The Osceola times., 1878-08-24


more, and would likely never come bacl
again. At least he had written to me II
that effect when he went away. l had
the old letter yet in a secret recess o.
that same old bureau where lay the con.
venient switch Of hair.
Time was when / needed no CURL
shorn from maidens across the seas OF
manufactured from home material.
had plenty Of my own. Jack Hunter
cut one Of them of with his penknife
that night when we parted.
az don't Know" said he, savagely
whether most hate you or love you
but I'll keep this to remember the girl
who firted and fooled away the truest
affection man ever had for q woman. y
He cut the curl from my head with
his penknife, and looked at me as II he
WAS halt tempted to do me further
butchery ; and God knows didn't care
then II he had drawn the knife ACROSS
NV throat; / should not have resisted
him.
Don't 20, Jackl" l cried out at last,
holding the edge of his coat. "Dor't
go, anyway SO far as China II you do,
shall commence to dig a hole when you
get there. They say that China is right
under US, and I'll begin with little pick
and shovel as seon as we get news Of your
arrival. Then you can begin on your
side and we'll meet each other half way" 4"
He flung me frem him with something
like an oath. "You would Joke and
laugh over my grave" he sid, and went
away. not to come back again.
Who would have believed ii possible
That the years would come and ago, the
sweet summers bloom and fade, the
heart of the roses lose strength and fail
and fall away, to come again as strong,
as fresh as ever, and Jack, my Jack,
never come back to ne9 Yet he was not
dead-nor wed. That was one good
thing And he was out there among
these women with narrow eyes and
stinted feet, and he didn't as yet know q
word of the language. He was growing
fat, he wrote home to his people next
door, and bald, which didn't matter on
the top Of his head 10 long as he could
keep enough to cultivate a pig.tail
This was necessary, as he meant to set
up for a Chinese mandarin, and was
already embroidering gown for the
purpose on spare nights. And / felt,
when they read me the letter, that II
was Jacks turn now to make merry,
when other hearts were sick and sad.
II he had only sent me one little line |!
He showered gifts upon other people
chests OF tea and parcels Of silk, lovely
bits of decorated china, big soft beautiful
shawls of Grape. He sent gewgaws and
gold to 80 many others; il he had only
given one little word
They must have told him I had been
sorely punished that my mischievous
gay ETY. had whitfield out like the fame
of candle that even the beauty ot
which he had been 10 proud and fond
was gone-every bit of 1t gone. Sleep.
less nights and useless repinings, long,
wearisOme days, endless years filed with
wild yearnings for that which seemed
forever hopeless, had robbed me of all.
The old bloom of the heart took with il
the crimson cheek, the laughing eye, and
the light, elastic step, Even my hair
fell out. Alas poor me, the flesh fell
from my bones As hinted before, it
was not a very alluring object that
greeted ME In the glass on the morning
of my twenty-seventh birthday. "Aroint
thee, witch - ! cried, and wiped away
with the hand towel some salt tears that
fell upon the dimity bureau cover, and
upon the grave of sad, sweet memories
Then put on my ugly brown dress, aud
the hideous bonnet to match, and went
off to the church, pausing at the portal
to look longingly at the cool, quiet
graves of our old neighbors. A soft
wind stirred the long grass there; a few
birds hoped lightly and fearlessly
about.
"How calmly. calmly smile the dead
Who do not therefore grievei"
The Yea Of heaven is Yes," said, ,
and went on into the church where the
ladies were grouped around the straw
berries that had just arrived. l took
possession of whole crate of these,
sending the young and pretty maidens
home to recruit Tor the evening.
There were few faint, polite remOn-
strances when | declined TO take any
active part in the evenings entertain.
ment. We must leave that part to
the young and attractiye,"I said, and
there was general buzz of acquiesence.
| had the consolation of hearing several
remarks upon my extraordinary good
sense and practical cspability.
was graciously ollowed, after | had
hulled whole crate of strawberries, to
hold a step.lsdder and some nails for
Mrs Smith, the apothecsry's wife, while
she hung some gorgeous drapery, and
otherwise de'ormed the cool gray walls
of our chapel, so that was pretty well
tired when I went home at nightfail.
Mamma met me at the gate, and looked
at me so dolefully that / burst out
laughing,
"Never mind, mamma" said |, 81
won't look 10 cadavorous after Pm rested
and dressed for the evening"
But I'm afraid was rather q painful
object for the gaze Of dcting and once
ambitious mother when had donned my
black silk, and was ready for the even.
ing. Ny hair was neither crimped nor
curled. Yeu see, I had depended upon
the switch, which was bought for pur.
poses Of that kind, and 1t failed me igno-
minously at the last moment. My head
ached, and / could not bear many hair
pins thrust into my scalp; in no other
way would the obstinate thing be In.
duced to stay on. Mamma was heart
broken, and ] was perverse at times
thought perhaps t e switch was grieving
over a beloved and lost head OF which It
was once part and parcel, and fergave
it, and left it TO its perverseness from
that time onward.
When reached the church was inn
mediately seized upon for something
they called the grocery counter-an In
novstion brought about by the advent
Of a well-to do grocer in our midst, Z