The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-01-04
The Tonsorial Fiend.

encourage him in that belief. 1t was q
strange town to me, all the people were
strangers, and l was so far from home
that | doubted if man, woman or child in
that locality had ever met me before.
The barber smiled tenderly as he point.
ed TO the chair, and then led right off as
familiarly as if he had shaved me every
day for a month past. While mixing
the lather, he remarked on the weather,
the crops, the panic, the lost baloonist,
and other matters, and although [ did
not pretend to hear him, he was not to be
beaten.
hope you'll do well here" he said,
as he pushed my head over and daubed
the lather on my right cheek, commenc,
ing at the butt Of the ear.
Silence on my part
This town needs another drv Foods
store" he continued after moment. land
[ shouldn't wonder if you Just coined
money"
Long silence
Perhaps it was the silence that con.
vlnccd the barber that he had made a
mistake, but he was not discouraged.
AS he lathered the left cheek he sudden.
ly said
There are three or four lawyers here
uow, but as Christopher Columbus said
There is room at the top of the heap, >
aud | think you will be full Of business
all the time
He was looking right down into my
face. and tfr ugh the foam of latte er lie
might have detected faint smile, a
frown or somc other expression which
hurt bis conceit. He instantly suspected
that he had made another mistake.
was looking into the glass on the wall aud
| SAN his countenance change. Some
BARRIERS would not have pushed the sub.
ject further, but he was the only barber
in the village, and he felt that he had
certain tights that ] was bound to re.
spect He might have reasoned that |
was mulish and obstinate and needed
coaxing and fattering, or perhaps he the
orized that l was timid and hesitating
and wanted encouraging. At any rate he
attacked me again, saying
" This is nice village, but | never
saw so much sickness in al! my life as we
have had this year. Our doctors don't
seem to know enough to manage the dis.
eases, and l am glad you are going to
open an Office. l am pretty healthy as
general thing, but if | get sick I'll give
you my custom in preference to any one
else."
Still watching the glass, saw self
satisfied smile ripple across his face For
about half minute he felt dead sure in
his own mind that he had boxed me up.
Then again shade ofsuspicion crossed
his face. Silence sometimes gives con.
sent but in this case, after scrutinizing
my face sharply for an instant, he inter.
preted it to be that he had blundered
again. He was vexed. | had no right
to sit there and treat his round cornered
queries with such contemptuous silence.
He would pay me for such conduct. l
saw the spirit of resolve creep into his
face and he said
| was saying only the other day that
this town was able to support another
blacksmith shop. Old Jones is good.
hearted but he knows no more about
shoeing horse than cook does about
sailing a canal boat"
His eyes glistened, and ho took no
pains to keep down the chuckle of salts.
faction bubbling up in his throat. He
regarded it as line shot-a crusher-
and if he hadn't been shaving my chin at
that time he would have been unable to
suppress laugh. His razor crossed the
chin and scraped up and down and skip.
ped around to the jugular vein before the
barber's smile faded. He had been
watching me to catch a start of surprise
or look of displeasure. or something to
guide his opinion aud as he had been
unsuccessful, he renewed the ather on
A. i-f. ~L~~i- --A -;cL~I A-~--;i.
hoped he was man OF determination,
and trusted that he would not give it up.
Fearing that he would, l was about to
speak when he smiled blandly and re.
marked
" l can tell school teacher the min.
ute | set eyes on him."
Lather and shave.
I" Well, | suppose teaching is a good
paying business" be went on.as he look.
ed my face over to see if he had skipped
a spot-"aud I'm willing to help you all
| can. | haven't any children-am not
married-but if ever | get married and
have children I'll send them to you"
His persistency and fattery deserved
some encouragement, but l was deter
mined to hold out to the last ditch. He
shut up his razor with q quick, vexed
motion, tossed it on the stand regardless
of damages, and he smiled mallciously as
he got down his bottle Of adulterated bay
rum. | knew that it would bite like
serpent and sting like an adder, but
could | show less stoicism than he had
shown diplomacy and persistency ?
Didn't commence the struggle ?
| shut my teeth and looked straight
into the glass, and he soaped the fiery
stuff over my cheeks and chin. He ex.
pected squirm and yell, and his sur
prise was great. Tie light of revenge
had crept into his eyes, but it quickly ia.
ded away, and as he replaced the bottle
and wiped my face with the towel he
said
4" | never saw but one man who could
stand bay rum like that, and he was
returned Californian. The climate of
that country hardens the flesh, 1 suppose.
| refused to reply. He got angry
again, dug my scalp as he combed my
hair, gave my head several unnecessary
twists and knocks and pushes, and he
jerked the big calico apron off my lap as
If he hated me. However, curiosity sud
denly overcame his vexation of spirit, and
as he brushed me off he said
Z" This town ought to support another
undertaken, and if l can be Of any assist.
ance in finding you shop you con call
upon me day or night"