escaped him, and he remained till tho heavy vehiclo had disappeared In the distance. Then he handed Mr. Goldsmith tho check, which he had for some moments dangled dan-gled before that astute dealer's eyes. On arriving at Cleveland tho mon left tho van at the garage which their employer had designated and went to a small hotel for supper. As they walked out of tho garage yard, although al-though they did not know It, a man followed thom, and In the bar of tho hotel engaged them In conversation, induced them to sit at a table with him, discussed the war and bought them many drinks. Ono result of this procedure was that neither of the men returned to the garage that night, according ac-cording to instructions, but both went to bed at the hotel, feeling at peace with all the world! Having satisfied himself that tho custodians of the valuable portrait wero in their room in the hotel, the man who had paid for most of their drinks visited tho garago, unlocked the van door after a few minutes' work, and once inside the vehicle he soon opened the heavy case containing contain-ing the picture. Then ho slit the canvas can-vas very close to the frame, bound It up and covered it with a large black cloth. Tho process of replacing tho cover on the case was soon completed complet-ed and tho visitor slipped quietly out into the darkness. Near the corner of an almost deserted street this man met and exchanged a fow quiet words i with another man. That other man so closely resembled Patrick Arkley Riordan, of Chicago, that nobody could doubt that he was the Individual , who had seen the van start from Goldsmith's Gold-smith's warehouso in NowYork. At 6 o'clock the following morning the the men in charge of the van opened the door and carefully Inspected In-spected tho b!g packing case. Thoy even lifted It to mako sure that the contents wero intact. Then they started for Toledo. At about 10 o'clock, however, to their surprise, outside a country saloon, thoy saw a big automobile van on the sido of which they read "Isaac Houry Cahan, Now York." Of course, thoy stopped. Inside tho saloon they found Potor Yeldner, a trusted omployer of Ca-han's. Ca-han's. Peter's generosity in the way of buying lunch, drinks and cigars was unbounded, but he Informed his friends that he was prossed for time and could not stay long. After about an hour's enjoyment Peter said that ho heard a noiso outsido, and the other two men at once ran out to ascertain as-certain if anybody was trying to steal tho van3. The Instant thoy had gono, taking a box cotalnlng a powder from his pocket. Peter threw Its contents Into the glasses of beer belonging to Goldsmith's men. On drinking tholr beloved boverage on their return thoy became drowsy, and in less than twenty minutes both of them wero fast asleep. Peter left the saloon and walked to the vans. Ho unlocked and opened tho door of both of them. Within each lay a single sin-gle big case. The one was identical In appearance with tho other Peter removed re-moved tho case from his car and placed it in the other van. Then he lifted tho other case and put It In his own vehicle. Occasionally ho stopped In his work and looked suspiciously sus-piciously around. Having locked both vans, he climbed to the chauffeur's seat of his car and started for Cleveland Cleve-land and New York. Throo days later tho temporary firm of Goldsmith & Cahan held a second sec-ond business meeting at Joseph Goldsmith's Gold-smith's offico. Tho faco of the first named member of tho firm presented an expression of deep melancholy, whilo that of Isaac Henry Cahan suggested sug-gested indignation and extreme anger. "Are you sure that Peter didn't play tricks, Iko?" asked Joseph, rattling rat-tling the looso chango In his pocket and chewing with nervous uncon-sciousoss uncon-sciousoss his unllghted cigar. "Joe," answered Isaac, irritably, "you know Peter quite well. He's been with mo twenty-five years and has proved himself thoroughly honest and faithful. Besides, I'd promised him ?50 if ho delivered that Van Dyke to mo In good condition. He drugged your men and exchanged my 'phony' case for tho caso in your van. Ho did it a few miles outsido Cleveland, just as I instructed him. As soon as he got back I oxamlnod tho case. The picture framo was intact and in exactly ex-actly the same position as when you mado your examination later In tho day. You know that tho picture must havo been cut out of the framo whilo tho van was on tho road. Who did the trick I can't imagine! Why -did Riordan Ri-ordan want the ploturo sent by automobile auto-mobile and not by train?" "He said that in case of o wreck it would bo ruined, and that in my van on tho road a collision or other serious seri-ous accident was most improbable." "How about tho fellow's check?" Joseph groaned with real pain. "1 deposited It within an hour of receiving receiv-ing It Tho next day my bank 'phoned me that tho Hundredth National had refused to pay It on the ground that the slgnaturo was a forgory. Later their cashier informed me that Patrick Pat-rick Arkley Riordan, of Chicago, tholr customer, was 'good' for any reasonable reason-able amount, but that ho did not sign his namo in tho least like the signature signa-ture on tho chock which camo from me." Isaac sniffed twice. Then ho opened his eyes wide and fixed them on those of Joseph. "Who Introduced you to this man?" ho demanded. Joseph shifted uneasily in his 'chalc "Nobody," ho replied. "Ho called hero and gave the Hundredth National as a reference. That bank, on tho phone, told mo that Patrick Arkley : Riordan, of Chicago, waa thoroughly ; reliable, and was a very rich man." : "Say, Joe, what tho !" oxclalm- ed Isaac, breaking Into a shout Ho was so furious that ho couldn't express ex-press himself In words. Throwing his J cigar Into a cuspidor, he strode to- i ward the door. Then, pausing, ho struggled for breath and turned his iH faco toward tho wretchod Joseph. B "Thore's no fool like an old fool,, and IH yoil'ro the craziest old fool in New York, Joo," he roared. |