The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-03-09
MY STRANGE CUSTOMER

Ny name is Rinaldo Sprouts. | am
barber; consequently l am very well
acquainted with all my neighbors' al,
fairs.
"How does that follow p you ask.
Easily. When the head of the family
is under my hands, undergoing the oper.
alton OF having the superhuous, hirsute
appendage removed or trimmed; or, to
put it palmer, so that common minds
may grasp my meaning, when he is be,
ing shaved, of'course he becomes loqua.
cious, and pours into my sympathetic
ear his domestic troubles. l don't know
why, but the process Of being shaved
generally renders man very communi,
cative, and so j generally find out all
about the skeleton in the closet.
For that reason like the trade To
own secrets is to own money, though !
am proud to say that | never use my
power to extort money, in large orsmall
amounts from my numerous customers
| only calculate the acquisition Of Sc
crets for my own pleasure. ! have a
mania for it. Some people collect col ms
some stamps, others pictures. and so on,
while collect secrets; and, through
long practice, | can tell at glance
whether man has secret or not, and
| always find it and add it to my col,
lection. No! not always; sometimes ]
am batfled. Even the most successful
generals lose, at least, one battle.
One day a man came into my shop,
and wanted to be shaved. He was a
big, burly man, and dressed moderately
well, and his countenance wore an ex-
preston of subdued ferocitk-somewhat
tigerisb, | thought. | knew at once
that he had secret, and | talked to
him necessarily while shaving him; but
he never answered a word. talked to
him of the weather, about politics, and
the hard times. He nodded, he shook
his head, he winked. and he smiled; but
he spoke not. put forth all my efforts,
but in vain. | began to think that he
must be dumb; but, no-as he left my
shop, he turned his head and said Good
day = | felt Inundated, crestfallen.
1t was my first defeat.
But still, this was but the first at
tempt. Perhaps would see him again?
| did.
He came three days afterward.
Again | could not succeed in making
him speak, except "Good-day, with an
accompanying wink as he lett my
shop.
Was | about to be vanquished COM
pletelv? Were my laurels whitening
Alas it seemed so. But | never would
succumb without struggle. While
there was lite there was hope.
He came again and again, and |
noticed that he had troubled express
sion on his face and a frown on his brow.
His secret was evidently gnawing at his
heart.
At last. one day he called, and as
was shaving him made a dis
covery.
On his shirt front saw q drop OF
blood Plainly blood, nothing less.
What could it mean? He saw me
looking at it, and Immediately covered
it with his hand and glared around I'M
easily. :,
As he went out he did not say Good
day." Suspicious circumstance! | saw
myself on the verge Of terrible secret,
and trembled as thought what that
secret was.
passed two sleepless nights ponder
ing and conjecturing, but arrived at no
conclusion.
At the third day he called again.
For the first minute or so he was silent,
and then he spoke, and his voice was in
expressibly mournful.
Sprouts" said he.
"W ell, said /.
"Sprouls,' he said in a low tone. 81
want" He stopped.
"Well, I'm listening" said |, and !
trembled as | thought that perhaps he
was about to divulge his secret. $50
on
Can trust you, Sprouts ? he asked
hesitatingly.
Certainly" said /.
with secretY
"Of course" said reassuringly.