Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-04-12
BY A HAIRS BREADTH.


Selina's severely smooth plaits were
down and the girl brushing the satiny
locks with many an exclamation at
their length and beauty.
In quarter of an hour Miss Selma
was transformed.
"Why, you naughty woman" ex-
claimed the girl, as she stepped for
ward for final inspection. "No one
would take you for day over 80.
Now that you know how to do it prop
erly, don't let me see you with it any
other way. It's like the poem that
remarked, They made believe to fancy
dress by the way they did their hair.
Now I have got to go and help pack,
but, dear Miss Selma, please leave
your hair that way, and if you can't
get it straight in the morning l will
fix it when 1 come to say good-by. -
When the lively girl had vanished,
the little house grew doubly quiet by
contrast, and Miss Selma felt herself
strangely lonely. 1t was due to the
impending parting with her favorite,
she concluded, and strove to console
herself By dusting her already immac-
ulate house and eating her solitary
tea. But all through the evening the
strange feeling fingered; fingered until
the stiffness of the night, broken only
by the monotone of the waves upon
the sand, grew almost unbearable.
1t was great relief when about 8
o'clock Miss Selma heard heavy foot
fall upon her neatly swept walk, and
knew that the captain had come to
call, as was his custom twice week.
The captain was like Miss Selina-one
OF the aristocracy of the little seaport,
and boarded since his retirement from
active life with widow not far from
the little cottage on the cliff. He had
sailed with Miss Selina's father on his
last ill-fated voyage, and this made
keen bond of sympathy between the
lonely man aud woman.
But this evening some intuition
made the captain pause and glance in
at the open window befor. entering.
The little room with its collection
of quaint and curious objects, hotsam
from score of foreign trips, was the
same, but his eyes were riveted upon
Miss. Selma, as she leaned expectantly
forward waiting for his knock. Some
indefinable change had passed over
her, but without pausing to analyze
the change, the captain shook off his
bewilderment and entered the parlor,
which was we'll nigh filled with his
tall, portly form.
Good evening, Miss Selma" he
remarked, seating himself IN big
rocker, which had by mutual consent
been ceded to him. ''I was feeling
lonesome and came here to find some
pleasant company. How very we'll you
look tonight" he finished eallantlv.
Miss Selma started, then thought of
her hair an9 flushed most becoming
pink.
The captain always said that the
blush finally settled the question that
for some months had lurked in his
mind. For some occult reason he
could not forget how charming she
had looked, and thoughts of Miss Sc
lima intruded into every turn the con-
versation took.
When he spoke of the sea it sudden
ly made him recall how much sorrow
it had brought upon her life, and was
the direct cause of her loveliness.
In discussing the shingling of the
minister's roof he remembered that
Miss Selma had said that her roof
leaked in the last storm, and that she
must hire some one to repair it, as she
could hardly do it alone.
When the famous seed cakes were
brought out the captain thought of the
soggy gingerbread at his own table
and mentally drew invidious compar-
isons. The very neatness of the room
made him recall how very careless his
landlady was growing. and above oil
he could not help contrasting the
frowsy widow with the trim figure and
pink tinged face before him, which
time and misfortune had failed to
change for the worse, and which had
suddenly become doubly attractive.
As the captain meditated upon these
matters tiny caraway seed started
the poor man choking in a startling
manner.
Miss Selma, who had the tenderest
heart alive, sprang up and hastened
to the closet, where she kept her rare
ly used restoratives.
Unfortunately, hswever, the little
lady in her excitement entirely forgot
that her hair was triAe higher than
she had ever worn it before, and as
she stood on tip-toe and reached for
ward to lift bottle from shelf, an
unwary movement brought her against