The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1912-03-05
A Hunt For
Will !
BY JOEL R. WTTHE

house the owner or which
died and that among the loi
rare old pieces, I determine
the SALE This was because
/ had for such things and
could afford to possess
was poor. / went to the sa
articles, not to buy any Of
Among those present was
watched the proceedings wit
est very different from the
attracted me so far that Il
rarities in her. 1t seemed.
she was waiting and w
some particular thing to-
for sale. 1t came at last.
haps hundred years
rosewood and Handsomely
pulled forward where all
and the bidding commenced
Some one made beginninl
ing $50. The girl l have
bid twenty-five. Another bid
ty-five followed. A number oil
seemed to want the desk, and
run up to hundred dollars, W
look of disappointment, almost
spair, with which she gave up hd
fort to possess it. Why it was SOY
sirable to her / could only conjectu
She did not appear to be person whd
could afford luXuries. so l concluded
that between her and the desk there
must be some association. Perhaps it
no 1.1n 20,
her.
l had been saving in a small way
and had $500 in bank. l determined
to bid as high as what l thought the
desk would bring in case / wished to
sell it again and offered $40. My bids
were raised till l finally offered 5000.
when the others dropped out and | Sc
cured the desk.
Turning to the girl who had been so
interested in it, 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 l had paid. In reply to this
she asked me if l would permit her to
make a thorough examination of the
desk for something she thought might
be concealed in it. / gave her the ad-
dress to which it would be taken and
told her that she might call the next
afternoon.
AS soon as l got the desk | opened
every drawer. searched every pigeon
hole. rammed my hand in every recep-
| tacle it possessed. 1t had evidently
been thoroughly cleaned out. for 1
! could not find scrap of paper The
same afternoon the girl came. and as
| soon as l showed her the desk she be-
gan to press her fingers on every part
of it.
"Oh," / said "you are looking for a
secret drawer"
81 am"
At this l Joined my efforts to hers
but without avail. l not only pressed
| with my thumb. but with little ham
mer, tapping continuously for half an
hour. Nothing came of it. Then | i'll
| vited the girl to tell me what she was
looking for She said that the house
and furniture belonged to her mothers
brother. who had died childless. He
had always liked her and had once said
to her, III fix you some day" He
had died without will. There were a
great many heirs-at-law to the estate
and she, not being blood relative
would get nothing. She was not strong
and could not very well earn a living
by working like other girls. In fact
she had tried to do so. but had been
obliged to give it up. Her uncle had
once showed her this desk and told her
| that he kept in it his most important
papers. 1t had not occurred to her
that he meant her to take note Of what
he said till after his death, when nc
will was found.
would have knocked the desk to
pieces, but could not afford to lose the
money had put into it. and the girl
had no means Of her own to pay for it
She went away very much disappoint
ed. l took her name and address and
told her that would do some more
hunting and If anything was discov
cred would let her know Of it. But
this was simply to break her disap
pointment. for we had made thorough
search.
A month passed. during which !
thought good deal Of the matter and
tried to locate a space capable of hold
ing secret drawer, but could not
tell with certainty without taking the
desk apart. My taste for old furniture
led me to read any book l could finG
on the subject. and in one Of theE
saw it stated that some secret draw
ers in desks made during the eight
eenth century had been Of metal in
stead Of wood
Then an idea occurred to me.
Among my odds and ends was 1
pocket compass. took it to the desl
and held it near where drawer would
likely be IL at all. had not .vce very
far before l got a detection o. tn,
needle Moving it about near rhi
point. Mt last came to q place wher'
there was the greatest detection. witt
my knife ripped OF strip of veneer