The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1907-02-21
Their First Visitor
[Original.1

IOriginal.]
Waverly, unlike the other suburban
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 had
been in comfortable circumstances for
a hundred years, some who had de-
scended from those once prominent
and all We're 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 a long while was
opened, the paint retouched, shutters
repaired, broken window panes put in
and the fence set up. No one in Waiver.
ly was especially interested in who
was to occupy it, for people occupying
such houses We're usually not of a kind
to be associated with. But when a
young couple appeared, Il 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 We're
not in the habit of being in a 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
go in he often came out long before
the closing of business hours. The
wife remained at home all day. She
dressed plainly, but neatly. If she
had fine clothes she had no occasion
to show them except at church, where
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 ac-
quanted 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 We're coming through the post
Office to them under an assumed name.
This settled the matter. There was
no further question as to the future
social status of the 50 called Mr.. and
Mrs. Tileston. They We're 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 We're drawn.
! No one in Waverly took note of this
| except an old maid who lived OPP
posite Though living so near the
! Tilestons, she had not paid any atten-
j ton to them. She had an income OF
, $500 a year, the remains of a large
fortune built up by her great-grand-
! 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 Wayerlians had pro
| posed to call Oh 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 provelbially curious. What could
) be going on in the little house op,
posite? There was but one way to find
! QUITO go over and see.
Miss De G. knocked 1t the door ant
received l0 answer. The latch was
not caught, and the door was shaker
! ftfully by the wind. Opening it, SHIT
went inside Neither in the living
room, the dining room nor the kitchen
was there sign of a living being
Curiosity overcame her objection t.
intrusion, ana she went upstairs.
The Tilestons had received their frs
vistor-a visitor who had come II
stay. On the bed lay the wife, dead
The husband sat in a chair, his arm
on table and his head on his arms.
Miss De g. saw this from the heat
of the stairs. Her curiosity was salts
fed. She stepped back stealthily, wen
out and reported what she had seel
to one of the ladies Of the church
The lady called Oh several other ladies
and the matter of taking some action
was discussed. All those visited wer
engaged to go to a lunch party, bu
they decided that it was their Chris
, tan duty-after the luncheon--to 6
and see if they could do anything TO
the widower