Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-04-24


again. at seems she had typhoid fever
liking short hair, she wore a-a-well,
not exactly wig"
"a switch?''
"Yes;I guess that's what you call it.
Well, in trying to cross Deer creek on
some slippery powders one day when
we were all out fishing, she and one OF
the other girls slipped and got into
pretty deep water. We had a great
time pulling them out. They were
soaked from head to feet, and in try
ing to dry the switch at the camp fire
cit got burned. She said she did not
mind the value entirely, but it was SO
hard to match; she had paid small
fortune for that one. She really looks
pretty with short curls, but won't be
happy till she matches her switch
again. But even with the switch there
wasn't such an everlasting lot of it as
you seem to have, and so fine and soft!"
And he touched it gently, as if it were
something precious.
Beyond the pleasure of his compli-
ments Mile was recalling all the asto-
ries she had read and wept over of
beautiful maidens who had sold their
long locks to buy their family bread
Must she do this? It was all she had
No pretty clothes, no jewelry; tan on
hands and face. Why, even Roy seemed
to admire it more than anything else
about her. If it were cut off would he
ever come all the way up here to see
her again, bringing into her life the
touch of young companionship and the
hr.IrP IN I h, IL. 4 h.,
had been more to her than she had
realized?
But, 'a small fortune!" Her fathers
face at midnight haunted her. AT
what sacrifice had he stopped? Every
thing had gone to Golden HAIR" the
| mine that was her cruel namesake
Would it not be only appropriate to
give this, too?
Roy" she said, to the enthusiast
tic youth. looking at her so approx
ingly, wouldn't 1 be fright if it
| wasn't just for my hair? Would
you-would you like me without it?
His eyes opened wide.
| 'You see, washed it this morning
| because my head ached; perhaps it is
| too heavy. If 1 had it cut off, per-
haps my head wouldn't ache. If
cut it off, 60 you think Miss Blayre
would really buy it?"
When he heard how the father had
come home, he understood about the
headaches and the mercenary willing
| ness to trade golden locks for green
backs. His young heart, too, swelled
with impotent desire to help.
When he met her at his sisters in
| Golden, to take her to the gradua-
ton exercises at the hall, he looked
at her twice as if to be sure she was
the same girl.
"Well, what is it?" she laughed
and dimpled saucily.
What is it--you?'' he retorted.
What has happened? What have
you done to yourself? Has some
thing happened?" he repeated eager
| ly, looking at her happy eyes spark
ling so bewitchingly under her luXu-
rious golden pompadour, $50 that you
won't need Toto" and he touche ed
the wonderful pompadour fearfully.
with one finger.
well, on the principle that the
condemned convict gets a square
meal and his last luxury" she said
mischievously, 81 determined to
| spend my last dollar on a shampoo
not the kind have been used to Civ.
| ing it up in the creek, but the regu-
| lar hairdresser sOrt-and couture,
| as they call what I cali fixing it,
| and this is one result. Do you like
| it?' And she turned her head dain-
| ti1y as bird, from side to side be-
fore his admiring eyes.
you look stunning!" was his sat
isfactory reply.
But here's the miracle" she went
on, her eyes dancing more gladly
than ever. ''The girl who did my
hair was the conversational kind OF
a female barber"
"Oh!" he groaned; 81 didn't know
you had them, too"
.'Well, we don't mind; we don't GO
so often, and it was lucky for me
this one was. While washing nv
hair, she asked politely: Excuse
me, but don't you do something?
That wasn't very definite, and ]
didn't get her point. I said I did
things occasionally. Then she asked
me if did not work in frameshop
did not understand her. 1t seems
she comes from the east, and she
went on to say that the gold-leaf had
gotten into my hair ard on my sca1T
just like it did back there in the hair
of the girls that worked at gliding
Epicture frames, but she had not
heard of a frame factory in Denver
When I told her did not know any
thing about such work, she asked me
what I used on my hair and how ]
Iwashed it. told her the only fixings
it got was a little soap and that ]
washed it in the creek at home. be
cause the water was so nice and soft
|