The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1921-01-14
The Secret
Room
BY EUGENIA WALDRON

Copyright. 1913. by Western Newspaper Union :,
A host of lovers came to pretty daz-
zled Vesta Brill when it became known
that Albert Winsted, the queer old her.
mitlike oddly Of Brompton, had left
her his entire fortune. He had sub
sisted for ten years alone in an old
mansion still pointed out as the show
place Of the little town.
The strange change in his ways had
come after he had been abroad for a
year. RumOr was that he had welded
native princess in India. She had
died and her loss, it was said, had
broken his heart. There was a story
afloat that he had brought back from
India a portrait, or statue, depicting
the woman he had loved and lost. and
that one room in the house was de-
voted to her as sort Of a shrine.
Alvord Marston, young lawyer,
was named as the executor Of the es.
tate. 1t 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 afare with ambitious dreams, and
a nock Of fortune-seeking young men
at once became persistent callers at
the Brill home.
One suspicious day the fabric of
parental ambitions, as of sutton dreams.
was rent and shattered. Marston ap-
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" ne said, II have news
for you scarcely agreeable, but it is
necessary that / tell you Of the same.
When went over to the old-home of
Mr.. Winsted I found nothing but
few WORKOUT sticks Of furniture. In
his safety deposit box at the bank
there was a mass Of papers that turn
ed out to be mostly receipts for costly
jewels, draperies and other expensive
oriental fabrics, but no securities or
other resources. There is apparently
not vestige left Of the large fortune
he was supposed to possess"
"Then l am not the rich heiress /
have been supposed to be?" said Vesta
simply, and actually with smile.
"You seem reconciled," observed
Marston.
"And relieved" added vesta bright
ly. II shall be glad to get back to my
own humble, ordinary self. 1t will be
a test Of the friendship of my in
Vulnerable new friends and it will dis
sipate the extravagant visions Of my
parents"
So 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 had dis
covered that the old mansion was
mortgaged for two-thirds Of its value.
He began negotiations with city
agent who was looking for a 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 Marston
told Vesta Of his love for her and
they became engaged. They were TAX
ing stroll one afternoon when he re-
marked:
II am going to look over the old
mansion. 1t is all that is left Of the
estate. l understand that the neigh
borhood boys have been making it a
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 &hall,
gloomy apartments Vesta chung te1llm
with an eerie sense of weirdness.
Finally they came to the solitary room
old Albert Winsted had occupied for
SO many years.
"Why, that is strangel" abruptly
exclaimed Marston.
Some missile thrown through the