The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-09
THE TRADE IN LOCKS.


ar tbo stRvacinthine locks alluded TO by Mil
ION and more especially of those borrowed
Soa5oos which women nowadays covet to that
Ioe,ree as TO make one think that, like Sam
son. all their power lay IN their halr.
Doos anv one believe that all that has been
-;tto,, ~ moralists. and censors, and medi-
wi ,oon to boot. during the past two or three
.Toors AGAINST the practice of wearing false
,bSt ali the horrible stories which have
i"n,, toId obout chignons being made from
hair cut from corpses or the terrible reyela-
tions that have been made respecting gre
parines" and other parasites, OF even tne
f5ocont threat of the Bishop of New Jersey not
90 Law his episcopal hands on the heads OF
,,oung ladies' who present themselves before
him 10 he confirmed in borrowed tresses, has
coused one false chignon, repentlr, cachetohe,
fete-et-D0ipt. or Alexander curl the less to be
worn The trade in hair is as hourishlng as
ever. and the choicer samples still command
exceptional prices. One OF the lar8eS', fa'ts
dealers still finds customers for his 6t0hde
1r6onf cbionon at 1900 francs, although silk
,,n+orFaifs are common enough In all the
aoooqe0entejfe shops for as little as ninety
Every one knows by this time that the bulk
of the false natural hair worn IN the BRUSH
Isles is imported from France, for with us the
very poorest never sell thelr hall' eAcepUinS
tbe cannv Scots. who supply the Paris market
With tbe best red and haxen hair. France, by
tbis time. must send us about 100000 annu-
allv. still what is this among the five million
women given to plating and tireing their
hair? Positively less than threepence per
head-a mere bagatelle for such astounding
results 1t is Brittany that sends the largest
supplies of human hair to the Paris market
USince the Roman conquest, writes Chateau
briand. 'the Gallo women have always sold
their blonde locks to deck brows less adorned
NV Breton compatriots still resign themselves
to be clipped on certain fair days, when they
exchange the natural covering of their heads
for an India handkerchief
Happening to alght on the above passage
in a volume of Chat Iubriands Memoirs,
which 1 found lying about the hotel at Com
bourg. where chan ed to be on the eve of
the 4th of September last,-the day of the
famous fair called the Angeyine, held, as
Chauteaubriand tells us, in 1.-THE meadow of
the lake, though the road to Rennes now
separates lake and meldOw,-l strolled IN the
direction Of the chateau of which and of the
gloomy life of its inmates Chateaubriand has
left us such vivid description, to see the
preparations for the mOwows fete. In the
meadow referred to, and along the high road
ad joining, l came upon sort of camp.
Carts and wagons half unloaded, horses
tethered to stakes fixed in the ground, canvas
tents and little booths in course of erection;
with hammers constantly rapping children
gambolling and squalling, Nld caldrons sus-
pended over cracking woodfres, steaming
and smoking. Among the objects that were
being unpackcd and piled up pell-mell on all
sides were an abundance Of common house
hold utensils, knives, pottery, wooden shoes, felt
hats, drapery goods, printed cottons, religious
trinkets, and cheap jewelry, but looked in
vain for the foulards and the corahs for which
the Breton girls bartered alike their fair and
raven locks with equal readiness.
Next day 1 visited the fair when the crowd
was at its height, and explored all the stalls
IN the meadow and by the roadside in vain
search after those shearers of young girls
tresses, respecting whom L felt some curiosity
since reading the foregoing passage in Cha
teaubrands Memoirs. Arrived at the out
skirts of the fair, at the wings of the specta-
Gle, in fact 1 noticed under wide-spreadlng
walnut tree, and partially hidden behind a
large crockery STALL as though the spot had
been selected as affording certain degree Of
privacy, a hooded cart half filled with pack
ages its shafts resting on the ground, and a
lean horse, fastened to one OF the spokes OF
the wheel, grazing beside it, The owner, a
little square-built, muscular man, about forty
years of age, seemingly half peasant halt
horse dealer, was sitting on one of the shafts
close to parcel of printed cotton goods. One
detected something of the rogue in the twin
ke of his insolent-looking eye, as, unfasten
ing small packet, he brought forth one 10y
one half a dozen showy-looking handker
chiefs, and expatiated on the particular beau
ties of each as he produced it to an old pea
SAINT woman, who held barefooted youn9
girl of twelve by the hand, whose 'catlole
had been removed, the better to display tn,
profusion of beautiful black hair which fell il
cascades to her waist AS l approached tn
group, 1 noticed that the man suddenly be
came silent, but heard the woman say
zone handkerchief is not enough for sucl
quantity of hair. The girl seemed to hav
no voice in the matter, so she contented her
self with regarding with covetous eyes tn
brilliant treasures displayed before her.
'sMy good soul, replied the dealer, in
coaxing tone, 81 really can't give more, or
should lose by it, for have already got NOR
black hair than L want. 1t is only light hal
that fetches any price nowadays still, as
promised you handkerchief, you shall hav
one. I'll not cry off the bargain. You l1no'
where to find me when you have made u
your mind
The old woman made no reply, but pro
ceeded to assist the child to do up her hail
rolling it, chignon fashion, inside her loos
''catiole." The pair then walked away, br
returned q moment after to accept th
dealers terms, who, without more ado, set
work. Seated upon threelegged stool, h
gripped as it were his victim, her hair a
hanging down between his knees In h
hand was pair of large open shears, whic
he pressed close to the girls head. ''Mol
sieur, cried she, 'you are hurting me- pra,
don't cut it all off; leave me one lock to taste
my comb to.
The dealer, however, was deaf to this so
of entreaty and with few snips of his lare
oo;eeoro cronpad the child'S head almo