Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-08-10
About BARRIERS.
BY MARK TWAIN.

res in barber shop the first time
one, is what he always expert
barber shops afterward till the
i DAYS. | got shaved this morn
ual. A man approached the door
pes street as approached it from
thing that always happens. /
rp, but it was of no use; he en-
door one little step ahead of me,
lowed in on his heels and saw
the only vacant chair, the one
over by the best barber. 1t al
opens so. / sat down, hoping
cht fill heir to the chair belong
better of the remaining two bar
he had already begun combing his
ir, while his comrade was not yet
ne rubbing up and oiling his
Is locks. l watched the proba-
nth strong interest. When l saw
2 was gaining on No. l, my in
ew to solicitude. When No. 1
moment to make change on a
ket for a newcomer, and lost
the race, my solicitude rose to
When No. l caught up again,
he and his comrade were pulling
IS away and brushing the powder
customers cheeks, and it was
even thing which one would say
first, my very breath stood still
suspense. But when, at the final
ng moment, No. l stopped to
nb a couple of times through
ner's eyebrows, / saw that he
The race by single instant, and l
wnant and quilted the shop, to
falling into the hands of No. 2;
none of that enviable firmness
les man to look calmly into the
waiting barber and tell him he
for his fellow-barber's chair. |
/ fifteen minutes, and then went
ling for better luck. OF course
hairs were occupied now, and
sat waiting, silent, unsociable,
and looking bored, as men
who are awaiting their turn in
hop. sat down in one Of the
u compartments Of an old sofa,
the time for while, reading
d advertisements of all sorts of
Btroms for dyeing and coloring
Then l read the greasy names
iyate bay rum bottles; read the
noted the numbers on the pri-
ing cups in the pigeon. holes;
be stained and damaged cheap
the walls, of battles early Presi
ID Voluptuous, recumbent sultanas,
tresome and everlasting young
ing her grandfather's spectacles
rated in my heart the cheerful
nd the distracting parrot that few
|hops are without. Finally,
out the least dilapidated of the
Is illustrated papers that Uttered
Center- table, and conned their un-
+ misrepresentation of old forgot
Is. AT last my turn came. A
"Nextw and | surrendered to
of course. 1t always happens SO.
meekly, that l was in a
Ind it affected him as strong
had never heard it. He showed
head and put MAJ kin I'm.
FL ploughed his tigers INTO my
hd fixed a towel there. He eX-
" hair with his claws and sug-
BAT it needed trimming. / said /
want it trimmed. He explored
d said it was pretty long for the
tyle-better have a little taken
teded il behind, especially. | said
it cut only a week before. He
pver it effectively moment, and
led, with disparaging manner,
it came back at him promptly
You did" | had him there.
fell to stirring up his lather and
himself in the glass, stopping
then to get close and examine his
ically or torture a pimple. Then
ed one side OF my face thoroughly,
about to lather the other, when a
attracted his attention, and he
|e window and stayed and saw it
pg two shillings on the result in
IN the other BARRIERS, a thing
gave me great satisfaction.
nished lath ring, meantime
the brush into my mouth only
ID then began to rub in the suds
hand; and as he now had his
ned, discussing the dog fight with
BARRIERS, he naturally shoveled
kble lather into my mouth with
fing it, but | did. He now began
In his razor On an old suspender,
delayed a good deal on account of
Fersy about cheap masquerade
|ad figured at the night before, in
pric and bogus ermine, as some
king. He was SO gratified with
hfted about some damsel whom he
ten with his charms, that he used
bans to continue the controversy,
hding to be annoyed at the chaf-
bis fellows. This matter begot
Evenings of himself in the glass,
put down his razor and brushed
with elaborate care, plastering an
arch of it down on his forehead,
Pshing an accurate "part" behind,
Phing the two wings forward over
with nice exactness. 1t the mean
lather was drying on my face, and
Fly eating into my vitals. Now
to shave, digging his fingers into
(tenance to stretch the skin, max
indie of my nose now and then,
and tumbling my head this way
!, as convenience in shaving de-
and hawking" and expectorating
" all the while. As long as he
Pc tough sides of my face ! did not
lut when he began to rake, and
tug at my chin, the tears came.
mind his getting so close down
did not mind his garlic, because
rs eat garlic, l suppose but there
(dded something that made me fear
Eas decaying inwardly while still
q this gave me much concern. He
MS finger into my mouth TO assist
having the corners of my upper
! was by this bit of circumstantial
that | discovered that q part OF
|es In the shop was to clean the
lamps. l had often wondered in