The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1903-04-24

again, she ran down to the stream ana
laved her head in it's cooling waters.
Spread out in the sun to dry, the
yellow tresses shone like the heart of
mine. So thought young man
springing up the steep path and at her
side before sne could gather the golden
masses into neat restraint.
'Why didn't you whistle? I didn't
hear you coming" she said blushing.
81 opened my mouth 20, but kept it
open at sight of SO much wealth." he
answered what a lot of hair you
have and how long it is-and beauti-
full" he added admiringly, as it es-
capped her in her nervous haste and
billowed about her shoulders and be-
low her waist.
DO you think SOP" she asked shyly.
81 never saw lovelier hair" he af-
firmed emphatically. "Most girls would
give fortune for it. know one who
would" and he laughed. "She is the
only one ever saw with hair anything
like yours"
"Who is that?" she queried, curl
ously. "Why should she want mine if
hers is like it?''
''You remember my telling you that
Senator Blayre's daughter was with us
on our camping trip last month? Well,
she has lovely golden hair, with those
peculiar bronze shades in it, like red
gold, something like yours, only hers
is not quite so bright and beautiful. l
don't think it is as fine"
''Is it long?"
'Well, it isn't now," and he laughed
again. ''It seems she had typhoid fever
and had to have her hair cut, and, dis
liking short hair, she wore a-ar-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
it 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 Millie 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. Wh-, 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 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 enthusias-
tic youth, looking at her SO approx
ingly, wouldn't / be a fright if it
wasn't just for my hair? Would
you-would you like me without it?"
His eyes opened wide.
''You see, 1 washed it this morning
because my head ached; perhaps it is
too heavy. If I had it cut off, per-