American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-07-27

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"Aud curl your hairP" she coaxed.
"There's a whole switch already curl
ed for me up in my bureau drawer" 1
replied. "It's nice this hot weather to
have very little hair of ones own!"
"Don't scream SOL" said poor mother,
looking towards the Hunters side-win-
dows.
As if the Hunters didn't know all
about my failing charms, and no doubt
took an INVENTOR; " them half yearly to
send aJroad to thu eldest Son, who had
/ been away IA China these five years and
more, and would likely never come back
again. At least he had written to me
to that effect when he went away. had
the old letter yet In secret recess OF
that same old bureau where lay the con-
venient switch of hair.
Time was when needed no curls
shorn from maidens across the seas or
manufactured from home material l
had plenty of my own. Jack Hunter
cut one of them off with his penknifo
that night when we parted.
81 don't KNOW" he said, savagely,
''whe.her most hate you or love you !;
but I'll keep this to remember the girl
who fiirted and fooled away the truest
affection q man ever had for woman"
Hehacked the curl from my head
with his pen-knife, and looked at me as
if he was half tempted to do me further
butchery; and God knows didn't care
then if he had drawn the knife across
my throat; should not have resisted
him.
"Don't go, Jack!" I cried out at
last, holding the edge of his coat.
''Don't 60, anyway, SO far as China; if
you do, shall commence to dig a hole
when you get there. They say that
China is right under us, and III begin
with little pick and shovel as soon as
we get news of your arrival. Then you
can begin on your side, and wen meet
each other half way"
He flung me from him with something
like an oath. "You would joke and
laugh over my grave" he said, and
went away, not to come back again.
Who would have believed it possiblep
That the years could come and 20, the
sweet summers bloom and fade, the
heart of roses lose strength and fail and
Fall away, to come again as sweet, as
strong, as fresh as ever, and Jack, my
Jack, never come back to me? Yet he
was not dead-nor wed. That was one
good thing. And he was out there
among those women with narrow eyes
and stinted feet, and he didn't as yet
know word of the language. He was
growing fat, he wrote home to his peo-
pie next door, and bald, which didn't
matter on the top of his head so long rs
he could keep enough to cultivate a pig
tail. This was necessary, as he meant
to set up for q Chinese mandarin, and
was already embroidering a gown for
the purpose on spare nights. And 1
felt, when they read me the letter, that
it was Jacks turn now to make merry,
when other hearts were sick and sad.
If he had only sent me one little line!
He showrred gifts upon other people
chests of tea and parcels of silk, lovely
bits of decorated china, big soft beauti-
full shawls of Grape. He sent gew-gaws
and gold to so many others; if he had
only given me one little wordi
They must have told him I had been
sorely punished; that my mischievous
gayety he had whitfield out like the flame
of 3 candle; that even the beauty of
which he had been so proud and fond,
was gone-every bit of it gone. Sleep
less nights and useless repinings, long
wearisome days, endless years filed
with wild yearning for that which SEEM
ed forever hopeless, had robbed me of
all. The old bloom of the heart took
with it the crimson cheek, the laughing
eye, and the light, elastic step. Even
my hair fell out. Alas! poor me, the
desh fell from my bones. As limited
before, it WAS not a very alluring object
that greeted me in the glass on the
morning of my twenty-seventh birth
day. "Aroint thee, witchi" I 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 1 put on
my ugly brown dress, and tbs hideous
bonnet to match, and went off to the
church, pausing at the portal to look
longingly over at the cool, quiet graves
of some 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 srtevei
The Yea of heaven is Yea," I said,
and went on into the church, where the
ladies were grouped around the straw
berries that had just arrived. 1 took
possession of a whole crate of these,
sending the young and pretty maidens
home to recruit for the evening.
There were few faint, polite ren,on.
strances when refused to take any ac-
tive part in the evenings entertainment.
"We must leave that part to the young
and attractive" said, and there was
general buzz of acquiescence. had the
consolation of hearing several remarks
upon my extraordinary good sense and
practical capability.
1 was graciously allowed, after had
hulled whole crate of strawberries, to
hold a stepiadder and some nails for
Mrs. Smith, the apothecary's wife,
while she hung some gorgeous drapery,
and otherwise deformed the cool gray
walls of our little chapel, SO that 1 was
pretty well tired when went home at