The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-11-03
UNDER CHURCHEAVE

Harris Holbrook, college graduats
of week, prospecting around In
harum-scarum fashion to work of
some exuberant sense of freedom, did
not count upon an adventure when
he assembled the roof ofthe old brown
church where the workmen were chip.
ping and In mmering and jabbering.
He had climbed up for view of the
buildings of the city, and "the glory
of them"
He was good-looking, compactly.
built fellow, in cool linen suit, as he
balanced himself up on the staging,
indolently. and exchanged civil words
with the workmen. His eyes came
back from Trinity and the "New
South" to his immediate surround
ings. A park and two tall family
hotels bounded three sides of the
church. Directly below him were the
roofs of dwellings,, with blooming
back yards. The staging extended
up to the brown east wing, which
folded itself against the body of the
church. From his point of view, he
could look into the back third story
windows of the wings which had been
converted into a home-like boarding
house. He had a feeting glimpse Of
airy muslin draperies, which be-
tokened a feminine occupant. His
curiosity was excited at once. He
could zee pictures hung low against O
delicate wall paper, a well-filled book
case, and pale green and salmon
carpet. A writing desk Uttered with
papers stood near the farther win
OW.
He was weaving a bit of romance
around the occupant when a shapely
arm and shoulder appeared in the
window next him, and slim white
hand which he could have almost
touched, drew down the curtain
quickly.
Feeling as if his curiosity had been
rebuked, he turned and walked along
the staging slowly to the rear of the
church. AS he retraced his steps he
had another glimpse of the arm and
shoulder clothed in cool lavender at
the desk, writing, but he could see
nothing of the face except the tip of
pink ear, and brown frizzes stirring
in the breeze over her temples, He
felt something of the student reck-
iessness of his sophomore period,
urging him to vault into the room
his perch, and apologize afterward
for the intrusion. He had been in
vulnerable to the smiles of "sweet
girl graduates, but he was possessed
to make the acquaintance of this
denizen of the wing under the church
caves, who kept out of his range of
vision, and gave him no chance for q
bit of sly Irritation. She had an at
mosphere. He felt it's influence in
widening circles around him. He
half believed she was not pretty.
Pretty women were not apt to have
this magnetic, far-reaching atmos-
phere. He could see the arm moving
as she wrote. Was she novelist, or
poet, or copyist, he wondered.
He directed his glass over the city
and watched the window, alternately.
Presently he could see the pen laid
down, impatiently it seemed. Then
the shoulders and frizzes disappear
from the desk, and soon he felt sure
he heard the door open and shut.
She had gone out.
eff it wasn't for the eyes of these
workingmen I'd climb into the room
and leave a note on her desk, or a
couplet to her shoulder and frizzes,"
h thought daringly.
gust then paper sailed out
through the window, whirling and
turning somersaults as if mad with
delight in it's mission. 1t circled
round the chimney on a roof below,
peeped into a skylight, dipped down
like a bird upon a vine creeping
over a trellis in the yard, flew back
to the open window as if to return
home, changed it's mind and gyrated
within range of the linen clad figure
with n tantalizing "catch-me-if-you-
can" expression, At the risk of
losing his balance, he captured the
half sheet of note, with words upon
it, and was debating whether to
read or not to read, lest he should
encroach upon private matter,
when he became aware that it was
merely prosaic receipt for some
money paid to Brown & Co., furni.
ture dealers, by Kate Goosechase.
Goosechasel ye' gods! The name
waslike a dash of ice water. Could
it belong to the graceful arm and
shoulder and crimpling brown hair?
Should he make the paper an excuse
for calling to return it? But he
couldn't make up his mind to ask
for Miss Goasechase. The romance
seemed to be oozing out of his little
adventure. Perhaps it didn't belong
to her. 1t seemed to be an insult to
the shoulder and pink ear tip to
couple them with sucha name.
Suddenly he remembered that he
was W llittO HIS COuSiu DcTUild dU Ullc
depot on the 11:30 train. There |
was no time to spare. He slipped
the paper into his linen vest pocket,
and hurried down to the street. In |
the excitement that followed Bertha's |
arrival, and the drives and harbor |
excursions to be planned, he forgot |
Miss Goosechase and the folded re-
ceipt, which bided it's time quietly, |
in the unused linen vest-pocket, until |
Harris and the rest of the Holbrook |
family got back in September from |
their summer sojourn in their scot
tage by the sea-"
The very first night he got back to
the city he dreamed he was standing
on the pale green and salmon carpet
of the pretty room under the church
caves trying to compose a poem to
the lavender-draped divinity of the
place and racking his brain to find a
word that would rhyme gracefully |
with Goosechase. He awoke with q
feeling that, directly or indirectly, his
dream was to meet with verification.
A week passed. Harris chamber
was to be newly furnished, and he
set out one morning commissioned