Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-12-20


l feel sure that you will not find the
hiding place, and If 1t Is not found you
cannot marry Elsie. and II you are not
to marry Elsie 1t is not wise for you
to see so much of each other" And
Elsie's welcoming kiss was strongly
tinctured with reproach. Not liking
the reproachful flavor. Immediately
kissed Elsie to dissipate the taste.
Then | displayed the gift had
brought. and Aunt Elise shook her
head reprovlngly, even as she gloated
over the solitaire that slipped on III
sizes white hand.
"You would better have saved your
money. Remember. this is the third
Christmas, and don't believe you will
and the hiding place"
"Then we will be married right
away" l said. please bear In mind l
now have a salary with which to
propitlate the wolf when he howls at
our door"
"And so have l, thanks to dear old
unclew cried Elsie.
Aunt Elise by the way, Is neither
Elsle's aunt nor mine. Elsie and I
are, or, rather, were, the wards Of
Aunt Elise's brother. Judge Breen, who
died more than three years ago, leav-
ing the old Breen home to Aunt Elise,
who had modest income Of her own,
and the remainder to Elsie and me con-
ditlonally. the conditions being set
forth In the letter which Lawyer Pat
terson, Judge Breen's lifelong friend,
whom he had appointed executor Of
his will. handed to us during the week
following his death. The letter ran:
MY Dear irresponsible Chlldren-I have,
as Mr.. Patterson will tell you, converted
my entire estate, with the exception Of the
old home, into money. which l wish you,
Gilbert and Elsie, to share equally.
have this money put away for you. It be-
comes yours at the moment that you
find Il.
Now, | will remind you that have al
ways earnestly deploted the idle, frivo-
lous pursuits which have occupied you
and desired you both to master some use
ful occupation, but you have temporized
and fribbled away the time, and thus
have allowed you TO grow up without the
ability TO earn n penny,
Elsie, your artistic daubs and. Gilbert.
your long wnded poems are all very well
for a harmless pastime, but you can nell
thor eat, drink nor wear them. Moreover
it Is disgrace for any ableboded per-
son TO bo without the knowledge Of some
useful vocation.
4au ,of
training the artistic tommyrot out OF you,
but loved you both far too well to exact
obedience from you. | now am deter
mined to ntone for my weakness as far
as Hes within my power. have decided
that you must both acquire vocation
and have chosen my own, telegraphy, for
you My best and happlest days were
spent In lonely little station In Arizona
You are TO master this thoroughly Nc
mere smatterlng will answer You are to
prove your ability by securing and accept
ably nllng positions, You are 10 begin
your studies mt once.
7 Then In memory of me | ask you both
10 ion your Aunt Elise In quarter OF
an hours vigil In my worlroon ON Christ
mas night | wish my Inventions TO re-
p main there untouched. also wish you
to wind and start the big clock which
have Just finished II will run for the
brief time that | ask you TO keep tryst
: with my memory In tho worlroom where
! have spent so many, many happy hours.
r II after following my instructions you
do not find your inheritance which In
tend TO come to you as a Chrlstmes gift.
come again for the vlgil on the second
: Christmas and II you have not tound II
! thon return again ON the third. IL you
, have not found Il on the third Christmas
YOU viii have forfeited your legacy and
. will And your knowledge OF teegraphy
+ most useful TO provide bread and a rea-
! sonable amount OF butter
DO not under any circumstances tamper
with the contents Of my workroom, when
1 wish TO remain Just aa II IL during tue
I lifetime OF your Aunt elise.
|. You failed 20 obey me In life, but
, your disobedience after my death viii be
: fraught with graver consequence, for un-
( less you meet the requirements set forth
b here you will never know the Whereabouts
a OF your legacy. This letter 10 written
with a heart full OF love for my spoiled
children. From UNCLE AMBROSE.
y And now the time Of the vigil Of the
. third Christmas had arrived, and we
u knew no more about the hiding place
. OF our inheritance than on the day
that we received the letter. True, we
y Ind not followed his instructions In re-
" gard to telegraphy until very recently
y II seemed 80 preposterous that merely
mastering a vocation would aid In the
unearlhlng OF our egucies. SO Elsie
aud optlmistlcaly painted and poet
IN ICED through the nrst year. serenely
Y confident that the money would turn up
Is without strenuous effort on our part
O. on the FIRST Christmas we wound the
,r clock and sat expecmntly through the
a fifteen minutes Nothing happened
i. We were slightly disappointed, but moi
RI Mt nll uneasy. Then during the nex'
:" yenr between the intervals OF pictures
NJ nnd poems we rnsacked the old place
Il. from garret to celler Only n whole
III some fenr OF Aunt Illlse's anger pre-
Or vented our laying vnndal hands upot
that wretched clock and dlscmhowel
lng II In our search for n clew TO the
hidden treasure We met for oul
Nj seance In the workroOm without hav
~ Ing 80 much as hegun the study Of
,d tecgraphy. Again we sat through th'
n. allotted time. listening to the eccentric
o. irregular ticking OF the clock with n'
\. visible results. save that Aunt Elis'
ia cnught fearful cold
10 colbert" said Elsie soberly tina
a. night when we had adjourned To th