River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-04-16

is II long
''Well, it isn't now,'' and he laughed
again. at seems she had typhoid fever
and had to have her hair cut, and, dis
liking short hair, she wore a-a-well,
not exactly a wig
"a switch? -
"Yes;I guess that's what you call it.
Well, in trying to cross Deer creek on
some slippery powders ones day when
we were all out fishing, she and one of
the other girls slipped and got into
pretty deep water, We had great
time pulling them out. They were
soaked from head to feet, and in try
ing to dry the switch at the camp fire
it got burned. She said she did MOI
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 wont 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 sto-
RES she had read and wept over of
beautiful maidens who had sold their
long locks to buy their family bread.
Must she do this? 1t 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
brightness of the outside world that
had been more to her than she had
realized?
But, "a small fortune!" Her ia theirs
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 [ be fright if it
wasn't just for my hair? Would
you-would you like me without it? 2"
His eyes opened wide.
you see, | washed it this morning
because my head ached; perhaps it is
too heavy. If [ had it cut off, per-
haps my head wouldn't ache. If
cut it off, do 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 happesed? 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 touched
the wonderful pompadour fearfully,
with one finger.
"Well, on the principle that the
condemned convict gets square
meal and his last luxury" she said
mischievously, - 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 'coiffure.'
as they call what I call fixing it.
and this is one result. Do YOU like
it 2" And she turned her head dain-
tily as a 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
female barber"
Obi" he groaned; 81 didn't know
you had them, too
"Well, we don't mind: we don't 90
so often, and it was lucky for me
this one was. While washing my
hair, she asked politely: Excuse
me, but don't you do something?'
That wasn't very definite, and I
didn't get her point. I said / did
things occasionally. Then she asked
me if / did not work in frameshOD.
/ did not understand her It seems
she comes from the east and che
went on to say that the gold-leaf had
gotten into my hair ard on my scalp
just like it did back there in the hair
of the girls that worked at gliding
picture frames, but she had not
heard of frame factory in Denver.
When | told her I did not know any-
thing about suNtl work, she asked me
what I used on my hair and how I
washed it. | told her the only filings
it got was a little soap and that |
washed it in the creek at home be-
cause the water was so nice and soft.
"'Oh!' she said, I've heard of them
washing gold in the creeks; placer
mining, You call it, don't you?' And
then it dawned on mel"
Flour goldi" he exclaimed excit-
eddy. ''The creek gravel is probably
full of it and the fine flour gold is
churned up and kept floating by the
force of the current Your hair
would act like an amalgam plate.
The gold would be precipitated and
collect among the strands of it and
deposit on your scalp. Why. there is