The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-09-06
sH4TING A 1ITLLI0NATRE.

was an eccentric man, and numerous sto- T.
les are told of his freaks. Here is one of
them:
1t seems that Billy, while in country F..
village, in which he owned some PROPERTY, /.
stepped into BARRIERS shop to get shaved. /
The shop was full of customers, and the old .
gentleman quietly waited for his turn. /
customer who WAS under the BARRIERS .
hands when the old gentleman came in, /
asked the ''knight of the razor IN an un-
dertone, if he knew who that was, and, on /
receiving negative reply, he informed
him, in whisper, it was ''Old Billy Glib
bons, the richest man III the State
Cad" said the barber, 'I'l charge him
for his shave"
Accordingly, after the old man had the
operation performed, he was somewhat
surprised upon asking the price, to be told
''seventy-iive cents"
''Seveuty-five CENTS said lie, quietly,
'fsn't that rather high price,
cts my price, said he of the lather
! brush, independently, land as this is the
only barber's shop in the place, them as
! comes into it must pay what l ask
To the old man this was evidently
knock-down argument, for lac drew three
quarters Of a dollar from his pocket paid
them over to the barber, and left the shop
a short time after this he was i'll close
conversation with the landlord of a tavern
hard by, and the topic Of the conversation
was barber Shops
''Why is it." said he '1here's only one
cbC,, IN, tow, Thor. cap,y,S +J ba
nearly enough work for two
'.Well. there used to be two,H said the
landlord, ''till last winter, when this new
man came up from the city, and opened
new shop, and as everything in it vas fresh
and new, folks sort OF deserted Bin Har-
rington's shop, which had been going on
for nigh fourteen years.
''But didn't this Bill do good wor}, p
Didn't he shave well and chcap?"
''Wcl, rs for that" said The landlord,
'sBn did his work well enough, but his
! shop wasn't on the main street like the
new one, and didn't have so many pictures
| and handsome curtains, aud folks got III
the way of thinking the new chap was
more scientific and brought more city fash
ions with him, though, to tell the truth,
| said the landlord, struEing a chin sown
with beard resembling screen wire, Il
never want lighter touch or a koenor IA
zor than BIZ Harrington's."
| CITY fashions-eh?" growled the old
man. $50 the new mans city fashions
shut up the other barber shop?'
''Wel, not exactly" said the landlord,
''though things never did seem to. go we'll
with Bill after the new shop opened first,
one of his little children died of fever; then
his wife was sick long time, and Bin had
a big bill TO pay at the doctors then,
last misfortune, his shop was burned down
one night, TOOLS brushes, furniture and no
! insurance.
"Well, " said the old man pettishly, ''why
don't he start up again?'
start again?" said the communicative
landlord; why, bless your soul, he hasn't
got anything to start with"
''H-m-In ,tWhere does this man hye?''
asked the old man.
.'IIe was directed, and ere long was in
conversation with the unfortunate tonsor,
who corroborated the landlords story.
''Why don't you take new shop?" said
the old man; 'there's new one in the
block right opposite the other barber shop"
''What ~ said the other, ''you must .be
crazy. Why, that block belongs to old
Billy Gibbons he'd never let one Of those
stores for barber shop; they are mighty
sight too good besides thSt, haven't got
twenty dollars in the world to fit it up with. 4"
''You don't know old Billy Gibbons as
well as l do, said the other. Now lis
ten. If you can have that shop all fitted
up, rent free, what viii you work in it for
by the month? What is the least you can
live on?''
The proposition somewhat startled the
unfortunate hair-dresser who finally found
words to stammer out that perhaps twelve
or fifteen dollars a month would be about
enough.
sPshawr' said the old man, s'that won t
do. Now listen to me-Fn give you that
store, rent free, one year. and engage your
services six months. all on these conditions :
You are to shave and cut hair for every
body that applies to you, aud take no pay :;
Just charge it all to me, and for your ser
vices III pay you twenty dollars month,
payable in advance-pay to commence
now," continued ne, placing two ten dollar
notes on the table before the astonished
barber, who, it is almost unnecessary to
state, accepted the proposition, and who
WAS still more surprised to learn that it was
Billy Gibbons himself that had hired him.
In few days the inhabitants of that vii
lage were astonished by the appearance OF
a splendid new barber shop, far surprising
the other in elegance Of appointments ana
III which, with new mugs, soaps, razofs an"
! perfunes. stood barber and assistant ready
to do duty ON the heads and boards OF the
-, L.. ,-,s i,,sc,.ibad sENyiI