The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-09
A Hunt For a
Will
BY JOEL r. WITHERs

house the owner of which had recently
died and that among the lot were some
: rare old pieces. determined TO attend
the sale. This was because of fancy
had for such things and not because
could afford to possess them, for
was poor | went TO the sale TO see the
articles, not to buy any OF them.
Among those present was girl who
watched the proceedings with an inter-
est very different from the rest. She
attracted me so far that | forgot the
rarities In her. 1t seemed to me that
she was waiting and watching for
some particular thing to be put up
for sale. 1t came at last. A desk per.
haps hundred years old made Of
rosewood and handsomely inlaid was
pulled forward where all could see 1t,
and the bidding commenced.
Some one made a beginning by Offer
i ing $50. The girl have mentioned
! bid twenty-five. Another bid of twen-
! ty-five followed. A number of persons
seemed to want the desk. and ii was
run up to hundred dollars. when the
/ girl ceased to bid / cannot forget the
look of disappointment, almost of de-
SPAR. with which she gave up her eff
fort to possess il. Why it was so de-
sirabIe TO her / could only conjecture.
She did not appear to be a person who
could afford Iuxuries. so | concluded
that between her and the desk tn, g
l. AL
had belonged TO one near and dear to
her.
| had been saving in small way
and had $500 in bank. l determined
to bid as high as what thought the
desk would bring in case | wished to
sell 1t again and offered $40. My bids |
were raised till / finally offered $500,
when the others dropped out and | Sc
cured the desk
Turning TO the girl who had been so
interested in 1t, l told her that didn't
need it and If at any time she wished
to possess it and had the means to pay
for it | would be happy TO sell it TO her
for what | had paid. In reply to this
she asked me If | would permit her to
make thorough examination OF the
desk for something she thought might
be concealed in IT, | gave her the adj
dress to which it would be taken and
told her that she might call the next
afternoon.
As soon as | got the desk | opened
every drawer. searched every pigeon.
hole. rammed my hand in every reeep- !
tacle it possessed. 1t had evidently
been thoroughly cleaned out. for / {
could not find scrap Of paper The !
same afternoon the girl came. and as
soon as showed her the desk she be-
gan to press her fingers on every part
of it.
oh" l said, you are looking for a !
secret drawer"
II am" i
At this Joined my efforts to hers,
but without avail. | not only pressed Y
with my thumb. but with little ham.
mer, tapping continuously for half an S
hour, Nothing came Of it, Then | in
ooking for. She said that the house '
md furniture belonged to her mothers
brother. who had died childless He o
lad always liked her and had once said
o her I'm fix you some day" He
lad died without q will There were 4
.reat many heirs-at-law to the estate,
md she, not being a blood relative,
would get nothing. She was not strong =
nd could not very well earn living
" working like other girls. In fact !
he had tried to do so, but had been Z
bliged to give 1t up. Her uncle had \
nee showed her this desk and told her
bat he kept in it his most important 4
apers. 1t had not occurred to her
hat he meant her TO take note of what
e said till after his death. when no
fill was found.
would have knocked the desk to
ieces. but could not afford to lose the
honey had put into it, and the girl
ad no means of her own to pay for it,
he went away very much disappoint-
1. took her name and address and
I'D her that | would do some more
uniting and If anything was discov.
ed would let her know of it. But
lis was simply to break her disap.
ointment, for we had made thorough
arch.
a month passed. during which | ns
ought good deal OF the matter and
led to locate a space capable of bold.
& a secret drawer, but could not IN
Il with certainty without taking the n
SIX apart. Ny taste for old furniture y
4 me to read any book | could find
the subject, and in one of them ~
W it stated that some secret draw
$ in desks made during the eight
nth century had been of metal in.
Fad of wood
Then an idea occurred to me-
Among my oddr and ends was a
cket compass. | took IL TO the desk
Il held II near where a drawer would
ely be IL at all. | had not gone very
: before got DETECTION of the
edle. Moving II about near this
Int. at last came to d place where
sre was the greatest detection. With
! knife | ripped of strip Of veneer
and uncovered round button the
c OF the tip of my finger Out pop
a steel drawer about ten inches
g, but not over an inch square.
ere was rolled paper in it. which
removed and found TO be a win.