Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-09-25
An
Heirloom
It Once Served a.
aHiding Place

: Il Once Served a.
I q Hiding Place !
By SADIE OLCOTT !
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"Flora, here is a letter from Chesley,
your Uncle Williams lawyer, and he
has inclosed copy Of the will"
ITO whom has uncle left his proper.
ty" asked Flora.
II can only speak for that enormous
mahogany bedstead by which he set
30 much store-the gargoyle bedstead."
ibid he leave 1t to meT
"Of course he did. Don't be foolish,
my dear. Listen:
II. william Gray. being Of sound mind.
ETC., do give and beQueath to my grand
niece, Isabel Gray. her heirs and assigns
forever. my Sheraton sideboard and the
sum Of 5000; to my grandniece. Flora
Gray Winchester, her heirs and assigns,
the mahogany bedstead which stands In
my own chamber and which is known as
tho gargoyle bedstead. together with the
sum Of 1000"
"Where shall we put 1t, Harryr'
interrupted Mrs. Winchester breath
lessly.
"Put it3 You don't expect to get 1t
into this f1atw
1--WE must have it here. wouldn't
examine it there with Isabel looking
on. And, besides, it is such a journey
down to Richmond. Anyway, you can
not spare the time to go down now,
and we must examine 1t together. l
want to get it here as soon as possi-
BILE. Who knows but Isabel or some
Of the others might find the diary OF
Nancy Gray and learn the secret? My
inheritance would be worthless" Mrs.
Winchester's voice trembled.
"Oh, all rightw said Winchester trac-
tably. But how the deuce you expect
to get 1t in here I don't quite see. It's a
very large piece Of furniture, isn't it?'
'Now, Harry, DEAR" she cried, with
one plump hand upon his lips, "that
bed must be got into this fat some
how! First l will finish my letter to
Mr.. Chesley and let Nora post it at
once. I can hardly wait to see the bed.
stead, Harry, and 1 don't dare dream
Of what will be ours when the secret
of the bedstead is disclosed. Do you
think, dear, I was wrong not to tell
Uncle William about the diary OF Nan
cy Gray 1 found in the garrett"
well, truthfully speaking, I'm afraid
it wasn't treating the old gentleman
quite on the square"
Two weeks afterward, while Mr..
Winchester was engaged in a most
important business transaction, he was
summoned to the telephone.
Eyes, this is Winchester. Whati
oh, the bedstead there! I can't pos.
sibly leave at present. l can't help It
Tell them to send it up tomorrow.
know it's important-the bedstead
No, I didn't speak. Yes, I will come
home early. Goodby."
When he reached the Etruscan apart
ments that evening Winchester was
fortified with q box Of candy and
huge bunch of violets. He stepped to
the elevator and pressed the button
A faint tinkle responded from some
depth below.
Presently the janitor emerged from
an obscure doorway and surveyed him
with an unpleasant eye.
'It amt a-runnin'," he said grutHy.
poor management" commented Win
chester as he prepared to conquer the
eight flights that barred him from
home and dinner.
"Huhv exploded the man. "Wha,
with the freight elevator out er order
and people breakin' windows movin' In
big stuff, 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 Its chaotic
disturbance looked strangely unfamil'
lar to the master Of the house.
In the library Flora reclined on q
couch before the bright gas log, while
sympathetic Nora applied wet cloths
to her mistress aching head. Wreck
age from the parlor impeded progress
at every step.
my dear grill" he uttered.
She turned q woebegone face to his
such a time as they had trying to
get 1t in the window! They were
saucy because the window was toe
small, and one of them pulled 1t In
with a jerk, and 1t struck the chande
lier. The pieces Of glass fell on my
Wedgwood vase, and that is broken
IL am quite discouraged|
With restless glance toward the
parlor. where the gigantic bedstead lay
like some dark shadow on his little
home, and with an unpleasant recol
,ectiop of the snorting janitor below
stairs and Of the generous tip 1t would
require to reduce him to his customary
state of patronizing familiarity, Win
chester endeavored to soothe his wife's
shattered nerves, and together they
obeyed Nora's summons to a belated
dinner.
At table Mrs. Winchester drew fold
ed paper from her gown.
"This is the page copied from the
diary Of Nancy Gray. Harry" she
said, spreading 1t open before her. u
thought would refresh my memory
as to the exact location Of the secret
spring.
Richmond, Va, April q, 1884,
read Mrs. Winchester in solemn &C
cents. "T am greatly alarmed for the
safety of Grandmother Binpah's dia
monds, and have vainly tried to find
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
a loss to find q safe place for our
heirloons.
"'April 22.-Such an excellent idea
have Just recollected that there Is O
secret hiding place in Grandmother
Binpah's mahogany bedstead. ] will
conceal the jewels there and will de
scribe their hiding place 80 that In