The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-10-30
IN THE ORGAN.LOFT.

IN THE ORGAN.LOFT.
The light of a September sunset lay
full on the elm-tree boughs, and
checkered the pavement below with
soft rosy glooms, when cab from the
station stopped in front of the quaint
brick building which did duty as
- seminary" to the Bracey theological
students. and Il young girl got out OF
it. Even-song was in progress. From
the ornate little Gothic chapel which
stood at right angles with the long
wing where the students housed.
sounded a Gregorian chant, rendered
by chorus of fresh manly voices. A
little strip Of closely shaven lawn
divided the chapel from the street. Its
smooth green was broken now by long
bars of pink light. and here and there
Redeemed leaf ON the ivy above
glowed like a carbuncle in the sunset
fire. 1t was a pretty and peaceful
scene. not at all resembling her pre-
conceived ideas of what America was
going to be. thought Aimee Trenchard,
as. after dismissing her cabman, she
passed moment on the doorstep be-
fore ringing the bell. A birds shadow
fitted across the illuminated grass; the
chant softened and died; a sleepy
twitter was audible in the tree-tops.
From the far distance came the soft
Ginning of bell. 1t was, in reality,
the bell of the Methodist Church ring
ing for prayer-meeting-a fact which
would have rendered the sound less
musical to Aimee's ears had she known
it. for. as befitted the daughter of an
English Dean. albeit a colonial one,
she was very rigid and intolerant as to
Church matters. But she did not know
it. so the sweet bell note and the dewy
silence won her attention so long that
black-gowned figures began to pour out
of the chapel before she remembered
what she had to do. Then she rang.
and entered, but not so soon as to be
unobserved, and young Chasuble poked
his chum in the ribs and whispered,
"Hey! What's that? A visitor to the
doctor. 1t must be that girl from
Nova Scotia. the deans daughter. you
know. I'll tell you what, she's
pretty
Faith rather than vision prompted
this statement, but Frank Chasuble was
justified in making it, nevertheless.
Aimee was pretty, very pretty. With
the slender swaying figure which, with
her name, she had inherited from her
Canadian mother, She combined that
beauty so especially the dover of En-
glish girls, complexion of unequaled
fairness-true roses and Greenland
lips as fresh and red as a dewy Glove
pink. Her hair had golden glints in it,
and waved naturally back from very
white forehead, beneath whose penciled
brows looked out a pair of clear eyes,
as blue and fearless as child's, in
whose regard innocence and ignorance
were charmingly combined. For Aimee
had been brought up in solitude by a
shy bookwOrm of a father. and gentle,
rectangular old aunt, and this was abb
solutely her first peep into the wider
world which lay beyond her guarded
school-room bound. DIR. Bracey, an
old college friend of Canon Trenchard's 5,
had taken Nova Scotia, the year before,
as the objective point OF his sumlIcr
vacation, and had then and there fallen
in love, in a fatherly way, with his
friends daughter. Poor, dear little
thing" he called her in his thoughts,
for she seemed to him cooped up and
lonely, quite unlike the girls he was in
the habit of seeing at home, and he
piled her father with entreaties and ar
guments, till at length he won reluctant
consent for visit to "the States" dur
ing the ensuing year. This visit, for
one reason and another, had been post
poned till now, so here was Aimee Just
arrived, with three months of delight
full novelty and adventure before her,
and bringing a heart as unhackneyed
as baby's to meet them, whatever
they might prove to hold.
AS may well be imagined, her advent
created tumult among thes'' Bracsy
boys Absorbed as these young gen1
tlemen were supposed to be i6devoj
tional observanoe and theological lore,
intervals more Or less existed during
which it was both possible and natural
to notice the propinquity Of, a pretty
girl, and when both prettiness and pro-
pinquity were so nnusual, these inter-
walls became more rather than less.
Aimee had hardly been there week,
had attended mathis and even-song not
more than dozen times under the
wing of the demure Mrs. Bracey, before
half the seminary were her avowed
slaves, and the other half showed
symptoms of yielding. Even Ambrose
Vedderbake, the crack ritualist of the
institution, who meditated joining the
Brotherhood of st. Paul and, as his
classmates whispered, had "all but ~
taken the vow of celibacy already
even he was seen to pick up Miss
Trenchard's prayerlbook one morning
after service, and when thanked with a
pretty smile, to blush and CULVER in an
I,naccountable manner. And the cor.
rect Theodore Benson, just ready fol
deacon's orders and engaged TO be
married to aplain but excellent girl in
his native village, caught himself re.
tiecting that beauty as well as goodness
is desirable thing in wife, and eOnaJ
checked this unhallowed train of medi
tation by strong effort of will. One
and all, in greater or less degree, wert
charmed with the fresh beauty of. the
young English girl, and expressed it il
their different ways, by action. or b,
silence, which is sometimes AS elouuen,
thing as action.
Aimee enjoyed her honors modest,
ana meeNy.s' a little cuusciuaasnea;i
crept gradually into the frank ewes, :;
shade Of innocent cOquetry, perhaps
into the manner.-that was all; and n.
harm either. pronounced DR.. Bracey
as he watched this gradual unfolding O
the womanly instinct. He loved tn,
girl. and it pleased him ito see herihey
ing "a good time,'' after the fashion O
her age and sex. ut will do her al
sorts Of good meditated this worldly
wise old theologue, with chuckle, al,
he rubbed his hands approvinglyssii
I Simple DR.. Bracey! The momentar
amusement of his protege was all b
bad in his mind. It did not occur +
MIN that happiness. most happiness, ha