The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-23

Il
possible to get even the most pOorly-paid
work."
| Flora's lip quivered; she had never
seen poverty in this ghastly guise before.
"Oh, if l only could help you" she
sighed.
ut would kill Clement to be moved" !"
sobbed Lizzy. "If could but obtain
the three dollars / would not care for
aught elsep'
As Flora bent over her cousin one
shining braid of glossy golden hair be
came detached from its fastening and
fell from beneath her bonnet. She put
up her hair mechanically to replace it,
and at that moment she remembered
Mr.. Macassar's words.
"Lizzy," she exclaimed, impetuously,
"Wait few minutes and you shall have
the money. will be back in half an
hour"
And she hurried away with crimson
cheeks and sparkling eyes.
Mr.. Macassar was lounging over a
newspaper when Miss Montagu entered
his luxurious room second time.
"Sir," she said, advancing close to the
counter, and speaking in a tremulous
tone, Il have concluded to have my hair
cut off; will you give me three dollars
for it2"
The spruce coifeur started. Was Miss
Montagu in earnest, or was this only a
Ijest7
"Why do you not answer mer' she
asked, sharply.
Certainly, Miss Montagu," STAN
mered the hair-dresser, recovering his
tongue, II shall be most happy, if you
wish it. Please to step into the back
room, and Francois shall attend you in q
minute"
Poor Flora! Never had her golden
waves of hair seemed half 50 lovely and
lustrous as they did at the moment that
the deft fingers of Francois unbraided
them and passed the cruel, cleaning
scissors among the bright strands. And
when at length Mr.. Macassar, with po-
lite alacrity, presented her with bank
note, the big "3'' might as well have
been in Egyptian hieroglyphic for that
her tear-swimming eyes could decipher
it.
She carried the money to Lizzy, and
then, woman-like, went home, looked i'll
the glass, and cried heartily.
For she had been passing proud of
those pale-brown tresses, threaded with
gold and blending into auburn lights at
every turn of her dainty head. And now
they are all gone-all gone!
"Who is that pretty girl just coming
in the room, in the white GRAPE, with
blue forget-me-nots in her hair, and the
little, short dancing curls, like bits of
coiled sunshine, round her head?' The
speaker was an acknowledgement young
man, who stood, with gold-mounted
opera-glass at his eyes, in Mrs. Warren
er's brilliantly-lighted salons At this
side stood tall, foreign-looking gentle
man, with large black eyes and a some.
what naughty, although handsome face.
He had bent eagerly forward at his COM
panion's words.
1T can't be possible" he exclaimed
"And yeti is-Miss Montagu"
"Faith, Gilroy, you're right" ejacu-
lated young Mauvers, Flora Montagu,
and none elsel But what on earth has
the bewitching little fairy done with that
glorious hair of her'sw
II do not think" said Gilroy, con-
tracing his grave eyebrows, "that Miss
Montagu is one to enslave herself to all
the idle freaks of the reigning mode"
-"I know that you are sworn adrnirel
of the young lady, Gilroy, returned his
companion, laughing; "but all women
are alike" .....
"All women are alikep The words
fell like molten iron on Clarence Gil
rey's heart. Was it indeed 90? Hac
the idle dream that Flora was better anC
ncbler than the rest of her sex provee
but vanishing deusion after all? He
J remembered tine words he had heard hel
speak but - evening or two before:
, Nothing shall ever induce me to have
my hair cut off in the absurd way tina
people call fashionablel'
She had not scrupled to perjure her.
self, then; she was unthinking and fri
volous as the idlest butterfly that eve
futtered in the flower gardens ofsociety
He turned away, silently; and wher
Flora Montsgu's innocent, violet-blue eye
were smiingly toward his face, they en-
countered cold, repellant gaze that the
fair young g.rl was unable entirely tt
r comprehend. t....
The spray of blue froget-menots hat
fallen from Miss Montagu's hair, and sh'
: had gone into the comparative solitude
of the conservatory, with saucy Nell.
: Hyde, to re-arrange them. One chande
| lier alone diffused it's luster sof
from crimson-tinted glass, AMI
t the two girls stood di-rectl.
: beneath its pink glow, all uncon
scious that Clarence Gilroy was lean
5 ing against the further door, few step
beyond in the shadow Of a blossomin
' tropical vine, whose fiery scarlet star
almost touched his forehead.
"Do you know, Flora," said Nelly, a
!. she adjusted the truant flowers, AM
stepped backward to observe the genera
|. effect, "that everybody is WONDERING
!. what in the world possessed YOU to Gu