The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-11-01
SHAVING A MILLIONAIRE.

SHAVING A MILLIONAIRE.
Everybody who lives in New Jerse,
will recollect Billy Gibbons, the million
aire. lie was an eccentric man, anc
numerous stories are told of his freaks
Here is one of them.
IL seems that Billy, while in coun
try village, in which he owned some
property, stepped into barber shop tc
get shaved. The shop was full of Gus
toners, and the old gentleman quietly
waited for his turn.
A customer, who was under the bar.
ber's hands when the old e - eman
came in, asked the ''knight of lie ra.
zor,n in undertone, if he knew n 40 that
was? and on receiving negative re-
ply, be informed him in awhisper, it
was .'Old Billy Gibbons, the richest man
in the STATE.
"Gad,nsa' the barber, "I'll charge
himf~e his have"
As dinghy, after the old man had
h,dt operation performed, he was
,oiaewhat surprised upon asking the
Z price to be told that it was seventy re
cents.
"Seventy-five cents?" said he, sisn't
that rather n high price?"
"lt's my price," said he of the lather,
brush, independently, "and as this is
the only barber shop in the place them
as comes into it must pay what ask. +"
To the old man this WAS evidently a
krock-down argument, for he drew
three-quarters of dollar from his
pocket, paid them over to the barber,
and left the shop.
A short time after he was in close
conversation with the landlord of a
tavern near by, and the. topic of con-
versation was barber shops.
"Why is it" "said he, "tberes only one
barber shop in town? There seems to
be nearly enough work for two"
"Well, there used to be two" said
the landlord, still last winter, when
this new man came up from the city
and opened a new shop, and as every.
thing IN it was fresh and new, folks
sort of deserted Bill Harrington's shop
which bad been going for nigh fourteen
years.
"But didn't this Bill do good work.
Didn't he shave well, aud-cheap?
swell, as for that" said the landlord
"Bill did his work well enough, but hii
shop wasn't on the main street like the
new one, and didn't have so many pic
lures and handsome curtains, and folk,
got in the way of thinking the chaI
was more scientific and brought more
city fashions with him, though, to tel
the TRUTH" said the landlord, striking {
chin sown with beard resembling
screen wire,T never want lighter
touch or n keener razor than BIZ Har'
rington's."
''City fashions -eh?' growed the old
man. $50 the new mans city fashions
shut up the other barbershor?"
swell, not exactly, "said the land
lord, "though things never did seem to
60 well with Bill after the pew shop
opened; first, one of his little children
died of fever; then his VIE was long
sick, and B:li had big bdl TO pay at the
doc.or's; then as a bsst mishap, his
shop burned down One night, tools,
brushes, furniture md all, and no in.
suraDce."
SWELL" said Ihe old man, pcttishly,
"Why didn't H start again?" -.-
"Slart aodnr' said the communica.
tive landlord; "why, bless your soul,
he hsspS G t anything to start WITH -
.H<m-m! Where does this man
liyS asked the old man.
Hc was directed, and ere long was in
Conversation with the unfortunate ton.
sor, who eorroborated the landlords
tory.
"Why don't you take a new shop?''
said the old man; "there's q new one in
the block right opposite the other bar
Der shop"
"Wha,m said the other, "you must
be crazy. Why that block belongs TO
old Billy Gibbons; he'd never let one of
his stores for barber shop; they arc a
mighty s,ght too good; besides that, |
haven't got twenty dollars in the world
10 ft it pp sith.
"You doLt know old Billy Gibbons
as well as u do, said he. snow listen
10 me ~ can have that shop all
htted .r -ent free, what will YOU work
n IT sar by the month? What is the
least you can live on?p
This Tfoposition somewhat startled
.fhe unfortunate hair-dresser, who finally
toiind words 10 stammer out that twelve
o. fifteen dollars a month would he
al 1t enough.
'fawr' said the nil sstha,
NOW III 4 give
E s-en1 .e- Your services sis ..s ali an
&ese conditions: You are TO shave and
cssssir for everybody that applies 10
you, and take no pay; just charge it all
20 me, snd for u ur seryices III nav YOU
.Nefiy dollars menth, payable in nd.
ssbcpfay toe gin now. .n'-coptIm,ed
placing two an dollar notes on the
lab'e before thaastonished barber--wbo
! is almost unnecessary 10 state nc,
eepted Che PROPOSITION, and who was
mi1 more suppress 20 learn that 4 was
sllly Gibbons himself who had hired