River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-01-10

7 8LAttu al EdHy CildlI anu u GUuCu. All
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 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
10 untwist that hair"
"Well, then" says she to me, "why
don't you begin ?"
But" says /, "your ladyship, do you
know what twelve hours is, sitting up with
man pulling away at your tangled
hairs Why my lady," | Gays, al 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 not take any notice
OF me.
"Well," 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 a
feeble little voice, Go on"
"But," says |, for / wanted an excuse
to be of the job, al wouldn't do it under
hundred pounds"
"0h p says she, "then you shall have a
hundred guineas"
That was temptation, mind you, to a
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
" | mum have my supper, Says l, " first
and think aboutit."
L" Ring, Amelia" she said to the maid
"and order up tray"
And bang.up supper ! had in the lit
tie sitting room; chicken ana chaD,-
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 name, for eh 1t did
make my head sing above a 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. l 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
and hard work. She seemed to doze a
bit, the poor lass ever and again; but
work as gently as | would, it must have
given her deal of pain. She'd sigh
little now and then, and give a little soft
moan sometimes: but chi 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 of to her comfortable bed, sup
pose but very soon the maid goes fast
asleep, and everything seemed asleep but
me and the lassie. There wasn't a sound
but the wind sougbing 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 lassie seemed to grow weaker
and weaker, and then a big awful fear
came into my throat. She was dying I'M
der my hands.
Conscience says to me "JOshua p says
she "you're killing that nice fine young
sal-you're killing Ter for a hundred
guineas.0 "Hold thy tongue" | says,D
it's no such thing, It's her mothers do
ings," says |. " II she be her mother,
her breasts are as hard as adamant.n But
were no use. Conscience was at me
again. "Joshua" she says, "it's you
who are killing the poor lassie. If you
were not at the job they could get no one
else to doit. 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 clatter, as | thought,
to wake up the maid, but she slept too
sound. "There goes hundred guineas,"
says |. But now you should have seen
the look that came over the lassies face
when she saw what Iwere about. Her
great eyes softened and filled with tears
and she put out a 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 2"
"Ohl" but she says, mother"
Smother be-! Eth, Pm afeared
said bad word there, Do you care9' says
|, Just like that.
And she shook her head. Wen, pick
ed up my scissors again, and in iify all
tie beautiful hair was lying on the floor
and the POOR head was dressed with soft
dressing, and | walked the maid and had
her mistress put TO bed, right and tight,
and then gave her kiss yes, by,
did. ! Joshua Creecher. kissed the lady