Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-06-28
Ole
Curl That Strayed.
Ole
By Grace R. Dweley.


multuous shower over her shoulders
and out the window and tempted Sid
ney Crowthers until he shipped just
one tiny strand, feeling sure she would
never miss it, and striving to excuse
himself with the assurance that any
other fellow would have done the
same thing in his place.
The day had been tiresome one
because people could not choose their
own best company. The party had left
the hotel at Pasadena early in the
morning in automobiles and had stray
gled up to the inn one by one around
noontime when the sun made havoc
with the roads and clouds of dust en-
ycloped the suffering tourists.
Edna Brayton and Mrs. Peele, with a
chauffeur and Mrs. Peele's young son,
were nearing the inn just as tire
burst, and at the same time sicken-
ing odor and thick cloud of smoke
testified to trouble on the gasoline
tank The women jumped from their
seats with terrified abruptneSs, the boy
following excitedly. 1t was all over
in a few moments, except that Edna
and her chaperon looked as if they
had been powdered with coal dust.
They decided to wait at the inn I'M
til the damage had been repaired.
Sidney Crowthers held up his auto to
wait for them, because his was the
only one not loaded. Because he could
not have Miss Brayton with him on
this trip he had resolutely refused to
bore himself with any one else. Miss
Brayton, aware of this fact, chuckled
to herself and felt that it was good
thing for him not to have his own
way.
But Fate said otherwise. While he
sat in the adjoining reception room
and read to while away the time, Ed
ma Brayton was sitting close to an
open window trying to dry the long
golden hair that streamed over her
shoulders, for she wanted to keep her
shirtwaist fresh.
So an Grant breeze played with 1t
and gave promise of a brisk drying,
when suddenly a little golden strand
Haunted itself past the window where
Sidney Crowthers sat impatiently
waiting Haunting, reckoning, it
came and went, until he was exhaust
ed fighting the temptation. Then he
cut the tiny lock, and what he did
with it before placing it in his pock-
et. no one ever knew
About an hour later Sidney Crow
theirs received a little note, which the
boy said called for no reply.
my dear Mr. Crowthers," it read,
II thought you were gentleman, but
I know now that you are thief. Do
not seek to question me, for your own
conscience should tell you why all pos
sible relations should cease from now
on"
1t was a pale gray shadow of an
imp that had reluctantly penned that
note, for Edna Brayton had held her
breath while the rascal cut the tiny
golden curl, had felt the thrill go
straight to her heart from his hand,
and longed to feel it again. But she
meant to teach him lesson on pre-
sumption. He had always been just
little too confident of his own
charms-evidently he thought he had
only to desire a thing, and, by hook
or crook, it would be his.
So Sidney sat in glum thought and
whistled-the word possible ringing
in his brain with knell of alternate
despair and hope. Then it might have
been possible, if he had bided his time,
for her to care for him and tell him
so! Heigho, but he was always putting
his foot in it, What could he possibly
say to mend the breach and restore
himself to favor?
The ink bottle rested on the little
desk in the corner, quiescent, sugges-
tive. Helpless, hopeless, with the tiny
golden curl burning its way to the core
of his heart and filling it with long,
ing for the unattainable Sidney
Crowthers shook his own black head
till the curls thereon danced defiantly,
and, bending his broad Shoulders to
his unaceustomed task, he wrote thus:
my Dear Miss Brayton-It takes a
thief to catch thief You stole my
heart first, and now you have stolen
all had to live for-my last vestige
of hope Again, say it takes thief
to catch thief. and you cant have
that blessed little curl until you give
me back my hope that you have SC
100 ya1x {olroy,.
He dispatched the note and then
paced the floor like a Gagged tiger
ANY fellow would have done it If he
had any spunk,' he said to the imp in
the ink bottle.
Five, ten and fifteen minutes passed
while Edna Brayton pulled and pinned
the golden hair to a semblance of or.
der. and then threw on her travelling
clothes, and stole out of the door t
/ the room nearby where she heart
! those heavy. impatient steps.