The Red Cloud chief., 1897-01-29
Gcwgaws.

says Health and
Home; and within tho present century
the heads of whole families in Devon
shire were let out by the year at so
much per poll. a periwigmaker of Exc
ter going round at certain periods to
cut the locks, afterward oiling the
skull of each bereft person. That the
use Of false hair as an aid to femin-
inc beauty vas not unknown to the
ancient is well proved. The Greeks,
Romans and Egyptians, long before the
dawn of the Christian era. resorted to
the wearing OF tresses obtained from
other persons heads; they even went 80
far as to paint bald heads so as to rep
resent them as covered with short hair,
also marble caps. 80 painted, were
worn. A valuable merchandise In the
blond hair OF German women IL mem
toned In ancient Roman history.
A question that has doubtless often
presented itself Is. Where did all this
hair come from? This question I will
cndeavor to answer With the coming
Of spring, in the midlands and west Of
France, appeared what may be fifty
termed a singular class Of nomadic in
dividuals, armed with long, iron-tip-
ped slaves and bearing heavy packs Of
merchandise upon their backs. At first
glance one would have taken them to
be ordinary hawkers; yet merchandise
was but an accessory to their strange
industry. They were the coupeurs, the
reapers of n hirsute harvest. Armed
with long. keen shears. they went their
way seeking the tresses OF willing vic
tins dwelling In outlying hamlets and
villages of peasant France, and a la
borious business 1t al From "dewy
morn" until the shadows Of night gath
cred thickly they did their ten or ff-
teen miles a day-often fruitlessly and
with empty stOmachs. their only bed
the wayside. In Auvergne these seek
ers after hair were known as Chin
neurs. The Bretons called them mar
goulins. These terms have no At
English parallels.
These curious %journeymen exerted
every effort to gain their ends-a good
head of hair: the former preferring
the local fairs as a work room, the lat
ter choosing to visit the dwellings of
their possible clients. In summer the
Brittany margoulin was often seen 60
ing through the streets. carrying his
long staff, from which hung twists VI
hair. while he cried in doleful tones the
well-known "Piau! Piau!' at the
| un,,nI 80 u,btnh tha ,ntnn. ,rlal. nm
itching desire to possess some Of his
gew-gaws, attracted the wanderers at
teation. He was only o pleased to
dazzle their eyes with his many-col-
ored wares, and the bargaining was not
slow to begin. While the m An
gered his goods the margoulin weighed
her tresses with his hand-a proceed
ing at which he was adept through long
practice. The bargain ended, the wom-
an yielded her abundant locks in re-
turn for a few yards of cotton stun or
a gay petticoat, to which, thanks to the
progress OF civilization-the coupeur
had to add a small sum Of money.
Sometimes the transaction was not
completed without much discussion on
both sides. Very often the coupeur had
to return to the charge owing to female
indecision; and he was more than hap
py when sure that a tardy remorse
would not rob him OF half his coveted
trophy.
Until the authorities interviewed, cut
ting was conducted In public as an
amusement for Onl0Okers, II being con
sidered highly entertaining to hear ten
Or twelve rival coupeurs eulogizing
their wares, each protesting his to be
far superior to his fellows. The pro-
hibitiOn Of this custom drove the hair
%harvesters to erect tents. rent for the
day unoccupied shops, cellars, stables
or any corner they could find wherein
to establish themselves. Sticks were
then stuck up, from them being sus-
pended petticoats as a lure, as an in
dication Of what could be had In ex-
change for tresses; to the p~etticoats
were attached twists of hair as trade
marks. The ruse succeeded, peasants
halted, casting envious glances at the
m%ulti-colored garments; they were han
uIcu, anu SNVh VII, thub dIOIuluk
an opportunity to the coupeurs to fat
ter their fair cust0mers-who did not
long rest-and victory rewarded the
cute buyers. In Auvergne-where tho
cOupeurs were most numcrous-the
greatest harvest was reaped on st.
Johns day. The ingathering extended
from April to September, during which
month the butchers, bakers. lock-
smiths, ETC., forsook their ordinary avo-
cations for that of the coupeur, return
ing to their legitimate trades with the
coming Of the dead season. The hair
Of different countries was distinguish
ed by certain qualities: for instance,
that OF Auvergne was the coarsest; the
finest and most fiaxen came from Bel
GUM; the blacklist and longest from
Italy, while that procured In Brittany