Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-03-08

ueiy, ouu d very Soou ullHei IL 10, 1Oo. w uab
put it into your head that had bad hearta"
pardon! mademoiseils; l mistake Who
told mademoiselle that she was sick at
heart!"
''Good gracious heavensI I am not sick at
heart. To be sure my mother is dead and my
sister is i'll and my father is as cross Is two
sticks, but for all that am not heartsick. I
like this world very well, and when feel sad
put more onions into the soup"
Saintou went on with his work for some
time in silence, then he tried again. stYou
say l speak good English, and fatter my
self have the accent very well, but what
avails if I cannot make you understands
Was it a good doctor who said mademoi-
selle's heart was affected; touched, might
say?"
There was shout of laughter from under
the shower of gold.
ssMy heart touched! One would think l
was in love. No, my heart is not touched
yet; least of all by you, Mr.. Saintou
Least of all by you.
Mr.. Saintou.''
She repeated this last rhyming couplet
with quaint musical information, as though
it was the refrain of song, and after her
voice and laughter had died away she went
Oll aoQulllS ucl u0ttQ Ill lllIl5 " Iue III
as if she were singing it over softly to herself.
This distressed the hair dresser not little,
and he remained silent.
"What shall pay you, Mr.. Saintou9' said
the little lady, when the large hat was once
more on the head.
"if mademoiselle would but come again."
said the hair dresser, putting both hands reso-
lutely behind his back
ttyVbo,, 7 7 ol,o Ill L
for that time and this" she said, with per-
haps more tact than could have been ex-
pected of her. "And if you want to live
long, Mr.. Saintou, don't feel If I should
feel should die off quick, sharp, like moth
that flies into the candle" She made little
gesture with her hand, as it to indicate the
ease and suddenness with which the supposed
catastrophe was to take place, and hobbled
down the street Saintou stood in the door
way looking after her, and his heart went
from him.
He sent her fowers-fowers that duchess
might have been proud to receive. He sent
them more than once, and they were ac-
cepted. He argued much from that He
made friends with the baker in order that he
might bow to him morning and evening
Then he waited. He said to himself ''She is
OH my heart and weep she will jeer at me;
but if wait and work for her in silence, then
she will believe" He made parlor for her
in the room above his shop, and every week,
as he had time and money, he went out to
choose some ornament for it. His maiden
sister watched these actions with suspicion,
threw scornful looks at him when he observed
her watchfulness, and lent kindly helping
ho,I xr,ba ba of eiorbt ,o,lor
grew into shrine ready for its divinity, and
the hair dresser worked and waited in silence.
All, how many another lover has made his
mistake! As if love unexpressed and I'M
known had power to bless any but the heart
of the lover.
Meanwhile the girl also waited. She could
not go back to the hair dresser's shop lest she
should seem to invite renewal of those at
tentions which had given her the sweet sur
prise of the joy of love- The law of her
wonlan's nature stood like lion in the path.
She waited through the months Of the dreary
winter till the one CLEAN of sunshine which
had come into her sad young life had faded,
till the warmth it had kindled in her heart
died-as a lamps fame dies for lack of oil;
died-as flower dies in the drought; died
into anger for the man who had disturbed her
him no more she went again to get her hair
cut
"You have come" said Saintou; but the
very strength of his feeling made him grave.
"Good gracious, yes, l have come to have
my hair cut. You would not cut it when
was here, and have been very poorly these
three months. I could not come out, SO the
other day I had my sister cut it Off My
fotl to1f 10 fo,. E,,t r oil
no. and oh, my! it looks just as if a don
key had come behind and mistaken it for
hay"
How quickly train of thought can flash
through the brain Saintou asked himself if
he loved the girl Or the hair, and his heart
answered very sincerely that the hair, divine
as it was, had been but the outward sign
which led him to love the inward soul of the
girl
'Mademoiselle ought not to have said mo-
I should have come very willingly and would
have cut your hair if had known it must be
So"
~ made my sister cut it, but it's frightful
1t looks as if one had tried to NOW lawn
with pair of scissors or shear a sheep with
penknife."
II will make all that right" said Saintou
in moment will make it very nice'
Yes, it was too true, the hair was gone;
and very barbarously had it been handled.
81 shall make it all right" he said cheerfully
II shall trim it beautifully for mademoiselle.
All, the beautiful color is there all the same"
Gas red as sunset or a geranium," she
said.
''You do not believe that sighed Saintou.
f,r,1,,a5 tho hoi, 1o,,1u md
curled it about the white face, till it looked
like great fair marigold just beginning to
curl in the petals for the night. He worked
slowly, for he had something he wanted to
say, and when his work was done he sum-
moned up courage and said it. He told her
his hopes and fears. He told the story
blunderingly enough, but it had its effect.
"Mon Dieul" said Saintou, but he said it in
tono that made his sister, who was listening
to every word through the door, leave that
occupation and dart in to his assistance
"Qu'elle est morte," was her brief, stern
comment. And SO it was. The bakers
daughter had felt, and she had died.
'This is not wholly unexpected" said the
baker sadly, when he came to carry away
the corpse of his daughter. "We all expected
it," said the neighbors; ''she had heart dis
ease" And they talked their fill, and never
discovered the truth it would have pleased
them best to talk about
The short hair curled softly about the face
of the dead girl as she lay in her coffin, and
Saintou paid heavily for masses for her sweet
soul. When they had laid her in the church
yard he came home and took the key and
went into the little parlor all alone She had
never seen it. She had never even heard of
it. 1t is sad to bury baby that is dead it
is sadder, if we but knew it, to bury in dark
ness and silence a child that has never lived.
A joy that has gone from us forever is a
jewel that trembles like tear on Sorrows
breast, but the brightest stars in her diadem
are the memories Of hopes that have passed
away unrealized and untold. All, well, per-
haps the gay trappings of the little room, by
their daily influence Oh his life, drew him
nearer to heaven. He gave the key to his
sister afterward, and they used the room as
their own; but that day he locked himself in
alone, and, hiding his face in the cushion of
her dainty chair, he wept as only strong
man can weep.-Earrest Duns in Longman's
Magazine.
A BraIseman's Invention,
Wallace Durham, a Pan Handle brake