Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-07-11
WHY HER HAIR TURNED GRAY.

WHY HER HAIR TURNED GRAY.
al could an if would" said John,
''tell you why that young woman's hair
turned from brown to white in a single
night"
Our eyes followed the slender retreat.
ing form of a young woman as he
spoke.
'.Hcr lover was drowned?" asked
Louise.
''Brain fever" said Robert, as he
lighted his cigar.
"She saw a ghost" whispered J..
Wrong, all Of you. DO you want to
hear a strange bit of truth?"
Of course we did, SO John began:
''H was in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts that there once lived a
mantle man who married our he
roine. He was tall and 1.-the and
strong and handsome, and she was
young and dark and beautiful and cav
for Massachusetts. The tall man
woocd and won her, and married her,
all within six short months. They
nestled down in a farmhouse and lived
in down-east fashion-and baked beans
and brown bread on Saturdays OF Sun
days (which is it?:"
'Baked beans on Saturday night and
brown bread on Sunday morning." said
Louise, with decision.
Yes, and a little talk of Faneuil Hall
and Wendell Phillips now and again,
m occasional quotation from Emerson,
Il sem~i-occasional allusion to Margaret
Fuller, daily thoughts of the cousins on
Beacon street, ETC., etc. These slight
occupations, and their great love for
each other. which was indeed boundless,
filled much Of their time. There were,
to be sure, other business moments
when Alicia had / said that her name
was Alicia-made the cakes, for they
lived very simply in the country, and
when Nathan was away on his work of
collecting, for he combined the duties of
County Collector with his legal work in
the nearest village, some mile or two
away.
1t was a very pretty sight to see
those two at tea. Alicia wore a blue
gown that Nathan much admired, and
poured the tea from an old pot brought
back by a Salem ancestor from China.
The caddy was its mate. that came
with it; and Alicia lifted its cover
tenderly to reach the mysterious wee.
dried leaves that her fairy touch and
the warm flame were to transform into
a potent charm. On these nights-for
it was late in the winter-there would
be a fire blazing on the hearth, the kit.
ten would purr in the pauses, and
Hetty, the girl, as maid servants are
called in New England villages, could
he heard through the wide chinks of
the kitchen door, taking the upper c
with the freedom and ease of a pr.ma
donna. Alicia would smile quickly as
she heard her, and Nathan would smile
more slowly. So, with the slipping of
tea and the cracking Of cast, the
evening meal would progress. After
ward, Nathan's pipe and Alicia's knit
ting gray stockings always filled up
the evening. At nine o'clock a glass
OF cider and red apples; at $3.50
flights out, and only an old%-fashioned
dark house loomed against the night.
A monotonous life, but a happy one,
and happier as time went one. But at
last time seemed to stop for Alicia.
Nathan was called away on business;
Nollu Nc SOuC IL WCch. liz SGlu. AllCln
need not be afraid with Hctty. There
was really no danger, if she would be
carefulin one particular, No stranger
was to be admitted into the house on
any preteXt whatever, Here Nathan
whispered: ."For my strong box is
under the bed in our room, you know,
full of county money. [ am in the
midst of collecting now. Leave the
box there. 1t is safe; but promise that
no one shall come in: and now, dearest,
| must say good-by." But we draw
the veil.
lmaginc-or remember-a lovers
parting. In these two We're lovers only
three months welded, kisses, a tear or
two, words-kisses again. All, well,
the description is like the tea-leaves,
stupid, dry, until the fire OF love and
the fairy touch of affection metamor-
phose the story of a parting into real
separation.
After Nathan was gone Alicia sighed
and read poetry, and sang q little to
herself, and o the first two DAYS slipped
by. On the third day there came up a
bad storm, one of those early spring
storms, with thunder and hail and
other elemental disturbances attached.
In the midst then of this appropriate
tragedy music, there tottered to Alicia's
door an old man. One arm hung
helpless; his limbs trembled; he seemed
very harmless and weak. But Alicia
remembered her husbands words. She
gave him the shelter he begged for, in
the barn only, although her gentle
heart smote Aer. This was al four in
the afternoon. At eight in the evening,
the storm having settled down upon
the lonely land, the lonely farmhouse,
and the two lonely women, the old man
appeared again at the kitchen door. He
was old and chilled and hungry. Ali
cia's heart smote her so hard This time
that she opened the door. She babe the
old man enter. She gave him food.
She sent him up the ladder to the attic,
for. in spite of the cous MS in Beacon
street, this was the simple Gift" in