Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-21

It had long been agreed at Surrogate
Terrace that there was something mySteri-
Gus about the Dillingham; Smiths. Nhere
they came from or who they Were no one
seemed to know. A week after the Her
ringtons had vacated number 10 three ps
furniture vans had backed up to the door
and unloaded the usual assortment OF
household goods. A nickel doorplate, bear
ing the name Smith, had been fasteheu
In place and those who took the pains 70
inquire at the terrace office learned that
number Is had been leased for two years
by Mr. and Mrs. Dillingham; smith; that
Mr. Dillingham; Smith was night edltor Oh
one of the papers-which one 1t was not
known-and there the information ceased.
Surrogate Terrace, to its last tenant. dis
liked this sudden cessation of information
1t savored of exclusiveness-or worse. AS
a general thing. the people who came to
the terrace to take up their abode were m
innate friends of the fortunate coterle al
ready domiCiled there, and all their little
ms and outs were freely discussed 1t was
known in advance whether they kept q
cook and second girl or only the
cook; 1t was known in advance now many
children there were in the family, ana
whether or not they were troubIeSome, the
probable amount of the family income was
passed from mouth to mouth, and their
skill at whist and euchre was a source OF
rejoicing or regret This was all as II
should be, in the eyes of the terrace. II
broke the ice of social formality, and gave
the expected arrivals a standing even be-
fore they came. The paucity of DEFINITE IN
formation regarding the Dillingham; Smiths
was looked upon with decided disfaVor.
The new occupants of number IS took up
their residence in the terrace very quietly.
They made no efforts to become acquainted
with their neighbors, and, as they Kept no
servant the kitchen tete-a-tetes of the ter
race were favored no authentic gossip con-
corning them.
Surrogate Terrace, whose cozy little
apartments We're leased only to married
people, looked on the newcomers with de-
cided disapproval In general way, every
body knew everybody else. They inter
changed sugar and coffee and molasses;
they exchanged receipts and directions for
fancy work; they ran into one another's
houses informally; they were addicted to
jolly little dinners and luncheOns and whist
parties. The Dillingham; Smiths babe fair
to be the deaths head at this feast Of
good fellowship.
OF course, one and all, the other resi-
dents of the terrace called on the new ar
rivals. and in comparing notes afterwards
it was remarked that no one had been re-
ceived by both Mr.. and Mrs Smith Some
had found Mr.. Smith at home, and were
impressed by his quiet, gentlemanly bear
ing and his evident regret that Mrs. Smith
was not there to welcome them; while
others had been greeted by tall, reserved
woman, who insisted that they must come
again and meet Mr.. Smith Yet the Smiths
returned none of these calls, and the ter
race fairly bristled with resentment.
The eXclusiveness of the Smiths was,
in itself, bad enough: but It was moth
ing In light of the other strange qualities
that began to disclose themselves. Dilling-
ham Smith and his wife were never seen to-
gether. She never came to the door to bid
him goodbye in that homely, anectionate
manner the terrace loved; she was never
with him when he clipped the diminutive
lawn or trained the ivy which was creep
ing up the bricks of No. is; and when
either of them left the house it was in
Variably alone. Then. too, it was noted
that after Mr.. Dillingham; Smith left for
the city a precisely $50 each evening, not
a light was to be seen in No. IS, and not
a sign of Mrs. Smith was discernible
What she did with herself during the long
evenings was a mystery.
The Dillingham; Smiths were the little
leaven which leavened the whole lump
The humdrum life of the terrace was
shaken to its very foundations by this gor-