"There is a funny story about that stepping stone. Our paper boy asked us one time if we had our dog buried under it. He thought it was a grave marker for a pet. It looks like one as it's made of marble and even has the name 'Wayne' chiseled into it.
"After Harley's death, the widow took the stone to Elgin with her. She lived with her son, Charles, until her death. Charles had married by this time and this is where the story gets a little confusing."
Charles and his wife were childless. But Charles had a cousin who was a preacher in California. This cousin had 10 kids to feed and didn't get paid much for his labors. Charles volunteered to take one of the kids out of this cousin's kitchen.
The kid turned out to be Esther Bishop. She not only lived with Charles until his death in 1905, but then lived with Mary (Charles' wife) until her death in 1941. Mary apparently willed the house to Esther, who, by this time, was married to Claude Britton.
Britton continued to live in the house after Esther died and was still there in 1956 with the stepping stone somewhere on the premises, the letters, photos, tunic buttons and other war materials in the attic.
Enter the Parentis.
"The chances were enormous of us not finding out what we did," said Parenti, "but we did it anyhow,"
Thank you Leo and Connie Parenti foor all this information that otherwise would have been lost.
--Old Secesh
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