The Washington critic., 1886-05-25
LOVE AND HAIR DYE.

Keturah was leaning over the pair of
bars which divided the back garden
from the meadow which wound past
the maple-swamp, up to the lonely
sheep pasture. Apparently she was
watching a motherly hen-turkey con-
duct her downy brood through the
high timothy grass; but in reality she
was wrestling with fate.
otis perfectly ridiculous !" said
Keturah. "There never was in all
this world girl with half as ugly hair
as mine. If it hadn't been for that
hair, l might have had the chance of
being married half dozen times, in
stead of drudging on here with my
father scolding because don't accom-
plish more housework, and my step
mother deluging me with good advice.
Oh, dear, oh, dear! Iwould pluck 1t
out by the roots, if it would do any
good /"
And she seized the lucllless red gold
trcsses, handful in each grasp, as If
she fain would have twitched them out
of her head.
But what very silly thing that
would bel" said Barbara Decifer, who
sat on stump of tree, hulling the
rich garden strawberries which she had
just gathered from the sunny beds un-
der the stone wall. "Why on earth
don't you dye it?'
"Why don'tI-what?" said Keturah,
turning around in sheer amazement.
"Dye It'll" repeated Barbara, popping
q particularly bright ripe sphere OF
scarlet into her mouth. "It's what
Mrs Peller's city boarder did when !
was help there last summer. She was
as gray as badger, Miss Perkins was;
and yet her hair shone like a crows
| tail l-feathers. l seen her putin on dye
when was a.scrubbn' the hall oil
cloth, and it was rs easy as you please.
OF course black won't suit you, but
there's plenty of colors would"
Keturah's eyes glistened.
ooh, Barbara said she, edo you
think | could?"
"Think2 / don't think nothin' about
it," said Barbara, tlinging mildewed
berry at squirrel on the fence. "Im
sure of it. You can get the stuff at
Mill e. Tweezer's. I've seen it many
time in their glass show cases, and"
Just at this moment, however, Mrs.
| Hitchings, Keturah's stepmother, was
heard shrilly inquiring from the back
door, whether she was to be KEEP
waiting all day long, with the preserv-
ing kettle over the fire, for them straw
bcrricsT"
Barbara jumped up and fed. Ke-
turah stood still, meditating over the
disclosure that she had just heard.
She went down the path to a certain
crystal clear spring. into whose depths
she had often gazed to look for the
traditional rings displayed by the
| fairies to those who are about to find
their true lovers.
1t was her favorite mirror, and just
at this period of the sunny, summer
day 1t was clearer than any sheet of
looking glass.
"Horrid," said Keturah, grimacing
at the copper-red burnish of her hair
reflected below.
But just then some languid move
ment of the deep, still waters focused
the suns rays In sort of circle; for q
second it seemed as If ring of gold
shonc far down. and then disappeared.
Keturah's eyes sparkled, and her
heart beat rapidly.
"The fairies wedding ring" she
gasped. II saw 1t with my own eyes.
But, of course, nothing will ever come
of 1t as long as my hair is such q
hideous-hideous color. l will get II
dyedW
And, In her mental consciousness,
she remembered that Harry Boyce,
who went to college with her brother
Simeon, would be there that very
week, and that Harry had once said
"What pretty girl that little Kitty
was
| "But, of course, he couldn't have
noticed my hair" thought Keturah
mournfully. 1T doesn't show so aw
fully bad when sit in corner where
its pretty dark. It's the sunshine tha
brings II out such an intense carrot
color. will dye itl"
So that very evening, in the friendly
indistnctness of the purple twilight
Keturah crept down to Mill & Twee
zer's, and waited patiently for an old
farmer to buy an ounce Of Paris green
for potato bugs, and his daughter to SO
lect bottle of cheap perfumery foi
two tall lads to get physicians pre-
scription made up, and plump
checked child to purchase cent.
worth of peppermint drops before sh'
came up to the counter.
"Well, miss" said the sleepy ole
druggist, who moved about like pat
ent perambulating toy which had so