The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-02-15
Their First Visitor


WaVerly, unilke Ile OIneE SUBURBAN Il
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 1t was
certainly not the new regime of
wealth. There were families that had
been In comfortable circumstances for
hundred years, some who had de-
scended 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 a 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 were usually not of kind
to be associated with. But when
young couple appeared a boy and a
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 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. II she
had fine clothes she had no occasion
to show them except at church, where
she wore such costumes as were APP
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-
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 wRy-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 the future
social status of the so called Mr.. and
Mrs Tileston. They were to be lei
severely alone.
One day a man with small satche
. came out from the city and made
straight for the Tileston house. He
stayed half an hour, went away anC
came again the next day, and the next
, and the next Neither husband mol
. wife was visible, and the shades IN
; an upstairs room were drawn.
} No one In Waverly took note of thii
= except an old maid who lived op
| pObAlG. 4 hOhEh AAfA AA6 ~ hNhA AhA
, Tilestons, she had not paid any atten
= ton to them. She had an income Of
5000 a year the remains of a large
. fortune built up by her great-grand
father in the slave trade. She was
. De G., and the De G.'s had once beer
I the social heads of society In the city
\ When one of the Waverlians had pro
posed to call on the soap boiler Mis-
. De G. had held up her hands In hol!
horror and prevented the call. Blu
she was an old maid, and old maid
are proverbially curious. What coult
be going on in the little house op
posite? There was but one way to fine
QUITO go over and see.
Miss De G. knocked at the door an,
received no answer. The latch wa
not caught, and the door was shaker
fitfully by the wind. Opening IT, sh
went inside. Neither in the Twin
room, the dining room nor the kitchel
was there a sign of a living being
Curiosity overcame her objection I
Intrusion. and she went upstairs.
The Tilestons had received their frs
visitor-a visitor who had come I
stay. On the bed lay the wife. dead
The husband sat in a chair, his arm
on a table and his head on his arms
Miss De g. saw this from the hea
of the stairs Her curiosity was satii
fed. She stepped back stealthily. wen
out and reported what she had see
to one of the ladies Of the churcl
The lady called on several other ladie
and the matter of taking some actio
was discussed. All those visited wer
engaged to 90 TO a lunch party hi
they decided that Il was their Chri
tan duty-after the luncheOn-to 5
and see II they could do anything II
the widowe-
AS they were about TO enter II