Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-05-14
Seven Old Ladies.

BY M. QUAD.

~ old Lester homestead were one
asv surprised by the announcement
,hst Miss Priscilla Lester had decided
a open an old woman's home In the
hg manor house She had been a
motherless girl for years. and her ia
ther had now been dead for twelve
months. To open and conduct such a
home had been her dream for years,
and she was to have the enthusiastic
mpport of her church pastor.
n wasn't to be called an old wo-
mans home, as such q term would
burt old women's feelings, but was to
~ known as the old ladies' rest.
While masons and carpenters were
making changes circulars were sent
ant and answered by thousands Of
aid ladies' throughout the United
states. More than 500 Of them called
in person at once, though told not to,
and when the rest was finally ready
% receive guests over 5000 appIica-
AOns were on file. Miss Priscilla and
the minister were amazed. They had
figured on only about forty old ladies'
and not taking them all at once either.
After long confab, in which various
things came up that had not hitherto
been discussed or provided for, It was
decided to start OF with only seven
guests.
The seven old ladies walked or were
carried or hoisted into the rest, and
then the institution was considered
opened. Each had a room, and the at
tendants had been instructed to treat
them as they would their own moth
ers Some Of them did not obey In
structions. They would have wrung
their own mothers necks before bed
time. AS soon as they found them
selves solid" the old ladies broke out.
They had game legs; they had stomach
troubles; they had lumbago and swim
ming of the head: they wanted this
and that, and they wanted it quick.
Next morning, after a night Of
groans and signs, the seven got togeth-
er in the dining room. The doctor, who
had known as many as five old ladies
In his life, had made out the bill of
fare and looked upon it as a generous
one. That was one Of his mistakes.
The seven agreed that 1t was the
worst meal ever set before a poor old
lady. 1t was already plain that they
had been induced to enter the rest I'M
der false pretenses. and each and ev-
cry one mumbled dark hints about
lawsuits to get even. One of the seven
had as many as three teeth left In her
mouth, the others tooth or two less,
and yet the seven were a unit in want
ing to know why beefsteak had not
been provided.
After the dining room had been
cleared the old ladies' began to draw
the lines of caste. When they got
through each had her own status and
was ready to pitch into that of all
others. The doctor recommended that
the whole caboodle Of them be pitched
outdoors, the minister looked thought
ful, and Miss Priscilla lowered over all
Ike the angel Of peace that she was.
She held to it that as soon as the old
ladies' had got settled down everything
would go smoothly.
The rooms were fine, but they were
found fault with. The beds were good,
but there were complaints. The food
could scarcely have been bettered, but
the seven cried out In chorus that they
we're being deliberately starved to
death. Miss Priscilla listened to all
these complaints and sOothed the COM
planners, and sometimes she would
bring about a peace that lasted all Of
half an hour. Then Mrs. Hennessey
would suddenly say to Mrs. Smith:
Think Of the likes of you to be COM
planning, an old cat that hasn't had a
decent meal in your stomach for
yearsr'
And you-and your shouted Mrs.
Smith in reply. "Don't we all know
mat you were glad to get potato peel
ings before you came herew
1t would always require Miss Pris-
elias presence and sometimes that OF
the minister and two or three Of the
attendants to smooth the troubled wa
Iers, and after the waves had subsidized
tne good man would be asked:
These little things shouldn't dis
courage us, should theyY'
Moo, not exactly discourage"
It's noble charity, isn't ft?"
Yes, very noble"
And the old ladies' viii come to love
one another in timer
We must hope that they Will"
oh, but. bless their dear old hearts,
tney surely will! l must hurry up and
Sc the place ready for seven more"
The minister turned pale at the idea,
VuL seven more never came. The rest
nad been running for a month. and the
Olo ladies already installed had bick-
.sed at every meal and quarreled three
umes a day, when there arose a dis
que one day as to whether lumbago
Y consumption entitled the victim to
ne most respect and consideration. II
1s not settled on the spot. II has
never been settled since. There were
sngry words, and there was hair pull
~ over It. and then the seven old la
sieS LETT the Institution by seven diff
.eteht ways. each one declaring she
NVulu never RETURN nv fRta ffnnn pFfa-