The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1919-08-21
The Secret {:
Room
., EuoENIA wALDRoN


A host Of levers came to pretty dan.
1led Vesta Brill when 1t became known
that Albert Winsted, the queer old hes.
mitlike oddly Of Brompton. had leee
her his entire fortune. He had sub
sisted for ten years alone In IN old
mansion still pointed out ~ the show
place Of the little town.
The strange change In his ways had
come after he had been abroad for q
year. Rumor was that he had welded
q native princess in India. She had
died and her loss, IL was said, had
broken his heart. There was q story
-ahoat that he had brought back from
India q, portrait. or statue, depicting
the woman he had loved and lost, and
that one room in the house was d.
voted to her as q sort of shrine.
Alvord Marston, young lawyer,
was named as the executor Of the -
tate. It was he who appeared at the
modest, pleasant home Of Vesta one
evening and informed her Of the rare
good fortune she had little expected.
The acquisition Of wealth did not
spoil her simple, wholesome gentle.
ness. Her parents, however, became
all aflare with ambitious dreams. and
a dock Of fortune-seeking young men
at once became persistent callers at
the Brill home.
One suspicious day the fabric oR
parental ambitions, as Of sutton dreams,
was rent and shattered. Aarston up.
peared at the Brill home grave faced,
for he had disappointing intelligence
to impart. He found vesta alone and
the friendly warmth Of her greeting
stirred him considerably.
"Miss Brill" he said, ~ have news
for you scarcely agreeable, but it -
necessary that tell you Of the same.
When 1 went over to the old-home II
Mr.. Winsted l found nothing but q
few WORKOUT sticks of furniture. In
his safety deposit box at the, bank
there was 4 mass of papers that turn
ed out to be mostly receipts for costly
jewels, ,draperies and other expensive
oriental fabrics, but no securities ~
other resources. There Is apparently
not vestige left of the large fortune
he was supposed to possess"
"Then l am not the rich heiress I
have been supposed to be-" said Vesta
simply, and actually with a smile.
"You seem reconciled," observed
Marston.
"And relieved" added Vesta bright
ly. Il shall be glad to get back to my
own humble, ordinary self. 1t will be
test Of the friendship Of my In
Vulnerable new friends and it will dis
sipate the extravagant visions of my
parents"
50 it was all over. The bubble Of
wealth had burst and Vesta was after
all "a nobody" Swiftly her suitors
deserted her. and, although her mother
suffered severe disappointment,
gradually her dreams Of luxury and
social eminence faded away.
To his amazement Marston mad dis
covered that the old mansion was
mortgaged for two-thirds Of its value.
He began negotiations with city
agent who was looking for building
suitable for small sanitarium. He
called upon Vesta frequently to report
progress and the companionship be-
came source Of pleasure to both.
At the end of two months MarstoR
told Vesta of his love for her and
they became engaged. They were tax
ing a stroll one afternoon when he re-
marked:
Il am going to look over the old
mansion. 1t is all that is left Of the
estate. / understand that the neigh
borhood boys have been making it q
target for the slungshots, and as you
may eventually get few hundred dol
lars out of it we must keep the prop
erty in as good condition as possible"
Marston let himself into the house,
and as they passed through the chill,
gloomy apartments Vesta chung to him
with an eerie sense Of weirdness.
Finally they came to the solitary room
old Albert Winsted had occupied for
50 many yeara. j
"Why, that is stranger" abruptly
exclaimed Marston.
Some missile thrown through the
window had struck the wall in one
corner of the room. It had left gap
ing orifice, and beyond it showed an
open space, and, peering. Marston
made out what suggested secret
room. Probing, he found that the false
bit Of wall papered over was really
q. door. He opened this and he and
Vesta stood enthralled, gazing upon q
presentment that fairly amazed them.
The room had no windows and Its
contents were visible only because Of
the light streaming through the secret
doorway. At one end was dais with
: gorgeous draperies. Seated in chair
fit for royalty was wax figure, dusty,
but beautiful Of face, richly appareled.
Before this evident counterfeit pre-
coptropt ~ tho v,r;poocc hpido ne old