Evening star., 1902-03-08
THE FIRST GRAY HAIR
CREATES SAD consrERNAr1oN
SOMETIMES.
But Wealth of It Often Creates
Comeliness and
Grace.

When a woman has once felt the tender,
clumsy fingers OF the man she loves thread
ing and tangling in the smeshes Of her hair,
| 1t has indeed become her glory and the OBJ
| ject of her special care. 1t Is not vanity
| but love which makes her shake her locks
| like q veil of fragrant mist about her
shoulders and coax them into waves and
| shining curls for his delight. It is not
vanity but love which makes her grIeve
when some day she finds, among the tresses
! he has praised the first gray hair.
| Some one, a long time ago. who thought
more of making rhyme than Of telling the
! truth, said
The first white hair that in my locks find
| Will mark the hour l leave sweet youth
behind.
Arrant nonsense, and bad poetry that
| has been remembered when better things
| have been forgotten; and has caused gencr-
| ations of women to weep. Gray heads are
no longer considered venerable; for there
| are SHOWS in May as well as December,
| and lass of sixteen may show frosted
plume above here unwrinEed brow.
The doctors tell US that the change is
| effected by chemicals, and the color of our
| locks depends wholly on tricksy natures
| whim They do not whiten with our tears.
| as we have been won't to believe and we
| cannot point to them proof that we
| are women of sorrows. It is not the Iron
| in our souls that turns our hair gray; it
| is the lack of 1t with certain other pig
ments, in blood.
| The possession Of a mass Of beautiful
! white hair will do more for a woman
| awake to it's possibilities than any other
| gift of the years. Nature is a great artist
| When the hair changes some subtle and
| altogether harmonious difference is seen
| In the complexion. 1t Softens and becomes
| clearer in tone. There is not one woman
| IN fifty who is not far handsomer with
white hair than she was before the trans
| formation took place.
| 1t is well known that black is an enemy
| to beauty. and only the milk and roses skin
| of a heroine in novel can stand the SOM
| Der hue. SO it often happens that plain,
| dark girl emerges into a radiant belle when
| time, or the chemicals referred to, crown
| her with silver.
! The fashion of wearing white or pow
dered wigs was becoming to every one in
| the days of the old empire, and now even
| the most ordinary man becomes a distin-
euished gentleman when his locks begin to
| silver and white thatch is priced beyond
riches by every one who desires the admir-
| ing attention of his kind But we have
| been in the habt of associating gray ha.r
| with age, and old age is the bogy Of our
| dreams. We dread its very name and fear
| when we find that first white hair that the
| phantom has crept upon as we slept ard
| left it as sign that he Is near.
| But although that single thread is multi
piled by thousands and by tens of thou
| sands it is always the approach Of age
we really fear; never It's actual coming.
| Our friends and neighbors may call US old.
and even the ones who love us best sus-
pect it. But we do not feel the frost touch
in cur hearts as long as they can beaL
to the measures of hope. | have heard of
old men, but | have never seen one no
be sure, now and then, one calls himself
an old fellow but his eyes always hold
a doughty challenge to me to dare to be
leye it. And. in truth, there is no old age
unless it works outward from a heart that
has grown wrinkled by the noncirculation
of charity.
The white badge in woman's hair is
not. truce to the riot Of pulses and the
thrill Of life. A certain lady. Sarah by
name. fascinated king of Egypt when she
was ninety years old, and ancient ladies
have charmed heroes ever since.
The most beautiful woman | ever knew
was nearer eighty than eighteen. Her hair
was q white ninbus and her lips were
curved with compassion and peace Her
nephew incted q classmate to spend the
holidays with him at her house.
He is someEninG Of a dreamer auntie."
he explained In letter, asking permission
to make the visit but The right sort
sure YOU will like him"
So Maurice Harper was introduced. and
when the beautiful wrinkled hand was laid
in his strong brown fingers in greeting he
raised 1t to his lips reverently.
He was an deaiist. lie did not remember
his mothers touch and voice, and some
thing in this womans loving eyes awakened
an emotion he did not understand He
thought it was mans love for the woman
God meant to be his wife. But she knew
Il was but the yearning for the mother he
had never known. He wooed her like a
knight. But she put her arm about his
shoulders motherWise, and told him he was
mistaken in the quality Of the love he felt
for her.
1T vas a temptation" she admitted to
me afterWard We women never grow SO
old that the love Of a youth or sage does
not stir our vanity 1t was 50 beautiful to
feel that ! had not outgrawn the right to
compliment and admiratiOn: and SO easy
to flatter myself into belief that 1 could
keep that love to the end"
And is not that possible thing?" l
asked
No she answered 'Some time The
Woman's eyes will meet his and then he
Will know the difference between the tender
chiyalfy he gives me and the love that bios
SONS al the sight of her Any woman who
marries a man much younger than herself
must expect that"
She was sensible and knew it, but we
both sighed.
He says you are treasure" said.
Yes. smile curved her mouth. And
now that / have refused him | shall be
certain that the time will not come when
he will be anxious to lay up his treasure
III heaven"
you are lovely enough to keep a young
mans love- / said, stoutly.
That seems strange" she answered. II
was quite plain as a young girl and never
had an offer Of marriage until the day Of
my first gray hair