The Van Buren press., 1898-12-31
A CITY ROMANCE.
Ill About the Compositor, and Ills
Hat, and the Devil, and the
Pretty Bindery Girl.

As the compositor in he job printing
establishment ON the fourth floor raised
the window to admit some comparative
fresh air into the atmosphere Of
warm rollers, ink and oil, he caught
glimpse of the blonde girl who works
in the bindery opposite. He had seen
her often before. but he could never
succeed in getting her to notice him
further than to smile ard bite her lip
for a brief moment, after which cor
sessions she would turn away and ST
down 10 her machine. from which she
would never look up. though the CON-
positor, when business was dull, had
watched her for hours at a time. Some
times he could see the gray bloich that
he knew was her gingham apron rise
and move of into obseuriiy, but as
nearly as he could see through the
smoky glass she never even glanced
In his direction.
Once the compositor got desperate
and threw an en- quad 4; the window,
but it only brought to view a short,
fat man with curly hair and thick
nose, seeing whom the eompositor re-
tired, and that day looked no more.
There were other girls in the bindery-
four or five of them. Two of those
other girls, he knew, on the authority
Of the boy who kicked the Gordon press,
we're peaches" But they did not in
terest the compositor. He could serd
the types clicking under the thumb into
the stick and pick his rules and gin
gerbread" with the calm of stole,
though he knew those other girls
we're clustered fourfold at the win
dow. But with the blonde girl it was
different.
This time the blonde girl was in
full view. There was not even the
usual obstructing pane of dirty glass,
and the compositor decided that she
was even prettier than his fancy had
painted her. Two sparrows were quar-
reling on the gravel roof below over
the last crumb In a discarded lunch
box, and she was watching them. She
must have been deeply interested in
the sparrows, or she might have per-
ceived that the compositor was look
ing at her. AS it was, she seemed start
led when he coughed to attract her
attention.
He Just had time to observe that
her eyes were blue and that her smile
vas the kindest and sweetest that he
had ever seen, when a catarrhal voice
from the bindery called: "Biss Jodes!"
The compositor drew his head into
his own den, and as he did so his hat
rolled down onto the roof below and
sent the two sparrows chattering
away to a secure chimney. 1t was not
IA very good hat, but the compositor
did not want to lose it. 1t was only 20
feet away, and its owner was consider
ing how he might secure it when the
press boy came to his aid and suggest
ed whistling for it. Then they leaned
out and looked at the hat.
Others, seeing them, looked out, too,
The owner of the catarrhal voice-Mr.
0ppenheimer, the foreman-was the
first, then the four other girls joined
him. The young lawyer in the next
building and his underworked clerk
looked out. The manager of the con-
solidated glass company on the floor
above shouted to inquire what was
the matter. When he was informed,
he swore and shut down his window.
The compositor was thinking of
shutting down his window also, when
the blonde girl reappeared holding a
ball of string in her hand. Catch
this" she called, and tossed it across
TO him. He caught il, and noted that
her voice was pleasant, also that there
was hairpin cunningly bent into a
hook at the end of the string Then
he began to fish for his hat.
Four or five times he cast and
missed, and there came ripples of mu-
sieaA laughter from the bindery win
dow. Once their eyes fairly met, and
1t was good. Then the hook caught
and slipped, caught again and held
and was drawn up with quick jerk
into the print shop. The compositor
tossed back the ball, but he kept the
hairpin, which circumstance the
blonde girl perhaps failed to notice.
All he said was: I'm much obliged"
She said: You're welcome" and she
said it very prettily.
The press boy has discovered that
the compositor went walking in the
park with the blonde girl the follow
ing Sunday afternoon.-Chicago Rec
ord.