The Press., 1910-10-26
It Was 2 Vaa,aahla I1elrloon..
8la

"FIora, here is q letter from Chesley your Uncle Williams lawyer, and ht has inclosed a copy of the will.
 Ibid he leave it to me
 ''Of course he did. Don't be foolish my dear. Listen:
 ''I. William Gray. being Of sound nina stc., do give and beQueath to my grand. niece. Isabel Gray. her heirs and aasagn1 forever, my Sheraton sideboard and thG sum of 5000: to my grRndniece. FIoPa Bray Winchester. her heirs and assigns the mahogany bedstead which stands iu my own chamber and which Is known aa the Gargoyle bedstead. together with thG sum of g. .OOO"
 ''Where shall we put 1t, Harryf' ln. terrupted Mrs. Winchester breathless ly.
 "Put lt7 You don't expect to getsai into this latY'
 we must have it here. I wouldn't examine it there with Isabel looking on, and, besides, 1t is such journey down to Richmond. Anyway you can not spare the time to go down now, and we must examine it together. want to get it here as soon as possible. Who knows but Isabel or some of the others might find the diary of Nancy Gray and -learn the @secreta My~-in- heritance would be worthless!' Mrs I Winchester's voice trembled.
 "Oh, all right. said Winchester tract ably. ''But how the deuce you expect to get 1t in here don't quite see. It's a very large piece of furniture. isn't | itP'
 "Now, Harry dear," she cried, with one plump hand over his lips, ''that bed must be gotten into this fiat some how! Firsts will finish my letter to Mir. OhesIey and let Norah post 1t at once. can hardly wait to see the bed- stead, Harry, and don't dare dream of what will be ours when the secret of the bedstead is disclosed Do you think, dear, was wrong not to tell Uncle William about the diary of Nan cy Gray found in the garretF
 "Well, truthfully speaking, I'm afraid it wasn't treating the old gentleman ] quite on the square" s...... ..t...r
 Two weeks afterward, while MT. Winchester was engaged in a most i'm pOrtant business transaction. he was summoned to the telephone.
 "Yes, this Is, Winchester. What9 Oh. the bedstead there? can't possi- bly leave at present. can't, help it. tell them to send 1t up tomorrOw-I know It's important-d- the bed stead! No, didn't speak. Yes. will come home early. GoOdbyw
 When he reached the Etruscan apart ments that evening Winchester was fortified with box of candy and a huge bunch of vloIets He stepped to the elevator and pressed the button. A faint tink1e,- responded from ssome depth below.
 Presently the Janitor emerged from an obscure doorway and surveyed him with an unpleasant eye.
 Tt ain't a-runnin'.'' .'' he said gru6ly.
 ''PoOr management" commented Winchester as he prepared to conquer the eight flights that barred him from home and dinner.
 ''Hnh!s exploded the man. "What with the freight elevator outer order and people breakin' windows movin' In big stun and them chumps a-tryin' to put the feet board in my passenger car and a-tearin' a lady's dress and her the landlords sister-in-law"- He glared wrathfully at the vanishing form of Winchester.
 Opening the door of his apartment, rampant disorder met his eye. A huge. dark form almost covered the floor of the tiny parlor. which in It's chaotic disturbance looked strangely unfa- miliar to the master of the house.
 In the library Flora reclIned on a couch before the bright gas log. while sympathetic NOrah applied wet cloths to her mistress aching head. Wreck age from the parlor impeded progress at every step.
 My dear girl!'' he uttered.
 She turned a woebegone face to hls. Such a time as they had trying to get 1t in the window! They were saucy because the window was too spall. and one of them pulled it in with jerk. and 1t struck the chandelier-the pieces of glass fell on my Wedgwood vase. and that is broken! I-I am quite dis couraged!' With restless glance toward the parlor, where the gigantic bedstead lay like some dark shadow on his little home, and with an unpleasant recol- lection of the anOrting janitOr below stairs and of the generous tip 1t would .soQuire to reduce him.4to his custom ary state of patronizing familiarity, Winchester endeaVOred to sOOthe his Wi18s shattered nerves, and together they 0beyed Nornh.s summons to a be- lated dinner.
 At table Mrs. Winchester drew a folded paper from her gown.
 '~This is the page I copied from the diary of Nancy Gray, Harry" she said. spreading it open before her. ''T thought would refresh my; memory as to the exact location of the secret Gpring. -, - -
 .Richmond. Va. April 21. ls84. s'' read Mrs. Winchester In solemn ac-, cents. ".I am greatly alarmed for the. safety of Grandmother BinpahIb ydia-a monds, and have vainly tried to 'flnds a hiding place for them. The Yankees are digging up every inch of ground on the adjacent plantations searching for buried treasure. and am quite at d loss to find safe place for our hetrlOOmSs F E s,ss. e ss Ss agEs #sf
 "'April 22.-Such an excellent idea! have just recollected that there is secret hiding place in Grandmother Binpah's mahogany bedstead. will conceal the jewels there and will de- scribe their hiding place So that in case anything happens to me one of our family may be able to recover them, even if s2he bedstead should De carried away.
 First one must observe the row of hideOusly grinning faces gae' goyles," grandfather called them -tbma outline the top of the headbOard;' there are twenty-five of these gar gOyles in all, and one must press the right eye of the thirteenth gargoyie from either. end. when the face will