The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1898-09-24

tht belltt5 IL was beyond conception
mulutudnous, and as concerned the
individual member-well, just a dirty
brown, furless caterpillar
1--WE must get rid Of them" Isabel
exclaimed, "anJ lose no time eitherl
They are already beginning to leave
their tents"
''Pcrhaps when they get through
with them they'll fold up their tents
| like the Arabs suggested facetious-
| ly, not fully alive to the gravity Of the
situation, "and silently save you the
trouble"
Isabel smiled at my chronological
innocence, and proceeded, without
reference to my suggestion, to sketch
an immediate campaign in which |
was to play las far as I could see) the
| leading role, in fact, YOU might say
| that l was the campaign, since il con-
sisted C'unless you're in hurry,
Ned,") in my LAYING hands on a GER
tain long pole and attaching theretos
rag saturated I'm kerosene, lighting
the same and with this brand valiant
" setting forth to play the angel Of
death 10 these luckless worms. Eager
" oboviuc orders, L Was soon sizzling
the vile things in their tents, so that
most must have died before they knew
what was ths matter with them; some
few cuwied out on the branches,
where they lay inertly, watching With
a truly Indian stoicism the de Ic-
ton Of their homes. In short, l did
great execution on that day--a good
deal greater than Imeant to.
It happened in this way, was
holding the pole under a tree burning
tent, Isabel was standing near me
looking on. The rag had just been
rcplenished with kerosene and was
burning like a bonfire (it was fine
fat rag Suddenly it wayered. l
saw that the string that held it TO the
pole had burned through, and called
to Isabel to get out Of the way. She
misunderstood me and came nearer,
to see what was the matter. Thenext
second her gold hair was unnaturally
radiant; Of all places, the burning
kerosene had lighted there!
l clapped my hands over her head,
finally wrapped It in my coat, and
must have had the fire extingnshed |
before her scalp was burned. But she
had turned as pale as death, and when !
the flames were well out she tainted. |
l carried her into the house, all a.
tremble, and sent for the doctor. You
see my experience with women has
been limited, and I remembered her
husbands death and thought Of heart |
failure. l laid her on the sofa, and |
while I was rushing about after smell |
ing salts and brandy she revived |
quietly Of her own accord. But, oh, 1t |
was a dreadful awakening! | have
spoken Of her heroism in bearing poor |
Mays loss; this somehow scanned to |
torsake her when it came to the loss
Of her hair. Those golden coils, those
long glistening coils that had
crowned her head as with halo Of
glory, were gone, irrevocably gonel
All she did was to abup and put her
hands to her denuded head and then
break into q low wall, rocking her
body to and fro and letting the tears
'un down her cheeks unhindered.
I could have cried myself for very
pity. I sat down beside her on the
sofa and took her hand and did my
best to comfort her; and as my words
began to tell, and she turned her tear
,ul eyes upon me, l experienced such
sweet melting Of the heart that am
sure my consolation would shortly
nave taken a tone Of appeal, and l
what's the use Of imag-
ming? Before that blissful consum-
nation had been reached, the door
Jel rang and | fastened into the hall
0 meet the doctor,
He was quite a dashing fellow, that
loctor; said he would look her over,
yut judged from my account that the
Medicine she needed was rather spir-
tual than physical Well, I won't ex-
AUST your patience. He was good
octor, but l have always felt that he '
hould have confined himself to the
after sort Of medicine which 1t was
is business TO dispense; instead Of
hitch, he took hold and administered d
be former in such effective doses that
e is now living on the Coy place and
sabel is a doctors wife-when she .
1uld just as well have been law
ar's, which would have been SO much
icer Well, her hair has grown again c
fine as ever, if that's any consola- t
Of course I take less in I
rest in it now. l
So you see I'm not at all fanciful;
'st and last, l have been ruined by l
e tent caterpillar.-Archibald Cur =
ce, in Country Gentleman.