The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-05
THE LOCK OF YELLOW HAIR.
A story of Jealous Wife and Her
HOmeIy Husband.
By BERT w. POSTER.


thario He was The most commonplace, not
to say plainest, looking Of mortals, res
pected member Of the Board of Trade and
a thorough business man. 1 don't suppose
any woman excepting smolletts wife ever
looked twice at him; and yet Mrs. Smoilelt
was inord .natefy jealous.
Smolett's marriage, rathet late in life,
was a quite unexpected one. He was
forty-two if he was a day when the papers
announced the surprising event. The sly
rascal had never let breath of it out and
the very day of the ceremony he shrewdly
'pinched" johnson and Joe and Ed. La
| telle in c., 3. & O., clearing enough to
pay the expenses of his wedding journey.
Only there wasn't any journey. No,
sir; they settled down in Smollett's up
town house like an cd married pair. l
was SmOLetts closest friend, so L knew
| something about the match. 1t was pure
| ly a marriage for love if ever there was
| one, and the bride, who was one of the
| daintiest, prettiest little creatures you
| ever saw (she was twenty yea Smo lett
| junior, began at once to enjoy herseH
! by being Wild jealous Of her home4y
| husband
If the bridegroom had been jealous Of
the bride there mieht have been some ap-
| parent sense in it. But poor old Smollett!
| Why he was as homely as hedge fence.
| Lydia, however, never seemed 10 see this
| incongruity She had loved Smollett ever
| since her school days, when he used TO
| carry her wonderful French dolls and
snuggie pounds and pounds of candy into
the boarding school to her, and now she
| thougflt that of course every other woman
| the poor fellow had ever spoken with must
| have loved him, too.
A long while ago Smollett had part
! ner, who died and left his daughter,
! child Of TO- to Smonetts care. This daugh-
ter was Lydia and it was long before her
! guardian mad even dared think of marry
! ing her. 1t is one of the mysteries Of the
! decade how she ever managed to show
the perverse fellow that she cared for
| him.
Well, they got along delightfully."- for two
years, excepting when Lydia got it into
| her foolish mead that Abram was spend
| ing more time in his Office than he ought
and became frightfully jealous of the
! typewriter, whom she pictured in her own
mind as a siren of unlimited power over
| the other sex.
When she made an unexpected descent
upon the office, however, she found a long
| legged, red-headed boy battering the keys
of the machine and the only woman on
| the premises was the scrub woman, OF
| whom even Lydia could not be jealous.
SmoLett is as methodical in his habits as
| a weI-regulated town clock On a GER
| tain day every spring he leaves off fian>
! nels and on a certain day in the fall he
put on overshoes. Once in every two
| years he has his watch cleaned. at the
| jewelers. The time for renovating his
chronorneter came around lately and
| Smollett left it with a jeweler on Broad
way, in the shopping district.
! Stocks were rather shaky about that
time and he had to be at his desk early
and late to watch matters. He couldn
| find time to go around after his timepiece
| and its absence was always botheriug him,
| for he had TO depend upon church clocks
| a French mantel clock that was never
| known to be right half a day at a time.
or his wifes chatelaine, and was always
missing cars and being late a appoint
ments.
So dear Lydia, with the best of inten-
! tons found the jewelers. ticket and went
| herself after the watch. saying nothing TO
! Smoilett about it. When she presented the
ticket to the jeweler he looked at it and
then at her.
This is genueman's watch, Miss"
! Lydia blushed prettily. "Oh, yes; IT'S
my husbands" she said
| He brought il from the safe and sadi
| 81 think it's all right. ma am He snap
| ped the case and opened the back Of the
| watch 10 look at the works. As he did 50
a tiny lock of hair slipped out upon the
! show case.
The jeweler glanced at it and then at
Lydia. Her nair is a golden brown. The
| lock which had dropped out Of the watch
was yellow!
The jeweler was a wise man; he was
married himself. He glanced sly.y at Ly-
| dia Her eyes were flashing and a red
spot burned in either cheek. She had seen
| the lock of hair. but he out of the good
ness of his heart tried to shield the vic
tim. He closed the watch without put
| ting back the hair and started 10 pack
the timepiece in box.
You have forgotten something" said
Lydia, in a hard voice.
4 beg pardon!'
you have forgotten something" she re-
peated, pointing to the yellow lock- which
! he had sought to hide with his coat sleeve.
| "Ch. thar said this blessed AnanIas.
Il guess you're wrong, ma'am That's
a bit of hair customer of mine wanted
! me TO put in locket for him"
u saw it drop" said Lydia, with
calmness that quelled the jewelers. glib
| tongue. Put it back in the watch"
| He obeyed; she paid his bill and swept
| regally from the store. That is why Smof-
| lett going home that night after partic-
ularly vexing day and longing to forget
business for a few hours in the society
of his charming little wife, found in her
| place an iceberg.
She did not meet him in the hall as
usual. The maid opened the door. When
he went up 40 her room she had locked
herself in and would not answer. At din
ner she came down late and brought into
the room with her an atmosphere that
positively gave Smollett chill, turned the
| footman's nose blue and cooled the coffee
| in the urn.
Smollett was puzzled, but made no COM
ment With women, as in business
| Smollett's was a waiting game. He always
went on the theory that, if he waited long
! enough, the other fellow would show his
hand. So after dinner he retired to the
| library with his paper
His theory was again proved correct
She soon appeared, but a glance at her
face assured him that there was little
change in the weather. He wished ne
had ordered James to light fire in the
CRATE. She stood beside the table and
placed a box upon it.
! There IS your watch"
"Oh, thank you, my dear" said the un-
| suspicious Smoliett. I'D never foInd