Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-09-22
A. BEAN.

slowly grown. Il ne peop.e were quiet
fox who never hurried. So long as the
walls stood firm and strong. and it
rented to peaceful tenants who paid
their rent promptly, it never occurred
to the owner of the old hose TO tear it
down. There were two rooms ups airs
which were occupied by an old tailor,
and two rooms downstairs where A.
Bean lived and kept his shop.
On one side OF the shop were blocks
on which were all sorts of wigs, black,
brown and yellow. and one very funny
woolly wig for colored per on. In the
old showcase was every sort OF thing
made OF hair, that people ever put upon
Their heads On the opposite side of
the room was n long showcase i'm which
were pretty laces, real--not i'm tat on.
In the middle OF the room stood square
box stove. on the top of which was one
big griddle.
The top of the shop door was Of glass,
and across IL was painted i'm bla * let
ters "a. Bean" Whenever any one
opened that door n smart little bell
rang. when A. Bean would dart out of
the back room, which was ut once a bed
room, store-roOm and kitchen. The
back room had i'm il besides n small bed
ste d. an o d lounge. two cha RS, and a
small table on which 4. Bean S read
his frugal meals and dill his WORK.
There was usually n huge p le of hair
upon 1t. and his hatcbel and tho other
appliances used in wig making A few
HAIRS more or less did not trouble h d.
gestion. Above the table was rough
set OF shelves, Oh which was the tin
basin In which A. Bean made hs te 1
and flee. A plate. n cup and saucer,
knife and fork, and n saucepan, COM
plcted the list. None of these u ensils
were vey clean. On the wall hung
wigs. switches and curls, in various
stages of completion.
A. Bean himself was lean, little man,
very short-si -htel, equa ly absent
m nded, and 81 en- to solIloquizing to
his wig blocks. lie also imagined him
self n philosopher.
You lose your head. A. Pean," he
wouli often say To- himself when he had
been more orgctlul than usual. "You d
certainly lose your head, if it WASH t
tied on YOU"
Just outside the door that opened into
the little back yard was curious tree.
Years be ore. man who had kept an
ea'ing-rCom in the house had D an ed
there seed which he had found in Il
bag OF CO ee. Every June it was COW
cred with pretty blossoms. AMI scien-
tiiic men often came to see il; but as
yet no one had been able TO tell its
name, or where il came rom, and A.
Bean felt that somehow this curious tree
belonged TO him, and conferred d stinc-
ton on his shop.
IL was early in the morning. A
theatrical Company wanted some wigs
that evening. and A. Beams table was n
per ect snarl OF hair. His teaket lie was
singing on the box-stove in the shop,
and he had set down his Gun AMI saucer
and the rol of bread he had bought the
night before. "A philosopher" he
said with flourish to the nearest wig
block, "is ALWAYS su' erior TO his sur.
roundings, and that is the reason women
are new, phi loSophers. How gal am
I'm not tied To one of em. little or big. ;
just then the shop-bell rang violently.
What do folks mean By coming be-
fore I'm up The little man spoke
angrly for n philosopher; but when he
saw his visitor he laughed.
"Wel"' he said after minute. what
Is hP Awig9 May be you want s set
vi AAlAEto uOEs Ut ~ lace
The rosy little girl. apparently about
three years old, Rugged her headless
dol closer To her bosom, and said coax
ingy, "Sers come"
"Um-l shou d say she had. Where s
your mayP'
The child shook her head.
Your pay, then?"
Another shake, and again coaxingly.
"Sef's come"
lit does beat all naterr' sail A.
Pean, walking about her. and debating
with himself the propr ETY. of taking
her In his arms. "Why, YOU must
have a may an pay. Everybody
docs"
The child shook her head. "Sef's
come. she repeated, IAN SETS
hungry"
A. bean led the child into the next
room. and as ever, thing seemed to have
grown disordered and dirty all in n
minute. he set her on the bed and did
tho best he could W tn the hair and
hat, hel. and as he had no tableclOth, he
spread clean-looking piece of news
paper on the table. and set upon it his
Gu full o milk. 1t was market morning:
the streets were already thronged with
wagons, and he ran out aud loon re-
turned with handful of STRAWBERRIES
in n cool vine-leaf.
The two made pleasant meal of it.
30 pleasant that A. Bean was frightened
when he saw how late il was, and
thought OF the wigs. He could earn
nothing from the child. save that she
was Sef, and that she and dolly had
come. She either could not or would
not tell whether she hid any parents.
or where she came from; and to all
questions either shook her head or an
swered with n sigh. Don't know
nussin." Her poor. plain clothes had q
certain oddity, and her rudy little face
an expression which struck him as un-
usual a. You look furrin. You do look
Turin. you Little rosebud" he whis-