The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1913-12-25

! Christmas. and if you have not found it
then return again on the third II YOU
have not found it on the third Christmas
you will have forfeited your legacy and
will find your knowledge Of telegiaj'"y
most useful to provide bread and rea-
sonab!e amount OF butter,
Do-not under any circumstances tHr2pcI
with thescQntcnts of my wOrkroom. WhaCa
| wish to remain just as ii is during the
lifetime Of your Aunt Elise.
You failed to obey me in life. hut
your disobedience after my death viii ne
fraught with graver consequence. for Gp-
less you meet the requirements set forth
here you will never know the wherea bouts
of your legacy. This letter is written
with a heart full of love for my spoiled
children From UNCLE AMBROSE.
And now the time of the vigil of the
third Christmas had arrived. and we
knew no more about the hiding place
of our Inheritance than on the day
that we received the letter True we
had not followed his instructions in re-
gard to telegraphy until very recently
1t seemed so prepOsterOus that merely
mastering a vocation would aid in the
unearthing Of our legacies So Elsie
and | enthusiastically painted and poet,
lied through the first year, serencly
confident that the money would turn up
without strenuous effort on our part.
On the first Christmas we wound the
clock and sat eXpectantly through the
fifteen minutes Nothing happened.
We were slightly disappointed, but not
at all uneasy Then during the next
year between the intervals of pictures
and poems we ransacked the old place
from garnet to ceIler. Only whole
some fear of Aunt Elise's anger pre-
vented our laying vandal hands upon
that wretched clock and disembowel-
ing it in our search for clew to the
hidden treasure We met for cur
seance in the workroom without hav
ing so much as begun the study of
telegraphy Again we sat through the
allotted time. listening to the eccentric,
visible results, save that Aunt Elise
caught a fearful cold.
Gilbert" said Elsie soberly that
night when we had adjourned to the
CHEEKY parlor. do you know. don't
believe Uncle Gilbert had any money
TO leave. think he had lost it and
that was why he was so worried to
think that we were not fitted to sup
port ourselves We disObeyed and dis
appointed him in life Now let us
atone as far as we may by obeyinG
his last wishes Gilbert. dear. let us
learn telegraphy- for the sake of
the money, but because he wished il.
because Of what we owe him
And so we mastered telegraphy. FL
sic much more readily than | We
had been full fiedGcd brass pound
ers," with fairly lucrative positions for
almost three months preceding the
third Christmas. We were burstingly
proud of our jobs-that's what we
called 'em-and we felt that our dear
old guardian had. in forcing upon us
the gift of independence. bestowed up
on us treasure of greater value than
the legacy for which we had hoped
So with no further expectations or
hopes concerning the hidden inner
itance and with cheerful resignation
to its loss we met in loving compli-
ance with his request for our third
and last vigil in his workroom. with
his many inventions. which Aunt Elise
kept carefully covered. looking like
shrouded ghosts
Aunt Elise alone of the trio seemed
gloomy and respondent
"If you don't find where the money
is hidden tonight | suppose we would
better plan for you to marry Percy
Gaines. Elsie" she said as ! stepped
upon the table to wind the clock. or.
rather, crank" it. for its mechanism
was set going by giving some dozen
turns to handle protruding from its
left side-a handle not unlike that of
an old fashioned coffee mill
But he sort of sniffles, and his socks
and neckties are SO shrill." protested
Elsie, referring to Mr.. Gaines.
well, then, there's old Mr.. Binney,r
suggested Aunt Elise. i've noticed
that he is quite neutral in his dress"
"But be talks TO himself and GEES