The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-02
TALE OF A FOLDING BED.
Revenge of a Cook Who Was Dis
missed for Impudence.
New York Journal.

New YORK journal.
1t was a prize bed. 1t took the blue rib
bon at a furniture show in this city four
years ago. The maker bowed very low and
told OF its wonders. why, ladies and
gentlemen he cried. this bed by day is
chest of drawers and a chiffonier and
wardrobe and a bureau and a medicine
chest all in one. Think of tia medicine
chest! If you or any one else in the family
gets sick in the night all you have to do
is TO hop out of bed and tackle the medicine
chest No need of calling a doctor. Now,
how much am ] offered! That settled it.
a medicine chest! Grandl William A.
Kerr, secretary of the Hoboken Board of
Education, paid $3.50 for the bed. And why
not? Wasn't it bedizened with blue prize
ribbons?
For four years that bed did its duty. 1t
was bed by night and anything the fam
an ornament to the Kerr house, at No. 1903
Garden street. 1t had lovely marble slab
to top ii OF and many other beauties be-
sides. So Mr.. and Mrs. Kerr slept in it
night after night with a delicious sense of
possession and feeling Of pride that in
all HoboSen there wasn't another prize bed.
But Frioay-ah. Gnlucky day! The cook
had been impudsnt and was discharged the
night before She had been in sole charge
of the bed. She alone knew the combina-
ton.
."Ahan she cried as She left the house
for the last time, but no one knew what
that wild cry meant.
y, FRIDAY, mrorning dawned calm. and lovely:
dreams of peace. 1t was 200 late for buc-
glars and too early FOR the .nilkman. Mr.
Kerr. rolled over. "Ill just take forty
winks while you make the fire, my dear"
ya1ned MIR. Kerr. 'Oh-al-h- h-h-hr'
'Drat that cookl" exclaimed the better
half. putting or her wrapper and starting
for the door to so downstairs to make things
ready for breakfast. Getting out of bed was
just enough to destroy the balance of the
thing.
Creak-k-k-k, went the prize bed. Mrs.
Kerr looked around. Great heavensi The
bed was closing up like q jack knife. And
her husband was in it, snoozing Mrs. Kerr
screamed. 1t didn't matter. Slowly but
closed down. for instead of lifting Mr.. Kerr
IN in the air as folding beds usually do the
top part--bureau, chiffonier. medicine chest
and all-closed down on him with the fancy
marble slab tc cap off the wreck
Help shrieked Mrs. Kerr, and into the
room in light attire ran her son Allaa, and
her guests, Rose Crudcn and Miss Julia
Mitchell-aroused from their beds-not prize
ones-by her clamor.
ten minutes. Then il yielded Slowly the
wire cable grated over the roller They
were able to open the prize bed half way.
Out fell Mr.. Kerr black in the face, and
half unconscious. Another minute might
have suffocated him. The four rescuers
looked around.
"Oo-o-o-o-o-ov' screamed Miss Mitchell
when the worst was over and she had real
lied her plight
But she wasn't any quicker in getting out
of sight than the two young men. Young
MIR. Kerr hurried into his clothes and ran
for the family physician. Mr.. Kerr was
bundled into another bed which had never
won prize but which all the family trust
ed because it wasn't a folding bed.