Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-03-15
Their First Visitor
tOriginal.l

stations on the railroad. had been set
tied by people Of the old regime. Not
that the regime was very ancient-noth-
ing is ancient in America-but it was
certainly not the new regime OF
wealth. There We're families that hal
been in comfortable circumstances for
q hundred years. some who had de-
seconded from those once prominent,
and all were refined Refinement nee
essarily means eXclusiveness, and Wa
verify was known as an exclusive place.
A wealthy soap boiler had settled there.
but after years had passed without
making any friends he moved on.
But one day little house that had
been vacant for n long while was
opened, the paint retUuched, shutters
repaired, broken window panes put In
and the fence set up. No one In Waiver
ly was esl ecially interested In who
was to occupy it. for people occupying
such houses were usually not Of kind
to be associated with. But when q
young couple appeared, d boy and q
girl just married. both bearing the
marks Of refined parentage. some Of
the Waverlyans took notice. Those
who would scorn to visit millionaire
soap boiler would not hesitate to take
into their hearts refined people.
But the citizens of Waverly were
not in the habit of being in hurry in
their welcomes. Time enough to call
when they had learned something
about the young couple. The husband
went into the city almost every day.
but not every day. and when he did
60 in he often came out long before
the closing of business hours. The
wife remained at home all day. She
dressed plainly. but neatly. II she
had fine clothes she had no occasion
to show them except at church. where
she wore such costumes as were ap-
propriate. But information concerning
the young couple did not come rapid
ly. Weeks had passed before the
name Tileston, was generally known.
The couple did not appear to wish to
be left alone. Indeed. young Mrs. Tiles
ton made several efforts to become &C.
quainted with the ladies of her church.
But the ladies Of the church did not
see why persons travelling on the same
road together to heaven should need to
camp together by the way-not that
they proposed to exclude Mrs. Tiles
ton; they simply intended to find out
all about her before becoming Intimate
with her.
Months passed and still information
concerning the young couple fingered.
There came a vague report that let
tiers were coming through the post
office to them under an assumed name
This settled the matter. There was
no further question as to tho future
social status of the so called Mr.. and
Mrs. Tileston. They were to be let
severely alone.
One day a man with a small satchel
came out from the city and made
straight for the Tileston house. He
stayed half an hour, went away and
came again the next day, and the next.
and the next. Neither husband nor
wife was visible, and the shades In
an upstairs room were drawn.
No one in Waverly took note Of this
except an old maid who lived op-
posite. Though living so near the
Tilestons. she had not paid any atten-
ton to them. She had an income Of
5000 year. the remains Of a large
fortune built up by her great-srand-
father In the slave trade. She was a
De G.. and the De G.'s had once been
the social heads of society In the city.
When one Of the Waverllans had pro-
posed to call ON the soap boiler Miss
De G. had held up her hands in holy
horror and prevented the call. But
she was an old maid, and old maids
are proverbially curious. What could
be going on in the little house op-
posite? There was but one way to find
onto 60 over and see.
Miss De G. knocked at the door and
received no answer. The latch was
not caught, and the door was shaken
ftfully by the wind. Opening 1t, she
went inside. Neither in the living
room. the dining room nor the kitchen
WAS there a sign of a living being.
Curiosity overcame her objection to
intrusion. and she went upstairs.
The Tilestons had received their first
visitor-a visitor who had come to
stay. On the bed lay the wife. dead.
The husband sat in q chair. his arms
ON a table and his head on his arms.
Miss De G. saw this from the head
Of the stairs. Her curiosity was salts
fed. She stepped back stealthily, went
out and reported what she had seen
to one of the ladies Of the church.
The lady called on several other ladies.
and the matter of taking some action
was discussed. All those visited were
engaged to 60 to a lunch party, but
they decided that 1t was their Chris
tlan duty-after the luncheon-to 20
and see IL they could do anything for
the widower.
As they were about to enter the
little house a carriage. the coachman
and footman In rich livery, drove up
to the door. and gentleman and lady
with two children alighted and hur-
ried into the house.
The visiting ladies looked at one an
other. Evidently their kind Offices were
not needed. Too well bred to intrude,
they went away. This was the third
and last visit the Tilestons received
during their residence In Waverly.
The next morning the papers gave
an account Of how two youngsters be-
longing to families socially prominent,
the father Of the girl being both cele-
brated and rich, had eloped. The bride
had died while they were negotiating
with their parents for forgiveness,
which had been determined on, and
settlements. which were being arrang-
ed fsv. p. A. mitchell.
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