The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-12-16
Hodges Roof Garden
Rhapsody
BY JOHN H. RAFTERY.


]. Dillingham; Hodges mind was
made up. Mn. Lunetta, the clairvoy-
ant, had told him that he would make
his fortune through Cupid, and there 1
fore he buckled down to the business
of winning his way. he had reached /
that age when his complexion worried |
him. Nature had not done much for I
him, and therefore he began to heed |
those arts which are supposed to make |
the old young and the young mature.
He had begun to shave, but the hirsute
results were as yet hardly tangible.
Then there were those disfguring
pinplesi Nothing seemed TO quite
reache them. He spent good part of
his sa.ary buying hair growers and der
matological cure-alis, hoping against
hope that soon the day would come
when he would sally forth with waxed
mustaehios and an Incompatible com
plexion to win the heiress.
No matter how gayly he attired his
gangling form, the girls, or at least
the desirable, well-groomed, knowing
ones, never gave him second glance.
He followed the fashions as closely as
an S1S-a-week clerk can follow them.
but it was no go. He couldn't win"
anybody on his looks. The big bows
| in his low-quarter shoes and the drop
! stitch socks of vocal designs didn't
help him at all. He began to think
that ne was foreordained to failure
and that, being doomed to loyeless
| life. lie must be a genius. Then he
began to write "poems" about the
moon and let his hair grow down over
ais raglan.
He was well launched on this phase
of his decline when he met her. He
was coming uptown on Cottage
Grove avenue car when he noticed
standing on the back platform the one
girl. She wore a maroon automobile
a Gainsborough hat, diaphanous veil
so palely blue that it glorified the
wonderful beauty of her face, white
gloves and a lot of other things that J.
Dillingham; couldn't name, but which
exhaled wondrous perfume and fut-
tered in the evening breeze like an
angels wings.
AS he looked at her she seemed to
regard him with a lingering interest.
'Aha," though j. Dillingham;. AT
. last I am discovered! Now, indeed, ]
know what love at first sight is"
He began to hope that the train
would collide with something so that
/: he could rescue her. He speculateC
upon the possible conduct of her ricl
father when they should arrive at the
; mansion, whether he might offer 9
mere pecuniary reward and how he, j
: Dillingham; Hodge, having deposited ;
/. fainting girl upon the $500 dfvan
|. would spurn her fathers gold and de
J. mand his daughters hand. When sh,
signaled the conductor to stop j. Dill
:. bingham sprang to his feet and bea
: her to the car step. He wanted t,
]. make sure that nobody jostIed her, bu
Z the best he could do was to glare at
z cab driver whose vehicle came rattlin
3: along a hundred feet away.
: Then, like some errant knight of ole
y he determined to follow her like
guardian spirit, unseen but ever pre-:
ent, ready at a moments warning t
rush to her rescue. She seemed to fiji
81 along the sidewalk, so nimble was he
q graceful stride, and before Hodge rea
y lied that he had followed her tw
81 blocks he found himself close at he
81 dainty, military heels as she luttere
z into the elevator of the Masonic Ten
q pie and coyly gurgIed: top foo
81 please"
81 "Joy. JOY" murmured ]. Dilinl
q ham, fumbling the Sc that lay in h
~ trousers pocket. "oh, joy! AT lea'
81 1 can sit and watch her divine faC
. till the show is over"
But he was destined to yet create
~ happiness. She had no soon,
81 reached the roof garden door tina
Fl she began to tumble in her purse.
y pretty frown fretted her beautif
~ brow; she stamped her little TO,
81 fiercely on the tiles, bit her lip al
~ snapped:
II Left it at homel How stupid"
~ She was talking to herself, but N
81 Hodge heard her, and, with rec
~ Iessness that brought his hea
- humping against his wisdom teet
~ he accosted her with:
~ 81 beg your pardon, madame, but
~ see you have forgotten your tick
and perhaps your money. May
~ have the honor of getting one +
~ your"
~ 1t was an audacious move, but 4
81 ardent Hodges narrow chest heav
w with conscious pride as he saw t
~ demure smile of appreciation a
S@ even admiration that spread benea
* her veil like a halo of warm light.
W "Oh, thank you," she cooed, rea
~ ing his card while he bought tickle
N for two. a.