A Man, in times when polygamy was allowed, had two wives, one of
whom, like himself, had seen her best days, and was verging upon the
decline of life, but possessed many engaging qualities. The other was
young and beautiful, and shared the affection of her husband, whom
she made as happy as he was capable of being, but was not completely
so herself. The white hairs mixed with the black upon the good man’s
head, gave her some uneasiness, by proclaiming the great disparity of
their years; wherefore, under colour of dressing his head, she plucked
out the silver hairs, that he might still have as few visible signs
of an advanced age as possible. The older dame, for reasons directly
opposite, esteemed these grey locks as the honours of his head, and
thought, while they gave him a venerable look, they made her appear
something younger, so that every time she combed his head, she took
equal pains to extirpate the black hairs. Each continued her project,
unknown to the other, until the poor man, who thought their desire to
oblige him put them upon this extraordinary officiousness in dressing
his head, found himself without any hair at all!