The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-06-24
Possibly you left it on the desk at your

MT. SelDy stood still and fairly glared
at his wife. Mrs. Selby,'' he said severe
ly, II never take my watch out of my pock-
ct without returning it when l get done
with it, ;" Then he began to prance around
the room again.
Another suggestion Instantly occurred to
Mrs. Selby, and it was SO good that she
could not keep it to herself even if her hus-
band was uppish and cross. Perhaps"
she said, you dropped it out of your pock-
ct while you were rummaging up garnet
awhile ago."
"Ah" exclaimed Mr.. Selby, his face
frightening at once 'That is something
like it. Perhaps did. will go right up
and see." Mr.. Selby got the stepladder
and crawled up into the attic again. Then
his wife handed the lamp up to him, and
he began to search. In about 10 minutes
he presented dusty and disappointed face
at the trapdoor and called out:
II don't believe it's here, Elvira. have
looked everywhere and can't find it.n Mrs,
Selby stood at the foot of the stepladder in
deep thought All at once she exclaimed:
Charles, have it!''
Mr.. Selby almost fell through the trap
door in his eagerness. where did you
find it?'' he demanded 'Give it to me!'
"Oh, didn't mean the watch" replied
Mrs. Selby, "only a possible clew for find
ing it, 1t occurs to me now that, while
you were up garnet looking for that lunch
box, / heard a sound like something fall
ing down inside the wall. Could it be
that you dropped your watch between the
Moor boards and the laths and that it went
down between the outside and inside
walls?"
'Elvira," exclaimed Mr. Selby after a
moments reflection, Il verify believe that
you have discovered the key to the mysteryl
Such thing might very likely have hap
pened. 1t the watch did go down between
the walls, however, it will be a days job to
get it again, so we had better let the mat
ter rest where it is until tomorrow"
The next day, before going down to his
office, Mr.. Selby rugged up candle with a
galize wire screen around the flame, and,
taking it up garnet, let it down between
the walls with a long piece of brass wire.
He found that the open space extended
to the base boards of the lower floor, but in
spite of his Illuminating apparatus he was
unable to pierce the deep gloom which pre-
vailed between the walls.
Il see but one way to recover the watch,'
he remarked to Mrs. Selby, land that is to
cut hole through the wall in the parlor at
the point where the watch is most likely to
have fallen, and then search for it on the
floor board"
'sWhy, Charlesp' exclaimed Mrs. Selby
in CONSERVATION, ''cut through that hand
some wainscoting that we have just had
painted at such expense? You surely
couldn't have the heartl And what would
you do if you shouldn't find the watch after
you had cut the hole?"
"Cut another" replied Mr.. Selby
thoughtfully.
''Cut anotherp' cried Mrs Selby, raising
her hands in dismay.
Eyes, and keep on cutting until we find
itP' exclaimed her husband s'Td rather
tear down the whole house and build a new
one than lose that watch"
What foolish talkl'' cried Mrs. Selby
1T can't be that you are in your right
mind, Charles"
I'VE shall see" replied Mr.. Selby oni-
nously as he started for his office.
That evening, right after supper, Mr.
Selby got out his chest of tools and marched
into the parlor. He was followed by the
entire family, loudly protesting against the
proposed act of vandalism. To this chorus
of remonstrance, however, Mr.. Selby paid
not the slightest attention. He coolly cal
culated the spot at which, if the watch had
fallen from the attic, it would most prob
ably be lying, and set to work
At the first stroke of ths hammer on the
chisel Mrs. Selby began to weep, and her
daughter followed her example. Mr.. Selby
turned and regarded them for a moment
with severe displeasure. Then he resumed
his iconoclastic labors. 1t was not long be-
fore he had chiseled, bored and battered in
the frescoed wall a hole large enough to ad-
NIT quart basin. Then he stopped to take
breath and contemplate his handiwork, By
this time Mrs. Selby had ceased weeping
and stood beside her husband pale, but re-
signed. Tom and Henry, the boys, had al
ready begun to take professional interest
in the job, and Angelina had brought the
dustpan and broom to sweep up the litter
at the earliest possible opportunity.
Il guess the hole is large enough for me
to get my arm through said Mr.. Selby.
"Ahl' he exclaimed as he lurched forward
into the opening up to the shoulder, sit is
quite large enough. Now we shall see if
the watch is here" First Mr. Selby felt
with his right arm along the boards to the
left until his hand touched the Joint on
that side. Then he reversed the process.
inserted his left arm and felt along till he
reached the joist on the opposite side. 'The
watch is not here" he announced disap-
pointedly. Then he withdrew his arm,
stood up, busted himself and moved his box
of tools little further to the right.
'What are you going to dosn asked Mrs.
Selby anxiously.
II am going to make another hole,n said
Mr.. Selby.
''Oh, Charles, don'tl please don'tw plead
ed his wife.
''You women folks keep stillr' cried Mr..
Selby doggedly, wiping the sweat from his
brow. II have set out to find that watch,
and | propose to do it, ~
All expostulations were now drowned in
the racket which Mr.. Selby made with his
hammer and chisel. Skill comes with prac-
tice, and in much less time than had been
consumed in making the previous hole Mr..
Selby had constructed a new opening,
which he evidently regarded as master
piece, for he spent several minutes in trim
ming it's edges artistically. Then he in
serted his arms in turn and felt to the right
and left as before. Nothing but bits of
mortar, however met his CROPPING finger
tips, and once more he announced that the