Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1878-07-25

the day had fairly begtn:
"1'm 80 glad it's fine weather jane;''
said nlatnma, with great utbanity of tone
and manner: II thought I'D get UP ear
ly, so that you could reach the Church in
sedson; ana I wouldn't waste any flowers
in the house, dear--I'd Keep them all for
your table,"
;sYou Know ver5 we'll, mamma" 1 re-
piled, "that I'm not going to, have a
table. I've seryedmy apprenticeship at
tables. Long ago, when I was young
and fair, I wore white, with my hair
curling about my shoulders, and had the
flower table, and enjoyed it. Later On,
put my hair up, and had g fancy table,
and endured It With great resignation
Last Heaf bag tecoHrsc to switch to
exc out ny scanty locks, and was COM
ne1led reluctantly to take the post-otfice.
This year I shan't have any thing; in
TACT, mamma, I'm not going to the festi-
val"
Mamma put down her bit of toast, and
turned absolutely pale.
mot, going to the feitival" she echoed,
mournfully.
mo, mamma" I said, beginning al
IT ady to plead my case: "Can't have one
years old t9.dq$."
"0h, hush, Jane" said lily poor mother.
"You scream so; the II 1ntefs next door
will hear you and blurt, it all over the
place. I'm not deaf If you choose to
give up all chance of--of society, and
neglect your Christmas duties, and re-
fuse to help the church along, why, of
course, I have nothing to say, only I
must in that case go myself
"You!' cried, "You'll be sick for a
month afterward; you haven't been able
to do anything of the kind for years."
IT know it, Jane; bit il, you refuse to
do these things; must: know I shall
lie protested with the heart, and my
nerves will be shattered, and you are
young and Strong, and still attractive
enough to compete with any young
lady in the place, and might, verify be-
lieve, if you were not so obstinate and
headstrong, be surrounded and admired
as you used to be, and ynu might, for my
sake, Jane, at least attend these little
entertainments"
Mamma put her handkerchief to her
eyes, and I yielded; groatied iii flesh
and iii spirit; bat yielded.
After I had tidied UP the work and
settled mamma in the cool shady sitting
room, upon her tavorite lounge, with a
nice book at her hand, and u palm leaf
fan close by-for the day was growing
hot-I twisted up my hair before the
glass, with many sour knocking griinace
at the dark, thin discontented face there
in, put on an ugly brown linen dress, a
calabash of hat, and went off to the
church.
Ny mother looked after me with such
misery in her face that called back to
her I would *eat something nice in the
; t'Will you wear your rose colored
crape3" pleaded MAMMA. g E 49,
"Will I wear spangles, and jump
through hoop?" said. "No mamma
I'll wear tiny black silk"
And curl your heir?" she coaxed.
"Thete's whole switch already curled
for me in the bureau drawer" replied.
"It's nice this hot weather to have very
little hair of ones own!'
Don't scream SOL" said poor mother,
looking toward the Hunters side win
dows. : - ,
As If tbe Hunters didn't know all
about my failing char ms, and no doubt
took an inventory of them half yearly to
send abroad to the eldest son, who had
been away in 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. I had
the old letter yet in secret recess of that
same old bureau, where lay the CONVEX
lent switch of hair.
Time was when needed no curls shOrn
from maidens across the seas or manufac-
tured from home material. y had plenty
#, my own. Jack Hunter cut one Of
them off with his penknife that night
when we parted.
- don't Know" he said savagely,
whether I most hate you or love you !;
but I'll keep this to remember the girl
who flirted and fooled away the truest
affection a man ever had for woman
He hacked the curl from my head with
his penknife, and looked at me as If he
was half tempted to do me further butch
cry; And God knows I didn't care then
if he had drawn the knife across my
throat: should not have resisted him
"Don't 60, Jack!" I~cried out at last,
holding the edge of his coat. "Don't 90,
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, I'll begin, with a little
pick and shovel as soon as we get news
of your arrival. Then you can begin on
your side, and we'll meet each other
halfway"
He flung me from HIM with something
like an oattl. You would joke and
laugh over my grave, :, he said, and went
away, NOT to come back again. '"2 T'' $
Who would have believed iii possible2s
That the years could come and 90, the
sweet summers bloom and fade, the heart
of the roses lose strength and fail and
fail away, to come agains as sweet, as
strong, as fresh as ever. and Jack, mr.
Jack, never come back to me2 Yet he
was not dead wed. That was,Npne
good thing. And he was out there
among thoseT women With narrow eyes,
and stinted feet, and he didn't as yet
know one word, OF the. Language. He
was growing fat, he wrote home to his
people next door, end bald which didn't