The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-01-02


| satin, as naughty as a queen.
"Creecher, "she says, ''are you CreecherP
Don't speak, but listen to what tell you.
A lady has had an accident-has been
severely burned. Remedies have been
applied-plasters, what not Her hair"
81 understand. my lady; you want me
to take it off I'll do it in u iiffy, if you'll
lend me one of 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 |, pulling 'em out,
"because, as luck would have it, I'd Just
| cut chaps hair as was going to fight
next"
.Silence !" she says "Creecher !" look
ing at me quite disgusted; and beckoning
the girl, she said, Take the fire shovel
and throw them things away"
But | wasn't going to lose a good set OF
tools, so l clasl 'em into my pocket, and
buttons up my coat, and says |, Now
your ladyship."
| And she says, 'Amelia throw something
| over the wretch"
And with that Amelia brought white
gown with sleeves, which smelt as beauti-
| tul as a nosegay and wraps me up in it
| and | caught glimpse of myself in the
glass, and. thinks |, you might take me
| tor parson when he's agate at the seven
commandments
| "Now," she says, ''Creecher hold your
tongue and listen to me, Whatever hap
pens, she must not lose her hair; you un-
derstand, it must be saved at all hazards.
Now come and do your duty"
| Eh but it were pitiful to see the poor
lassie, half sitting, half lying in a thing
atween an easy chair and a couch. AL
her face was covered over but her eyes
and they seemed to burn. Such sad, pitt
full eyes Inever saw before or since. She
had beautiful long hair that came down
TO her knees almost; but eh it were in a
tangle, all knotted, and twisted, anC
! raventd togerner with th" -nnssos and
poultices, and all kinds of things they'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.
My lady" says |, sit would take
twelve hours hard work, without stop
ping, to untwist all that hair
''Well, them" says she to me, "why
don't you begin 2'
But says |, your ladyship, do you
know what twelve hours is, sitting NJ
with man pulling away at your tangled
hairs9 Why, my lady," says, Il don't
think as &C uld stand the Job, as am hale
and well and as for the poor young lady
there. why. bless my heart it would kill
her :"
But her ladyship took no notice of me-
''Well," she says to the young lassie
''you hear what he says; are you ready to
begin ?"
And the lassie gave little sigh, a heart
breaking little sigh, and she says in a
feeble little voice, $50 on.''
But" says |, for | wanted to have an
excuse to be off the Job, Il wouldn't do
il under hundredvpounds"
''Ohn ~ says She, >'then you shall have
hundred guineas."
That was temptation, mind you, to Il
chap as wasn't much before hand in the
world, and hadn't ever had 50 much as ten
pounds in his pocket at once in all his life.
But was sorry took the job after all.
81 mum have my supper" says |, 'lirst,
and think about it. ,... ,..,, % INC n,;,lu !;
land order up Il tray
And q bang-up supper had in the little
sitting ROOM a chicken and champagne,
and what they call Il cure-or-so, out of IL
brown jug; | didn't think much OF that !;
and I'd sooner call it kill-or-so, if | were
giving it name, for ell it did make my
head sing above q bit, and only took
about a gill of it, 20 see what 1t We're like.
Well, when I'd done my supper, were
taken into the young lady's room, and be-
gan the Job. | took it up bit by bit, wash
ed it in spirits of wine, combed it out hair
by hair, and 50 | went on hour by hour.
bor {, - l,,t al
hard work. She seemed to doze u bit, the
poor lass, ever and again; but work as
gently as | would, it must have given her
a deal of pain. She'd sigh a little now
and then, and give little soft moan
sometimes; but eh she bore it all, all her
WEAKNESS and pain, for all the suffering
and trouble that We're 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 off to
her comfortable bed, | suppose and 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
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 lassie seemed to grow weaker
and weaker, and then a big awful fear
came into my throat. She were dying un-
der my hands.
Conscience says to me "Joshua ~ says
she you're killing that nice fine young
gal-you're killing her for Il hundred
guineas." "Hold thy tongue" l 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 it
| were no use. Conscience has at me again
| Joshua" she says, Its you who are
killing the poor lassie. If you were not
at the job they could get no one else to
do it. Joshua throw thy comb and scissors
into the fire.
"Am dommed if l don't, too y says l,
quite sudden-like, and | pitches my things
into the fireplace with a clatter, as
thought, to wake up the maid but she
slept too sound. There goes hundred
guineas,' says l. But now ye should have
seen the look as crept over the lassie's face
when she saw what | were about. Hel
great eyes softened and filled with tears,
and she put out little white hand out OF
the wraps, and | took it in mine, and says
l, "My dear, do you care so much about
your hair that you'd lose the beautiful life
God Almighty has given you, and the
sweet bright days that may follow?'
"Oh!" but she says, "mother."
| "Mother be -! Eh. I'm afeared
said bad word there. Do you care ?" says
l, just like that.
And she shook her head. Well, pick.
ed up my scissors again, and in a jiffy al
the beautiful hair was lying on the floor
and the poor head was dressed with soft
dressing, and l walked the maid and had
her missis put to bed, right and tight, anG
then | gave her d kiss-yes, by -, !
did. l, Joshua Creecher, kissed the lady
Felicia Felixstow, ay, and I says, Goo
bless her, as if I'd been her father And
she called me as l was gong away, and
she says, in little whisper:
'I've got no money take the hair"
The maid let me out by the back stair
case without anybody hearing u.s. and
away l went right over hill and dale, as
tired and as happy as man could be
But 1 were sorry about the hundred
guineas, too.
Well. it were about six months after