Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-02-27
HER BEAUTIFUL HAIR.
How a Pennsylvania Golfers Wife Lost
Her Golden Tresses.

Hopewell Letter to the Reading Pa.) Eagle.l
A very sad event took place in the
family of Jesse Burden, an humble
collier, residing in the backwoods
about two miles from here, the partic-
ulars of which l have just learned.
" Several weeks ago." Mr.. Burden
says, a stranger came to my house in
the evening, about supper-time. He
was a well. dressed man, and | took
him to be an Israelite. He rode a
strong-looking sorrel horse, and his
bride had white ivory martingale
rings. He called me out of the house
and We walked to the front gate. He
first asked me whether my children
wanted their hair cut. | thought he
was a rather good blocking barber, and
| told him so, He replied he was not
a barber, but a hair merchant and was
out buying hair. | felt proud of my
wife's hair and | was foolish enough
to ask the stranger in the house
to look at it. My wife is a modest
woman, and at first she found
fault with my bringing the mar in. l
thought it was all right, and in my
%conceit | asked my wife to take down
her hair. Well, it was pretty, |
think the finest head of hair | ever
saw in my life. 1t was golden yellow,
as the saying is, Not sandy or haxen,
but a color just like gold. l was in
terested in hair and | have read a
good deal about the subject. l always
read that hair like my wife's was al
ways considered the most valuable.
My wife undid hers and it hung way
down below her waist. She could
easily sit on it, without bending much
either. The hair was very thick. |
never saw its equal. In summer she
had to suffer a great deal. 1t was so
hot that her head many times felt as
if a regular fever had set in. She
often threatened to cut it off. | said,
mo, Eliza, don't do that. | like that
hair, and it is my PRIDE She kept it
on for my sake, just to crafty my pride
and cOnceit. Finallysh thought ust as
| did and valued it equally highly. She
is a good woman to me, and | am a good
man to her. Well, the stranger looked
at the hair and said it was very nice.
He measured the back hair, and it
measured forty inches. You may not
believe it, but it is an actual fact,
forty inches full and plenty of it, The
stranger said that it was useless for a
housewife to wear so much hair, and
that some day it would make my wife
sick. He then made us an offer for
the hair. He actually offered my wife
5000 cash for it. That was a tempting
offer. | worked nearly a whole year
for that. The stranger said he would
return in a week, and left. When he
had gone we talked about it. My wife
said she was willing to do it, because
we were poor, and 5000 would pay
every cent of debt we had on our
house. | said no at first, but my wife
coaxed me and said that in a few years
time her hair would grow out again and
would be just as pretty as ever, 1t took
a great deal Of considering but finally
| said, All right if you think YOU
will never regret it and never be sorry,
why, go ahead Well, the agent
called and we had another talk. 1t
was about the money. He then
showed us the cash, all in new notes.
He then showed us gold, and told us
we could have our choice. | didn't
know much about gold, so / told him
| would be satisfied with the green
backs. He said, All right He
pulled out a pair Of scissors and then
counted down the money. Ny wife
put it in her pocket and then let down
her hair. / could not stay in the
house to see it cut. The children did
though. In less than half an hour the
hair was off. The stranger then rolled
it up nicely in a silk oilcloth and sat
down awhile. When / came in my
wife was crying. She had looked in
the looking-glass. | saw her and
felt pretty bad. The stranger said we
shouldn't take it so much to heart.
forgot TO tell you that the stranger