The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-11-21
IN A FLASH.

IN 4 FLASH.
When / first remember my Aunt Bar.
bara she was over forty years of age
but she could never have been &C.
counted q handsome woman. She was
very tall and a very angular woman,
with a long, thin face, the most re.
markable feature of which was a Roman
nose of commanding proportions. But
as she had one of the kindest hearts in
the world her paucity of good looks
seemed a matter of trifing moment to
those who had the privilege of knowing
her well. 1t was al my request that,
some two or three years before her
death, she wrote out the following mar
rative of al actual occurrence in her
early life. l put away the manuscript
at the time, and did not come across il
until the other day. On looking it over
once more, 1t seemed to me not I'M
worthy of being transcribed for a wider
circle of readers than that comprised
by the writer's immediate friends and
a~cquaintances.
You ask me to go back in memory
(begins my aunt) to what seems to me
now like a period of remote antiquity,
when /, Barbara Waldron, was twenty
four years of age, and my sister Bessie
five years younger, and endeavor to put
down in writing the little story 1 told
you by word of mouth a few days ago..
You must know, then, that in those
far-off days my sister and / were keep
ing house for our brother John, who at
that time filed the position of steward
and land-agent to Lord Darlington.
The house we lived in was a pleasant
but somewhat lonely residence, about
half a mile from the little country town
of Leavensfield. The house suited us
for several reasons. In the first place,
the rent was low; in the next, a large
walled garden was attached to it, in
which Bessie and l spent many happy
hours; and in the third place, there was
a side entrance to Darlington Park, by
which my brother could take a short
cut to the hall whenever he had bust
ness with his lordship, or his lordship
had business with him. Our household
was a small one, and besides ourselves
comprised only Mary Gibbs, a middle
aged woman; and niece, a girl of six
teen. Johns horse and gig were look
ed after by a young man by the lame
of Reuben Gates, who did not, however,
sleep on the premises. An important
part of Johns duties was to receive and
pay into the Levensfield bank the rents
due from farmers and other tenants of
property held under Lord Darlington.
One such tenant was a certain Mr..
Shillito, a corn and seed merchant, who
was noted for his eccentricities. it was
only in keeping with Mr.. Shillito's ag
gravating way of doing business that
he should never pay his rent at the
time other people paid theirs; that he
should always pay it in gold and notes,
instead of giving a check for the
amount, as he was quite in a position
to have done, and that he should make
a point of bringing it himself, instead
of naming the time when my brother
might have called upon him; and finally,
that he seldom arrived with the money |
till after banking hours.
We come now to a certain autumn
evening. Kitty had just brought in
the tea-tray. 1t was growing dusk,
almost too dusk, to see clearly without
the lamp, but Bessie and l liked to |
economic the daylight as much as pos
sible, especially now that the long win
ter nights were so close upon us. John
had come in for a cup of tea. This
evening he was going to drive over to
Nethercroft, some ten miles away dine
there with some friends, and stay all
night. After dinner there was to be a
dance; and l was not without my sus-
picions as to the nature of the attrac-
ton which vas taking him so far from
home, although he laughingly pooh
pooled the soft impeachment when l
challenged him with it. John was in
the act of putting down his cup and
when he heard a noise of wheels
outside, which presently came to a
stand opposite the house. He crossed
the room and peered through the win
dow.
ats old Shillito, come to pay his
he remarked a moment later.
Two hours after b~anking-time, as
usual. What a nuisance he is!' He
down stairs, and about ten min
utes later we heard Mr.. Shillito's trap
start off. Ninety pounds all in gold
and notes." he said. sTve had to lock
{ up in my desk till morning"
/ may here remark that iron safes for
he custody of money and other valua-
,les were by no means Sc common in
hose days, especially in out-of-the-way
country places, as the appear to have
since become.
But the money will be quite safe in
our desk, won't it, John?" asked
"Safe enough without a doubt, seeing
hat no one but ourselves knows OF its
there. Only, as a matter OF
BUSINESS, l should prefer to have 1t in