Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-01-09

her face was covered over but her eyes,
and they seemed to burn. Such sad, pitt
full eyes | never saw before nor since.
She'd had beautiful long hair, that came
down to her knees almost hut eh it were
in a tangle, all knotted and twisted, and
raveled together with the messes and
poultices; and all kinds of things tn ey'd
put on her head. No, there wasn't a
thread of it anywhere that wasn't bound
up and twisted. Well, looked at it and
| shook my head,
any LADY, says |, ." it would take
twelve hours hard work, without stopping
to untwist that hair"
"Well, them" says she to me, "why
don't you begin ~
But" says /, "your ladyship, do you
know what twelve hours is, sitting up with
u man pulling away at your tangled
hairs? Why my lady," / says, 81 don't
think as | could stand the job, as am hale
and we'll and as for the poor young lady
there, why, bless my heart, it would Kill
her,"
But her ladyship did hot take any notice
of me.
"Well,n she says to the young LADY,
you hear what he says; are you ready
to begin?"
And the lassie gave little sigh, heart
breaking little sigh, and she says in u
feeble little voice, +" Go on"
"But,D says /, for wanted an excuse
to be off the job, 81 wouldn't do 1t under
Il hundred pounds"
"OEm says she, "then you shall have
hundred guineas."
That was temptation, mind you, to
chap as wasn't much beforehand in the
world, and hadn't ever had so much as
ten pounds in his pocket at once in all his
life. But was sorry took the job after
all
81 nun have my supper" says l, first
and think aboutit."
Ring, Amelia" she said to the maid
and orderup a tray"
And bang-up supper had in the lit
tie sitting room; chicken ana cham
payne, and what they call cure. or-so,
out of a brown jug; / didn't think much
OF that and I'd sooner call it kill-or-so, if
| were giving it n name, for eh 1t did
make my head sing above bit, and |
only took about 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 i, up bit by bit,
washed it in spirits of wine, combed it out
hair by hair, and so ] went on from hour
by hour. There was nought but patience
u nd LaRI ,uprly Che can,oaI 20
bit, the poor lass ever and again but
work as gently as would, it must have
given her deal of pain. Sne'd sigh a
little now and then, and give a little soft
moan sometimes: but eh she bore it all
all her WEAKNESS and pain, for all the
suffering and trouble that were in her
eyes--she bore it like an angel from
heaven. The old woman sat beside us
till she got so sleepy she couldn't keep
her eyes open; and then she beckons to
the maid to come and sit in her place, and
she goes 5f to her comfortable bed, | sup
pose but very soon The maid goes fast
asleep, and everything seemed asleep but
me and he assie. There wasn't a sound
but the wind soughing in the trees outside,
and the murmur of the river falling over
the weir.
Well the job went on, and still as it
went on the iassie seemed to grow weaker
and weaker, and then big awful fear
came into my throat. She was dying I'M
der my hands
Conscience says to me Joshua !" says
she you're killing that nice fine young
gal you're killing Ter for hundred
guineas." "1old thy tongue" says
"it's no such thing, It's her mothers do
ings," says |. " If she be her mother,
her breasts are as hard as adamant.' But
t were no use. Conscience was at me
again. "Joshua ~ she says, otis you
who are killing the poor lassie. If you
were not at the job they could get no one
else to dot, Joshua, throw thy comb and
scissors into the fire"
Am doomed If don't. too" says |,
quite sudden-like, and pitches my things
INTO the fire with a clatter, as | thought,
to wake up The maid, but she slept too
sound. "Ihere goes hundred guineas,n
says |. But now you should have seen
the look that came oyer tie lassie's face
when she saw what lwere about. Her
great eyes soitened and filed with tears
and she put out u little white hand out o
the wraps, and / took il in mine, and says
!, My dear, do you care so much about
your hair that you'd loose the beautiful
life God Almighty has given you, and the
sweet bright days that may follow ~
"Oh@ but she says, smother
Mother boz Eli, Pm afeared
said bad word there, Do you care2' says
|, inst like that
And she shook her head. Well, | pick
ed up my scissors again, and ina iihy all
the beautiful hair was lying on the floor
aud the POOR head was dressed with u soft
dressing, and | walked the maid and had
her mistress put TO bed, right and tight,
nd thnn [ rnrn hnr ~ L. -. L.