The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-14
A ROMEO'S FATE.

Fished Out OF a Cistern and Welcomed
to the Home OF His Love.
James Krosbeck of 1121 Gates avenue,
Brooklyn, has been counting under diff
culties of late. and has just had an expe-
rience that he will not forget for some time.
He has been keeping company with one
girl. She is Lena Strlsus, and she lives in
big fiat house on De Kalb avenue, near
Evergreen. Her big brown eyes, waVy hair
and lissOm figure vindicate her sweet
hearts choice and fathfulness. But her
father and her two brothers objected, and
forbade him entering the house or seeing
his sweetheart at any other place.
The freedom of the door being denied
him he proceeded to cast about for soms
other means by which he might enjoy his
sweetheart's society. And he found it.
At the rear or the fats In which the
Strilsus family live is an extension which
Is used as general wash and storage house
by tho tenants of the building. The roof
of the extension nearly reaches the third
story windows of the main building 1t is
on the third floor that James sweetheart
lives.
Two-thirds of the roof Of the extension is
taken up by rain-water cistern, the contents
Of which are much priced by the users Of
the washtubs. A couple of windows give
light to the interior OF the extension.
Now, an alley runs from the street to the
rear Of the flats, which is never closed, daY
or night James looked over the ground
and then laid his plan of campaign.
The following night, Lena. just after she
had retired to her bedroom, heard tap
ping at her window. She was about TO
scream, and then thought better of it. The
tap was repeated, and the girl mustered
courage enough to peep out. Balanced on
the edge of the cistern was her lover.
James had managed to crawl by means OF
the wndow-sills to the top Of the extern
sion. Then he had with difficulty walked
along the edge Of the cistern to the bedroom
window.
OF course James devotion and pluck met
their reward at the lips OF Lena, and when
he descended from mis- lofty perch be felt as
if he had left heaven above him.
For couple of weeks james made stolen
and successful visits to his sweetheart, and
the couple congratulated themselves on
eVading the vigilance of the stern parent
But the catastrophe came at last.
Late on Wednesday night James was bal
anced on the ciStern edge. The interview
had been q particularly pleasant one and the
young fellow was IN the act Gf making MS
adeux. At this juncture Lena imagined
that she heard her father trying her door.
Frightened out of her wits, she begged
James to descend. He, too, was pretty
badly scared. He bent forward for his
parting kisses, then tried to move quickly.
slipped. endeavOred to recover himself and
went splash into the cStern.
The water in the receptacle is four feet
deep. The walls of the cistern itself are
about six feet high. The result was that
James found himself uD to his waist in icy
water and frantically grabbing at the slip
perry sides of the cistern.
The splash, James involuntary shout as
he went in head-foremost and Lena's SYM
pathetic scream raised the household. Then
there was, as one of the neighbors put it, "a
time"
To make long story short, Mr. StriIsuE
himself hauled out the drenched and shiv-
ering lover. The spectacle that James pre-
sented disarmed the anger of lie as parents,
and half an hour later young Krosbeck, with
dry clothes on his back, a steamng glass Of
toddy in mis- hand and Lena beaming on him,
was enjoying the friendship Of the house
from which he had been So long Ostracized.
n. Y. World.