The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-02-02
UNINViTiNG BUSINESS.
A Detroit Woman Who Dresses tho Hair
CT Dead Customers.

CT Dead Customers.
81 was only twelve years DID," said
prominent lady hair-dresser, of this
city. "when l was called on by the
friends of an old lady who had died to
90 and dress her hair"
"And did you go?"
mo. Iran and hid myself under a
bed and staid there a whole afternoon.
Although l loved her and had often
dressed her hair when she was alive, /
could not bear the idea of doing it after
death. But l have done many heads
since for dead persons. and while do
not like it, have professional pride
i'll making them look well for the last
time"
1T must be worry distasteful to you?"
Not always. 1t comes in the way
of my business. and naturally my EN-
ployes shrink from going. Sometimes
we have call through the telephone, 10
come to such I number, and dress a
lady's hair. One of the young ladies
will be sent with curling irons, po-
mades. hair-pins and other things, only
to find that the lady is a corpse. The
girl will not, or can not, undertake il,
and l 90 myself. There is only the
front hair to crimp and arrange becom-
ingly. One day last week | dressed
Mrs. IS hair for the last time. She
was young and very pretty, and looked
rs if asleep. The hair does not die, so
that it is easily arranged. When it is a
wig or crimpee l have it sent to the
store, and when it is dressed, take it
to thc house and put it on. Let me
tell you something that happened late
ly. A lady died in this city who wore
gray wig. 1 dressed it and put it on.
You can just think how surprised was.
when a couple of weeks later. MEM
Der of the family came in here and tried
to sell it to me. She said they had it
taken of just before the caskct was
closed for thelast time"
r'And did you buy it?''
Buy it? Certainly not. 1t is not
very long since man came in and
offered me Il number of switches of diff
ferent shades and color. l would not
buy them, and sent for a policeman, as
1 thought he had probably stolen them.
But, as it turned ont, they came from
an undereaker's. and were the I'M
claimed property of strangers who had
been given pauper burial"
as it customary to dress the hair Of
the dcad?"
at is. have some customers who
have cxacted solemn promise from
me that will dress their hair when
they die and make it look natural and
becoming. l have even been sent for
by those who had only q few hours to
live and taken my instructions from
their dying lips"
lis the process the same as with the
living?"
just the same. except that do not
arrange the back hair in all cases. But
Sometimes the hair is dressed entirely,
just as it would be for an evening party.
And | frequently furnish new switches,
crimps or bangs, at the request of rela-
tives who want no pains spared"
and You are not afraid?"
Madame shrugged her handsome
shoulders.
1T is = lonesome task" she said.
land it certainly does make me nerv-
Gus. Once the corpse opened her eyes
and looked at me; or l imagined it.
nearly tainted. And once lady who
was holding a lamp went out of the
room a moment, leaving me with lock
of hair in the crimping pins. A gust
of wind blew the door after her, and
was in the dark alone with the dead
woman. / think if she had not opened
the door just at the moment she did. l
should have fallen inscnsible. "-DeLrou
Free Press.