The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-09-03
NED's FOLDING BED.

| How the Invention Got Him In q
| Queer Fix.
Even though the school year is over,
the boys of Orange Military Academy
are not through talking about Ned
Bartlett's folding bed. !,
Ned entered the academy last fall as
a freshman. 1t was the first time he
had been away from home, but he felt
quite able to take care of himself. His
room was at the top Of a big brick
building, and it had one small window
looking out over the drilling campus.
When Ned first saw it he said:
'WheW, but this is a box Of a place;
hardly room enough in it to turn
| aroundv'
And when he and his roommate were
| both inside with their trunks and va
| Uses, Ned declared that if any visitors
| came they'd have to invite them to a
| seat on the table, Ned was Of an in
| ventive turn Of mind, and he resolved
| to make room in some way. In order
| to do this some Of the furniture would
| have to beermoved, and the two boys
| agreed that the bed, as taking up the
| most room, was the most Objectionable.
| dormitory was appealed to he refused
| to listen to a proposition to purchase a
! folding bed.
| eff we give you one,' he said, well
| have to supply every one in the hail.
| It was then that the bright idea
| popped into Ned's head.
| ''I'll make one myself" he declared.
| The student sWere allowed to orna-
ment tehir rooms, and under this per-
mission Ned bought a set of ordinary
Woven-Wire bed springs. To the floor
near the wall he fastened two strong
| cleats, and bolted to them arms about
twenty inches long. The other ends OF
these arms he bolted to the ends of the
springs about fifteen inches from the
| inner side. Then on the other side Of
the springs he fastened two stout legs.
| This made an ideal folding bed, &C
cording to Ned, for when it was drawn
down it was as big as an ordinary bed,
and it could be easily folded up with
all the clothes against the wall.
| When it was finished Ned draped cur
tain cloth, so that the bed would be
| hidden when not in use, and thus leav
| ing plenty Of floor space in the little
room. All the boys came in to admire
the wonderful bed and see it work and
learn how it was made.
For two or three nights the room
mates slept in it without accident. But
one Friday evening Ned was alone,
Bert having gone out to an entertain
ment. Feeling sleepy, the wonderful
bed was let down, and presently Ned
| rolled into it, and, in spirit of fun,
kept on rolling until he bumped against
the wall. In an instant. Bert not being
there as usual to hold down the front
side, the bed shut up like jack-knife.
Ned's nose rubbed hard against the
wall proper, and all the bed-clOthes
came tumbling down on top of him. At
first he laughed at the queer fix he was
in; but when he tried to get out and
found that he couldn't, he began to
grow alarmed. He couldn't get under
room, nor could he get the bed open,
The more he struggled the more suffo-
eating became the bed-clothes. And
presently he began to shout for help.
| But his voice was so mufHed that no
| one heard him. After five minutes Of
this kind of struggling Ned had made
| up his mind that he would die in his
patent bed, and already he was gasp
| ing hard for breath. But just as he
felt his consciousness going the door
| opened and his roommate came in. At
| first Bert saw nothing wrong, but pres
emily he heard muff1ed cry, accompa-
MED by a loud creaking of the bed.
Help, help!" cried Ned's voice.
Bert ran to the bed and tried to pull
it down.
"Don'tv' shouted Ned, family; you'll
mash my head"
In terror Bert ran, shouting, into the
hall. The young cadets swarmed out of
their rooms and ran to Bert's help. Sew
eral of them took hold of Ned's leg and
arm, and by main force lifted him up
until the bed could be opened. When
| he was at last free Ned dropped down,
pale and more dead than alive.
| And all the boys who had resolved
| to have beds like Ned's concluded they
would not. .se.s~g d. ... s~.s( 49,
| But Ned invented all anchor to keep
the front side of the spring down, and
has slept in his patent folding bed
ever since. ~.
l. ~ NameIess Towns
In the United States there are three
postofices which bear the name of
"Nameless'' One is in Laurens county,
Georgia; another in Campbell county,
Virginia; and the third in Jackson
county, Tennessee. AT least one Of
them, that in Georgia, is a place of
some Importance.
i 1t received its peculiar name in this
way: After the postofice authorities
in Washington had decided that there
should be an office there, they sent to
the most prominent citizen of the place
and asked him to suggest a name. He
!. chose one that he liked very well, and
while waiting for tile government au-
4 thorization, he pleased himself with
fancying a large town growing up
around him to which he should have