The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1909-11-17
Her Growing Beauty
By EDWARD HARRIS
Copyright, by w. G. Chapman.)

all her beautiful hair and admired 1t
to her hearts content.
"Cut it off and sell it," she said re.
membering the hairdresser's Offer
"I'd sooner cut my head off. I'd
starve with it rather than live without
it," And she braided it into two long
plaits and went into the other room to
get supper.
The next day she heard that Will
had gone away. and as the days
passed and no word came from him,
she reproached herself for her hasty
speech. But she always rallied to her
own defense. He was too critical and
exacting, and why couldn't she think
her hair pretty without being vain?
If he had really loved her he would
have delighted in it too. II he had
loved her he would not have stayed
| away a whole month without writing
| to her either. No, he had never real.
ly loved her. They had quarreled over
her tresses and now she had lost him
and had only them to comfort her.
One morning all her arguments. all
the rights and wrongs of the matter,
we're ended. There came a letter
from a nurse in a charity hospital i'll
the city, saying that Will had been i'll
with typhoid fever there for two
weeks. The work that had been prom.
ised him. he had not received. 1t was
not such serious case, the letter said,
but the patients low spirits retarded
his recovery. He declared he had no
friends, but had let the name of Kitty
Owen slip out, with the name OF his
town, and the nurse had written. II
his friends would get him home he
would recover but if his low spirits con.
tinued, it was hard to say how the
case would end.
Then with great food of feeling
that opened all the depths of the gir:s
nature, came the knowledge that Gbe
loved Will Payne. That he was dear
er to her than life, that she must 20
to him, save him, bring him home,
above all, tell him that she loved him
and ask him to forgive her, was her
surging impulse, but she was checked
by the thought-"How?"
II have no money" she cried de.
spairingly, ooh what shall do?" She
pressed her hands to her throbbing
temples and touched her hair and the
problem was solved.
He promised he would give me
$35 for it," she whispered as she hur-
ried along the street. Her only fear was
that the man might have changed his
mind.
But he had not. In establishment,
but eagerly, he cut it off and counted
the bills into Kitty's hand. She
clutched them, and without one regret
full look at the shining strands now
the property of the hairdresser, she
hurried away. That evening she
reached the hospital.
Il will tell him first that you are
here" said the nurse. Then Kitty
was led upstairs and into ward
. where in one of the white, iror
beds lay the pale, thin shadow of wat
. Payne. She had meant to ask for for
giveness, but the words refused tt
!. come, as she knelt beside him, ant
= he spoke first.
kitty, how did you get here? Blu
I'm so glad you've come! 1v'
thought so much about you and want
y ed to tell you how sorry am for tn
way l used to act to you. ! was al
= ways finding fault, when ought t
have been just worshiping you, Kitty
}. because love you. When l think o
; you, so gay and pretty, and me ST
II hard and critical, l don't wonder yo
y didn't like me. want you to forgiv
me for saying you were vain, and t
r. tell you that your hair is the mos
It beautiful in the world and that low
it too"
u "You must love It," faltered Kit,
n for it has brought me here, and it.
l. going to take you home to our hous
"a as soon as you can CO." There wa
t a glimpse of a smile behind the mis-
n in the girls eyes as she took off he
e hat and showed her little, shorn hea
d to the man.
Kitty" he gasped, comprehendn
le her sacrifice. "how could you do it,"
"a Because love you, dear, and
"a was the only way to prove it," viii
70 pefed the girl, as she bent over hi
IA and kissed him tenderly. And In tn
le silence that followed, they knew tn,
their hearts had found rest at last.
d, Love makes woman believe Il
n Of things that she knows are not tru