San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-02-24


living, for she was an orphan, was
heard shrilly inquring from the back
door, whether she was to be kept
waiting all day long. with the pre-.
serving kettle over the fire, for them
blackberrles?"
Barbara jumped up and fled. Ermi-
ME stood still, meditating over the dis
closure that she had Just heard.
She went down the path to certain
crystal clear spring, into whose depths
she had often gazed to look for the ira
ditional 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
it was clearer than any sheet of looking
glass.
"Horrldr' said Erminie. grimacing
at the golden-red tinge of her hair re-
Elected below.
But just then some languid move
ment of the deep, still waters focused
the suns rays in sort of circle; for u
second il seemed as if Il ring of gold
shone far down, and then disappeared.
Erminie's eyes sparkled, and her
heart beat rapidly.
THE fairies wedding-ring" she
gasped. 81 saw il with my own eyes.
But, of course. nothing will ever come
of it as long as my hair is such hide
ous-hideous-color will get it dyedm
And in her mental consciousness she
remembered that Harry Boyce, who
went to college with her cousin Simon.
would be there that very week, and that
Harry had once said, "What a pretty
girl that little Minnie wasr'
'But, of course, he couldn't have no.
ticed my hair" thought Erminie, mourn
fully. at doesn't show so awfully bad
when sit in corner where it's pretty
dark. It's the sunshine that brings it
out such an intense carrot color. will
dye it!'
So that very evening. in the friendly
indistinctness of the purple twilight,
Erminie crept down to Mill & Tweezer's,
and waited patiently for an old farmer
to buy an ounce of Paris green for po-
tato-bugs, and his daughter to select a
bottle of cheap perfumery, for two tall
lads to get physicians prescription
made up, and pluDp-chceked child to
buy cents worth of approximations
before she came up to the counter.
"Well, miss" said the sleepy old
druggist, who moved like patent per-
ambulating toy which had got out of
order, and winked drearily behind his
spectacle-glasses, ''what can l do for
youP"
Erminie's heart seemed to leap up in
to her mouth. every drop of blood rush
ed to her face, while in a guilty whisper
she murmured:
"Hair-dye. please"
"Dyep" repeated the purblind and
partially deaf old man. "What kind of
dye?"
I-I don't quite know, sir! The
usual kind, | suppose. Anything but
black" she added, remembering Bar
bara's remark.
And with "Yes, yes" and a patron
izing smile, old Mr.. Mill put her up a
bottle of the brightest aniline-red that
he possessed.
Gals is always partial to bright
colors," he said to himself.
And Erminie ran all the way home,
as if the whip-poor-wills and rabbits
would know that she had bottle of
hair-dye wrapped up in her pocket
handkerchief.
Once safe in her own little garrett
room, she rubbed the mixture well into
the roots of her hair, brushing it out to
the very ends according to Barbara's
description of the city boarder's"
manipulations.
She had scarcely finished. when she
heard her mothers voice calling:
Minnie! Er-min-ieI'
"Ma'am she chirped feebly back
Come down stairs quickr' said Mrs.
Hitchings, in a sort of stage shout up
the back stairs. Here's your cousin
Simon and Harry Boyce, come by the
night stage, and supper to get for 'em,
and nobody knows what all! Do make
haster'
And momentarily forgetful of the
chief sorrow of her life. Erminie ran
blithely downstairs to be kissed by
Simon and chivalrously greeted by Mr..
Boyce.
Both student-lamps were lighted, and
MIR. Hitchings had even gone to the ex-
travagance of pair of mould candles
on the mantel-piece, and as Erminie
turned to help set the table there was a
unanimous shout of laughter.
"Why, Min, how do you come to be
topped off with cardinal-red?" jeeringly
demanded Simon.
What in all creation ailsyou bair?"
said her uncle
And Erminie, catching a glimpse of
herself in chcrry-framed looking-glass
which hung opposite. uttering shrek
of dismay, took to precipitous flight.
Her head no longer bore the old hue
of golden red, but now displayed the
vivid cardinal hue of Farmer Rumford's
new barn-door.
As she fastened to hide herself, she
heard the laughter-choked voice of
Simon exclaiming, incoherently:
''Well, l always knew that red hair
was fashionable, but didn't know that
the girls were so wild after it as to dye
their bangs the regular blazing vermil-
ion."
Mrs. Htchings herself got the supper
that night. 1t was Barbara's evening
out, and poor Erminie was nowhere to
be found. And twas nearly ten o'clock
when the weeping girl, coming up the
long pear-tree walk, met Mr.. Boyce face
to face.
Don't run away, Erminie," said he,
pleadingly. Don't make an enemy of
one who would fain be friend. Ihave
so much to say to you, Erminie."
"Pve washed it, and washed it, and
it won't come out" sobbed poor En-
mimic.
washed whatP" questioned Mr..
Rnvoa