Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1872-11-28

go uoWn 10 lne worms, Wncn II might De
going en- ENJOYING itself atop of some
other young woman's head-ah, and |
could tell you a tale or two about that.
But it wasn't a job of that kind l found,
as | heard somebody moving in the next
room, and such a soft little moan, as it
went to my heart TO hear it-ay, lad. And
then somebody came out-e tall, splendid
lady, dressedin black satin, as naughty as
a queen.
"~Creecher," she says, "are you
Creechcr? Don't speak, but listen to
wha; / tell you. A lady has had an acct
dent--has been severely bruised. Rene
dies have been applled-plasters,' what
not. Her hair"
II understand, my lady you want me
to take it off. I'll do it in a jify, if you1l
lend me His Lordship's razors, for ! was
that hurried when | came away | left
mine behind me. I've got my scissors
and comb. my lady" says l, pulling them
| out, because, as good luck would havei it,
I'd just cut a chaps hair as was going to
fight next"
"Silence," she says, "~Creecher," look,
ing at me quite disguised; and reckoning
the girl, she says: Take the fre.shovel,
and throw them things away" But I
wasn't going to lose a good set of tools,
so | Chaps 'em into my pocket, and but
tons up my coat, and says |; Now,
your Ladyship." And she says: "Amelie,
throw something over the wretch" And
with that Amelie brought a white gown
with sleeves, as smelt as beautiful as u
nosegay, and she wraps me up in it, and
| caught a sight of myself in the glass,
and, thinks /, you might take me for a
parson when he's agate at the seven COM
mandments.
Now" she says, "Creecher, hold
your tongue, and listen to me. What.
ever happens, she must not lose her hair;
you understand it must be saved at all
haza IDS. Now come, and do your duty"
Eli, but it were pitiful to see the poor
lassie, half sitting, half lying, in a thing
atween al easy-chair and a couch. All
her face WAS covered over but her eyes,
and they seemed to burn. Such sad,
beautiful eyes | never saw before nor
since. She'd had beautiful long hair that
came down to her knees Almost; but eh,
it were in a tangle, all knotted, and twist
ed, and raveled together with the rleshcs
and poultices, and all kinds of things
they'd put on her head. No, there wasn't
a thread of itanywhere that wasn't bound
up anu LWlSlcu. ven l. lDuhtu III lt anu
shook my head.
"Ny LADY, says |, "it would take me
twelve hours hard work, without stop
ping, to untwist all that hair"
"Woll, then" she says to me, ''why
don't you begin?"
But" says |, ''your ladyship, do you
know what twelve hours is, sitting up
with q man pulling away at your tangled
l,S-rg lEh. 500, l,Ir, ~ ,,s at ,l,y'.
think as | could stand the job, as IN hale
and well; and as for the poor young lady
there, why, bless your heart, it wouldkill
her.
But her ladyship took no notice of me.
"Wcll," she says to the young %lassic,
you hear what he says; are you ready to
begin?"
And the lassie gave a little sigh, a heart
breaking little sigh, and she says, in d
feeble voice: go on"
But" says I, for l wanted to have an
excuse to be off the Job, II wouldn't do
it under a hundred pounds"
"Oh," says she, then you shall have a
hundred guineas."
That was a temptation, mind you, to a
chap as wasn't much beforehand in the
world, and hadn't ever had so much Us
ten pounds in his pocket at once in all
his life. But | was sorry | took the job
after all.
II mum have my supper" l says, first,
and think about it
"Rine, Amelie," she says, to the maid,
land order up a tray
And a bang-up supper I had in the lit.
tie sitting room; a chicken and cham
payne, and what they call a Curc-or-so,
out of a brown jug; but | didn't think
much o that; and I'd ooncr call it kill
/ or.so, if | were giving 1t a name, for eli,
it did make my head sing above II bit,
and | only took a gill of it to see what it
were like.
Well, when I'd done my supper, | were
taken into the young lady's room. and |
began the job. | took it up bit by bit,
washed it in spirits of wine, combed it
out hair by hair, and 50 ! went on hour
by hour. There was nought for it but
patience and hard work. She seemed to
dozc o bit, the poor lass, ever and again;
but work as gently as ! would, il must
have given her a deal of pain. Shed sigh
3 little now and then, and give a little soft
moan sometimes; but Ell, she bore it Nil,
all her wearines and pain, for all the suf-
tering and trouble that were in her eyes
she bore it like an angel from heaven.
The old woman sat beside Us for an hour,
till she got so sleepy she couldn't keep
her eyes open; and then she beckOAs to
the maid TO ON and sit in her place,
and she goes of to her comfortable bed,
! suppose; ana by-and by the maid goes
fast asleep, and everything seemed asleep
but me and the lassie. There wasn't
a sound but the wind ~sOugbing among
4 fine trees outside. and the murmur of the
river falling over the weir.
Well, the Job went on, and still as |
went on the lassic seemed to grow ,reaker
came into my throat. ahe was dying
under my hands.
Conscience says to me; Joshua says
she, you're killing that nice fine young
gal; you're killing her for q hundred
"Tt's no such thing, It's her mothers
mother, her breast are as hard rs
adamant," But it were no use. Con
science has at me again. "Joshua!' She
says, cts you who are killing the poor
lassie. If you were not at the job, they
could get nobody else to do it, Joshua
throw thy comb and scissors into the
fire.
"A'm dommed if I don't too" says J.,
quite sud len like, and l pitches my
things into the fireplace with q CHATTER as
| thought'd wake up the maid, but she
slept too sound. There goes a hundred
guineas,' says !. But now yc should
la seen the look as crept over the ~lassic's
face when She saw what | wee about,
Her rleat eyes softened and filed with