The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-04-24
STORY OF A BEDSTEAD.

The folding bed" is o modern
invention, designed to be converted in.
to tables, imitation organs. &C., after
day sets in. The following experience
of a man who had purchased one is
going the rounds:
1t was night.
The boarding house was Wrapt in
tenebrous gloom, family tinted with
an odor OF kerosene.
Suddenly there arose on the air
yell, followed by wild obiurgations
and furious anathemas.
Then there was clanking and rat
Ting. as of an overturned picket
fence, and another yell, with more
anathemss. The fatted boarders lis
tened, and, ghostly clad, tiptoed along
to Bufum's room, he OF Buffum's d
Bird, secondhand furniture dealers.
AS they stood there, there was a Whiz,
a grinding, rafting and a bang,
and more yells. They consulted and
knocked on the door.
"Come in"
"Open it,"
81 can't.
Convinced that Bufium WAS in his
last agony they knocked III the door
with q bed post.
The sight was ghsstly. Clasped
between two sturdy though slender
frames of walnut, Buffum, pale as
ghost, was six feet up in the air. He
couldn't move. He was caught like
bear in log-trsp.
"What on earthis it?' they said.
denomination. New
patent | was tellin' you about"
gasped Bufum.
His story was simple, though tear
tal. He had brought it home that
day. and after using it for writing
desk, had opened it out and made
hisbad. He was going peacefully to
dream land, when he rolled over and
sceidentlly touched a spring. The
faithful invention Immediately be-
came double crib, and turned Buff
fun into squalling wafer. Then he
struggled;and Wasreaching around for
the spring. when the patent bedstead
thought it would show off come more
and Strengthened out and shot up in
the air and was a clothes-horse.
Bufum said he didn't like to be
clothes, and he would give the thing
20 anybody that Wonld get him OUT.
They said they would try. They
! didn't want anV such fire.extipguisher
as that for their trouble, but they
would try. They inspected it
cautiously. They walked all around
it. Then the commission merchant
laid his little finger on the top end of
it. The thing snorted and reared as
if it had been shot, slapped over with
a bang and became an extension
table for ten people. When they
recovered from the panic they came
back. Then they found the commits
sion merchant in the corner trying to
get breath enough to swear, while he
rubbed his shins. Bufum had disap-
peared, but they knew he had not
gone far. Tue invention appeared
to have taken a fancy to him and
incorporated him into the firm, go to
speak. He was down underneath,
straddling one of the legs with h:s
head jammed into the mattress.
Nobody dared to touch it. The lands
lady got a club and reached for its
vital parts, but could not find them.
She hammered her breath away, and
when she got through and dropped
the club in despair. the thing swung
out it's arms with gasp and rattle,
turned over twice and slapped itself
into bed again With Bufum peace
fully among the sheets. He held his
breath for minute, and then watch
ing his opportunity. made a flying
leap to the floor just in time TO save
himself from being a folding screen.
A man with a black eye and cut
lip told the Wasp editor about it yes
teEday. He said be owned the patent
and Bufam had been explaining to
L., hnr II