Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-10-12
A BARRIERS TRICK.


consider his personal appearance. Girls are
not yet educated up to admiring bald
heads.
My adored one-Rose Raynor-served in
a pastry cooks not far from the Office
where | was engaged as clerk, and every
day repaired there and lunched on buns
and tarts thus displaying an utter reck
!cssness rs regards my digestion.
My lovemaking was carried on through
the medium of the eyes, varied with little
change.
AS l always lunchcd in my hat-of course
do not mean that l placed the pastry
therein, but kept my hat on-my charmer
was unaware of my badness.
One evening, when was suffering from
severe attack of indigestion-the buns
were awfully doughy that day - which
sometimes makes one do desperate things,
proposed to her and was accepted
Yes I proposed to her without telling her
that l was bald!
Rose gently limited that affairs had now
reached stage when ought to interview
j.! that the following evening she should in
informed me, was a retired sea captain,
also that she had lost her mother at an
early age and was an only child.
When Rose left me, was in terrible
state of mind. In a few hours the frightful
fact would be disclosed that was as bald
as the proverbial billiard ball.
The Hateful evening arrived all too soon.
Rose knocked at the door. 1t was opened.
She stepped in. wandered in after her.
My hand went up to my hat, but my cour
age failed me.
II must take it of. thought desperate
ly. did So saw a look of indescribable
horror in Roses eyes. She gave a visible
shudder and then turned deathly white.
'Are-aren't you we-well, dear?" STAN
mered.
"Ye-yes," she murmured. "Onlya sud
den chill seemed to seize me-"
knew it was the blighting influence of
my cold looking bald head.
Mr.. Raynor welcomed me very kindly,
aud after many tender inquiries as to my
his daughter having made my acquaintance.
WdS Jusu DCE5luulIlS W ltcl Nv uOllc w utu
the half blind old aunt said
"Do please put the lamp little nearer to
me, Rose"
The clamp" the old lady pointed to was
my shining bald head.
Rose seemed kind and affectionate to me,
but in an extremely depressed state of
mind There were tears in her eyes as she
said Good night" and whispered:
"Can nothing be done for it, Georgef"
II am afraid not, darling" answered
huskily.
But for Roses sake determined to make
an effort
There was fellow named Thomas Saun-
ders whom l had often met in the pastry
cooks where Rose served. and I had got
very friendly and chatty with him.
He seemed decent sort of chap, and |
knew he kept a hairdresser's shop, and l
had frequently been struck with the orig
inality of his ideas. He might know rem
fde my troubles to him.
did so. told him that was engaged
to Rose Raynor twas it my imagination or
did he give a convulsive start? p and how it
grieved her to find out that Twas totally
bald.
He examined my skull, tapping it I'M
necessarily hard with his knuckles, why
was best known to himself, and then said:
Come round to my shop after office
hours and will give you something that
will cover your head in very short time"
After Office hours l fastened round to
his establishment.
There" said Saunders, handing me a
large bottle of stuff, rub this well into
your head the last thing at night and let it
dry before the fire, and you'll be astonshed
at the result"
Well, / rubbed the stuff vigorously into
my head and pretty well scorched my brains
up in drying it by the fire.
In the morning rushed to the looking
glass in faint hopes-so great was my faith
in Saunders of seeing few sprouts of hair.
l nearly fell down. The whole of my
: head was deep, rich, shiny brown.
1 saWa q glance Saunders must have
given me bottle of brown hair dye in
stead of a hair producer. scrubbed my
head with soap and water-no result; then
with soda and hot water-ditto, and then
thought in my frenzy of scraping off the
skin with knife, but refrained.
! then spent the morning in consulting
chemists and doctors They all agreed that
had rubbed my head with some common
dye and that such often stains the skin,
but also expressed an opinion that some
uncommon ingredient had been mixed with
the dye, which made it stick so fast and
shine so brilliantly. ut may wear off in
time" was the meager comfort received
This was on Saturday and in the after
noon was going to meet Rose, who had
holiday.
"How ill you look, George" was her first
remark when we met.
"And no wondern' groaned. look at
my head"
1t was no use trying to hide it. 1t would
have to come sooner or later, and wanted
to get it over.
''Le-let me sit down." gurgled Rose. 81
Il feel faint"
We sat down, and I told her how it came
about that my head was brown, though |
didn't mention that Saunders--whom |
didn't think she knew by name-had
wrought me the mischief.
"Wo-wont it come OFF," asked Rose,
covering her face with her hands.
"I've tried everything, and l can't move
it," groaned, "What am to dor"
Nm sure don'tknow. unless you redye
it pi-pink Or bl-blue and make a sort of
Italian sky of your head. 1t would be far
pret-prettier than it is at present" she said,
with a hysterical laHgh.
Then Rose suddenly got up and said firm
ly:
"George-Mr. Podgers, our engagement
must be at an end. could have put up
with an ordinary bald head, but--but can
not marry man with brown bald head.
lit puts me in mind of our ma-mahog-
any table. Goo-goodby, for--foreverr'
Could blame herr Ifelt that in justice
could not No man with shiny, brown,
bald head could expect q girl to marry him.
never patronized that pastry cooks
again. My digestive organs rejoice thereat,
but my heart is sore distressed.