The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-08-05
For the firesiae Gcllair.
Translated from the French for the Home Journal
THE BARRIERS CUSTOMER.
BY WILLIAM ME1GHAN.

oA WILLIAM mElGhAN
The great clock of the City Hotel had Just
struck ten. The barber of the University,
after having scraped the chins of dozen stu
dents, was on the point of retiring for the
night, when suddenly the door of his shop
was thrown open, and man of small stature
hurriedly advanced toward him. His stom-
ach was of a plumpy rotundity that would
have done honor to an alderman /; the face,
the legs, and, inded, the entire body of this
individual, bore the same marks of ensJonpoint.
The air and language of this person, whom
the barber could not recollect having ever
seen in his shop before, showed that he was
a man exempt from care, and loved good
cheer at all times. His costume was little
singular. He wore hat with an extremely
broad brm, black coat worn to threads, and
breeches fastened to the knee with copper
buckles. His hair, curling and black as the
ravens wing, fell carelessly over his should
ers his moustache was long and very bushy,
and his beard was at least five days old.
On entering the shop, he saluted tie bar
ber in very familiar manner, and sat him
self, without the least ceremony, in the large
arm chair that received the BARRIERS clients.
The latter had fixed his eyes in wonder up-
on the stranger, and could not overcome his
surprise, so astounded and shocked did he feel
at the mans familiarity. The other seeming
not to notice the barber's surprise, occupied
himself in passing and repassing his hand ov-'
er his thick beard. At last he said : Il
:" Can YOU shave me Pr at .l.-. ~
{" Sir ?'' exclaimed the barber, with great
deal of assurance, as if he had not heard the
question. ssa
Il ask you,'' answered the other, in loud
voice, "if you can shave me. Did I come
here for anything else than to be shaved ?''-
And again he commenced to caress his beard
with great complacency. F53
The barber was tall, thin man, mounted
upon pair of drumstick-lke legs. He was
about fifty years old, and courage had never
been, even in his younger days, the bright
side of his character. Nevertheless he had
too much personal dignity-he, the privileged
barber of the professors of the University
| to permit, any stranger to crow over him in
his own house. His anger therefore, by far
exceeded a sentiment of fear, which, notwith-
standing his efforts to conceal, began to make
itself felt, and he listened to the question of
his insolent visitor with an assurance alto
gether unusual with him.
"You asked me, Sir, if 1 can shave you,''
said he, continuing to sharpen razor he was
holding in his hand when the stranger enter
ed. l." / see no obstacle to my shaving you,
notwithstanding the late hour of the night
| can," continued he, in livelier tone, ''shave
any man who ever boasted of a beard, on his
tIchin. You willlnot, j am sure, be more diff
cult to shave than any one else, although
your beard does bear some resemblance TO the
bristles of pig or of some other animal Of
the same family.'' ek4 IL .t3Et. ..estE
81 All very well;syou will shave me, then,'
replied the other, who, at the same time seat
ing himself at his ease the chair, united hi
q cravat; then stretching out his fat legs as ia
as their short dimensions would allow, h,
placed himself in the posture of a man VIII,
i is about to be shaved, and began to rub ant
scratch his beard and chin with great appa
s rent satisfaction oS t9 '-ls
: The barber put his spectacles upon his long
+ thin nose and with mischievous, irouica
! air, fixed upon the stranger look which in
r dicated nothing more or less than complet
satisfaction. AT last he broke the silence b
saying:s 81 al s3sh ia> Y.l.iatt..,.s!
"I sasyrsir, / can shave anybody, but
"But what % said the other, in -discor
tented manner. s.i - .saa
"But I do not wish to shave you,'' reptile
the barber, and he recommended to sharpe
the razor as before, without pas-ipg any mol
attention to his visitor The latter SCENE
to be greatly astonished at such language, an
looked at the barber with an air of surpri.
I'd mingled with curiosity.
But curiosity soon gave place to ange
= ! which announced itself in the heaving of h
u chest, the movement of his nostrils, and
i the fire that seemed to rush suddenly oy
his countenance. Little by little his cheel
J became puffed up and acquired nearly Il
!, rotundity and dimensions of a huge pumpki
:. Not shave me f'' cried he, vomiting for
! from his lungs and cheeks the mass of {
that had congregated there. The fury of Il
81 tempest was terrible. The barber stood trer
bling like leaf, and had notstrength enou,
!. to pronounce single word.
= ..Not shave mel" exclaimed the strang
G land then all was silent. t.oiie m.t
5a "Not shave mel" repeated the little m
st a third time, in higher tone of voice tn