Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-09-30
THE OLD HAIR TRUNK.
Tho Ancient Romance Clinging to
II and It's Owner.


II and Its Owner.
For the last fort. or fifty years an
old hair trunk had occupied one cor
ncr of the garnet. The dark shades
Of the old corner. low-down under the
roof made i, look more like some
crouching animal than old relic. 1t
was peculiar in shape, peculiar in col
or, peculiar in general appearance.
Its shape was unlike any modern trunk.
though | 10 not know that | can
just define its shape, unless l say it
was cross between a mammoth "Sa-
ratOga' and u wOmanS "work-bON. v
In color it was between Il grayish
brown and bluci,h red, il YOU know
what that is. Something like crushed
strawberry tint. | think. When they
built il they first made q frame. just
n frame houses are built nowadays.
Next il was sided up, that is, they built
the walls. floor and roof of the trunk.
Then over all this they fastened u
leather covering. The leather was
tanned with the hair on and this left
on the outside. Hence its peculiar
color. and It's animated appearance.
1t was about sixty or seventy years
old. Grandfather said he could re-
member when il first came into his
possession, only by referring to the
date of his marriage, and then grand
mother wouLl blush-pcrhsp> YOU
doubt that so old lady can blush, but
she did.
We all clamorcd to hear the story.
Grandfather had told Us all the stories
he knew. he said. time and again. but
we did not remember one in which oc-
Cured either the old trunk or his mar
riagc. We all knew that when he was
young man he had been connected
with some sort OF coast guard. or
liic-boat crew, or something else like
that. but he was always Singularly
silent concerning that period OF his
life. We had often wandered at it,
but had never said any thing. Now
before going any further he looked NJ
grandma. and asked rather hesitatinG-
ly. We thought. whether he should pro-
cccd. She bluShcd assent and so the
story started.
You see when was young man,
I was connected with lifc-saying sta
ton on the coast Of Maine. In that
DAY these stations were rare and usual
" each one had considerable business,
as the districts were large. Many il
the wreck have helped board and
save the crew and passengers from
certain destruction against the rocky
shores. Only the most daring and in-
trcpid men were employed. They
were mostly middlc-agcl men who
had lost their families in some sea dis
aster, and had given up their citizen
ship in the active world TO devote their
lives to the saving of others.
when your grandmother was 4
girl. years ago. it seems to me. i fell in
love with her. Her people were wealthy.
while mine and were poor, and were
struggling farmers. For a long time
she and enjoyed our lives in blsSful
ignorance Of the future before us. Our
farms adiOincd, that's, her fathers and
mine, and we saw each other almost
daily. l was about eighteen then, a
bic, bOny. strong boy. accustomed to
labor on the newly-clcared farm from
sun to sun. IL had had but one effect
on me. had never been to the city.
] had only slight knowledge OF the
world or society in general. l could
read aud write, and had often written
short, painful letters to distant brother
of my fathers. | had read all the books
in the neiehborhood, but unfortunately
for my advancement, in other than a
spiritual way, they treated only of re-
ligious topics.
..She was then but sixteen, n lovely
little lass. bright blue eyes and light
hair-,here. Mary, don't interrupt me;
you know you were the prettiest girl
in that whole county. She had been
to New York with her father several
times, and had spent one winter in
Boston with an aunt. But for all that
she liked me. and when she found me
so passionatcly fond OF her. she really
fell in love with me. great rough boy.
AS said before. not one thought
of wha, the squire. her father. would
say when he discovered the intimacy
had crossed our minds. While we
were wandering about in the woods
Sunday afternoons, had become quite
used to looking at her. and murmur-
Ing her name; had become quite se-