Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-10-17
CURLED HAIR.

'inu WIltu uO Jlllllh CoQlQ uufO W.
come of it?'' asked mamma.
..Why it must have been stolen. l
cant think IN what other way it could
have disappeared. You see it was dark
when we tipped over, and every thing
into the creek. But it is low, and
no current to speak of. 1t would not
have been possible for that heavy
cushion to have been swept away. L
thought L had every thing, but this
morning when / missed it, and rode
down there, it was not to be found. l
shall have to ride without a cushion
after this
He looked very sober over it; and the
children, Berth and Beth, looked sober
for sympathy. Money was not so plcn-
tiful with DR.. Clark that he could afford
new cushions very often; and these
children, young at they were, knew this
very well.
When papa started on his rounds,
ard mamma had sent them out to play
while the baby took a nap, they sat
down under the great tree to talk it over.
''Must be hard, riding all day without
any cushion to sit on" said Beth; and
Bert agreed to it-he nearly always
agreed TO what Beth said. "He said it
was made of cArled hair" added Beth,
medltativcly. And then, alter another
pause: ebert, your hair is very curly"
so is yours" said Bert, in q sweet
voice. And Beth sighed, and said moth
ing. There was no denying the curls;
and she thought a great deal of them,
besides. Her heart struggled with the
big thought.
''There's Il great lot of curls on both
our heads she said, ''and curls grow
fast"
course they do" agreed Bert.
''Mine are almost as long as yours; and
once they were little specks of things,
like that picture when l was little"
Bert believed that now he was large.
Both children were still for a few
minutes. Bert played with the dirt at
his feet, but Beth did not play at all.
She sat and thought, her face grave.
AT last she spoke:
''Berlie, I will, if you will"
''Whatp' asked Bert, looking up.
His thoughts did not trouble him. He
had already forgotten about the hair
and the cushion, and was playing that
he had to build u mountain out OF the
dirt at his feet.
Cut off your curls and give them to
papa for q new CUSHION
''she spoke quickly, catching her
breath a little.
She liked her curls and she liked 70
hear people say: what lovely hair
little Beth Clark has!"
But Bcrt's answer was prompt and
bic ,yDs1o c1uaot IL, a,,a ..A-
about curls.
"All right" he said. s.Then they
won't have to be combed; and papa
will like it very much, won't he?
There'll be most enough for two cush-
ions, maybe"
So Beth's great sacrifice was made
alone. She ran for the shears. 1t
should be done quickly, before she had
time to change her mind. No thought
OF asking mamma entered the heart Of
the loyal little girl. Had not
taught her since her babyhood to give
up her w for the pleasure and COM
fort OF others, and were not her curls
her own?
Snip, snip, went the shining shears.
Down dropped the shining heap q
curls, first from Bert's head, then from
her own, Bert welding the shears as
best he could in the back part where
Beth could not reach. Some of the
curls gllstened i'll the sun more than 9TH
ers. Those were the ones on which two
tears OF Beth's had dropped. Those
were all she shed. Bert did not think
of tears. He chartered away about
how much cooler they should be, and
how pleased papa would be; and he
wondered a little why Beth kept so
still.
"\Vhy, what in the world." said Mrs.
Clark. AS she sat down the teapot
from which she was about to pour a
cup of tea, and her voice sounded so
st. ange that DR.. Clark turned to see
what she was looking at.
There they came, two shorn lambs,
carrying q little basket in which two
small white handkerchiefs had been
neatly laid, and then the fluffy curls
laid on.
'They are for Your cushion. papa.n
they said, hurrying toward him. 'sYou
said it was made of curled hair, and
our curls are real nice, you know, and
we cutted them for you; and Beth
thought of it Won't they make a big,
big cushion, don't you Think"
Poor mammal! And, for the matter
OF that: poor children. DR.. Clark laid
down his carving knife, and laughed
until he cried. And when he had got
ten o:t his handkerchief, and wiped his
eyes. and cleared his throat, what did
~ do but burst into another laugh.
Inc children were astonished, and not
a little grieved. Even Bert's sweet lin
quivered.
And Beth faltered: ':Don't you like
them, papay'
BLESS your precious hearts, the
father said: and he gathered them both
at once to his heart. :'lhey ar, worth
their weight i'll gold. or a good deal
than their weight, for that mat
ter. Papa knows all about how this
little woman had to struggle to give up
her curls. Mamma must not feel bad.
~ aboutit. The curls will again:
and q lovely little vine of unselisbness
n thoughtfulness has sprung up in
these two hearts, and must not be
choksd." A' w