Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1914 — Caught by His White Hair [ARTICLE]

Caught by His White Hair

By MARTHA EVERSHAM

When I was a girl of seventeen I was far older than my years. Young fellows of my own age seemed to me what they really were—beardless boys. They were full of sports and nonsense, whereas I was philosophically inclined. I loved to talk with men who knew a great deal more than I did—men w’ho could talk learnedly oh a variety of subjects. Thus I /was thrown in with, those who were usually double my age. But my intimacy with such persons was entirely irh Actual. Nothing akin to love wai. " ited by any of them. • Indeed, of them had passed middle agi vul were incapable of sympathizing a girl in her teens. While it was true that I had intellectual cravings, it was also true that I was still a young girl. There were times when 1 wished for companionship with young persons. But 1 was rather inclined to be young with them than that they—l refer to the men—should be young with me. What I mean is that there, is a certain dignity In a young man that a girl looks for in one whom she would consider seriously as a possible life companion. When 1 was nineteen my father decided that I should finish my education by a trip abroad. We sailed one February morning for Naples, intending to work our way northward with the opening spring, spending the hot sum mbr mouths in Switzerland. On reaching Naples, when we were going ashore In the ship’s tender, I noticed a young man whose hair lin’d evidently turned prematurely gray. Never have I seen so striking a contrast between a young face and white hair. He appeared to be recovering from an illness. He sat opposite me in the boat, and for the life of me 1 could not keep my eyes off his contrasting features. He knew that I was looking at him. and this fixed his attention upon me. We drove from the custom house to the hotel, our party of three in an open cab loaded down with hand baggage. On, the way we passisl another cab containing the white haired young man. Again we exchanged glances as he drove by us, and when we brought up at the hotel (mtranee he was getting out of his cab to (mter the house. I confess I was secretly pleased that we would be at (lie same abiding place. That very evening an acquaintance of my father introduced Hie young man to us as George Caruthers, telling us that lie had been ill and was traveling for his health. The introducer would lie grateful for any attention wo might show Ids friend. Mother sympathized with Mr. Caruthers, a strainer in a strange land and not strong. Site made quite a pet of him. and before we left Naples, he having no deflnito plans, she invited him to travel with us.

A party traveling for pleasure becomes intimate at once. In these days of form the only way of making new old friends, if I may be allowed the expression, is travel In company wiih others. I was during a sojourn in the principal Italian cities from Naples to Milan and on the railways connecting them a constant companion of George Caruthers, it seemed to me that there was as great a contrast in ids disposition as there was In Ids outward features. He had the quiet dignity, the depth of understanding of a man ami the freshness of youth. These accorded admirably with his appearance. He had, too, a way of falling in with my moods. When I wished Idm serious lie was serious; when I preferred that he should be youthful he was youthful. These persons with young faces and white hair are very deceptive as to their age. I angled with Mr. Caruthers to draw from him his age. I elicited certain bits of information from him with the intention of putting them together and thus deducing how old he was. But he soon divined my intention and gave his answer in a way to defeat my purpose. Then he would laugh at me for my failure. We reached northern Italy in a cou-> pie of months, and by this time my newly made friend had quite recovered his strength. His complexion was naturally florid, and the contrast between his face and his,hair under his improved condition was the greater. He was always close shaven, but I could see that bls beard did not partake of the color of his hair. But even this was difficult to determine, for bis beard was evidently meager and of a light hue. It is well nigh impossible for a young man to travel in company with a young girl without an affair of the heart, and our case was no exception. George Caruthers proposed to me on Lake Leman just before we reached Geneva. In reply I told him that 1 had but one objection f& him that which was now an attraction would one day be a detriment. When he began to grow old be would look far older than he was on accpunt of his white hair. He took off his bat with one hand and with the other pulled off his scalp and an overlay of white hair, displaying a bead of short, thick blond hair beneath. “A wig!" I exclaimed. “A wig.’’ ho replied. “After leaving America, in consequence of fever, my hair began to come out. and before reaching Naples it was nearly all gone. The only wig I could get on the ship was this one. and since knowing you and being with you constantly 1 have not liked to change it.” Singular that 1 should have been caught by a wig. isn’t it?