Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1885-11-03
MISCELLANEOUS.
A Romantic Story.

had strange experience once
in human hair" said member OF n
firm of human hair importers to re-
porter for the Philadelphia Times
" A French lady of noble blood, who
has been my friend for years, wrote
me few months ago inclosing lock
of hair, which was peculiar shade
of drab and of silky tineness. She
wanted me to match it, and L set
about doing so. dispatched my
agents all over Europe, but nowhere
could they find thread of hair that
would match the sample.
then inserted an advertisement in
the principal Philadelphia, New York
and Boston papers, offering liberal
reward for switch of the desired
quality and color. One day woman
Of about 20 years of age, shabbily
dressed, but with form and face
that Venus might have envied entered
my office.
"'I came in answer to your advcr-
tisement,' she said, aud, removing
her hat, unbound a Irlxuriant coil of
hair that called from me an invok,n-
tary cry of admiration. Will this
dor she asked.
81 examined her hair and compared
it with the sample sent me by the
countess. The two were so similar
that when I mixed them together /
could not distinguish one from the
other.
"'This hair is exactly what I want
1 said, and l will give you 5000 an
ounce, for it.
g Take it off, she said, with a
nervous trembling of her voice that
at once attracted my attention. Il
am starving, and my baby, and
what you are willing to pay is a for
tune to u.s.
became Interested, and ques-
toned her. After little hesitation
she told rue her story. Her husband
had been sea captain, and shortly
after they were married had sailed
for the west coast of Africa. His
vessel was never heard of after
leaving port, and it was presumed
that she had fonndered at sea and all
hands had been lost. The presumed
widow had struggled to maintain her
self and infant child, but with indif-
ferent success. Finally, when suf-
fering from the pangs of hunger, she
had read my advertisement, and has
tened to my place of business, pray
ing inwardly that her hair, which had
been her husbands pride, might be
of the required shade.
"Well, to make a long story short,
I bought her hair, which weighed
four ounces, and paid her $500 for
it. sent the switch to my customer
the countess, and wrote her the his
tory of the hair. She is a woman of
great wealth and goodness of heart.
The return mail brought me letter
authorizing me to pay the poor little
sailors widow 81, 900 extra. 1 did
so and wrote an account to our official
journal, which is published in New
York. The story was so romantic that
the daily papers copied it, and 1 re-
ceived several letters from charitable
people offering pecuniary assistance
to the sailors widow. She was
proud and refused to receive any
help.
Zone day, about three weeks after
the publication of the story, man
who was bronzed and bearded, came
into my Office very much excited.
He held in his hand copy of New
York paper. and unfolding it pointed
to my story.
"'Can yon give me the address of
this woman?' he. asked eagerly. .She
is my wife; 1 thought her dead,
While wrote down the address
he told me his story. His vessel had
been shipwrecked on the African
coast. and he and two Others of the
crew alone managed to reach the
shore. 1t was several months before
they managed to reach civilized port.
He Immediately sent word of the dis
aster to the owners of the foundered
vessel and wrote to his young wife.
From Che former he received reply,
but he heard no word from his wife,
and when he reached Philadelphia he