The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1881-11-19

razor, giving it scrape first down one side, then
the other and once he drew the keen blade across
my throat, not heavily, but so as to fetch the
blood and cause stinging sensation, almost from
ear to ear. AS the deadly weapon flashed before
me 1 closed my eyes, expecting my time had
come but no, his cruel nature, like cats, in
clined him to torture his victim before making a
final disposition of the carcass.
81 heard the clock strike eleven. An age of
agonizing suspense rolled over me, and twelve
sounded. The streets had long since become
quiet.
Il summoned up some little degree of courage,
and putting on as bold front as possible asked,
in what | meant for jOcular manner, how long
is this show to continued
when the clock strikes
Then my work is done
he chanted at first in low monotone but gradu-
ally raising his voice higher and higher until it
ended in fierce yell when the clock strikes
one'
The hands of the time-piece upon little shelf
in one corner pointed to the quarter of the dread
ed hour. He stood over me with uplifted razor,
one hand pressing my head firmly back over the
rest attached to the chair thus leaving my throat
fully exposed. ! expected every moment to feel
the instrument of death eating through my flesh
when slight noise at the window farthest from
me attracted his attention. He tip-toed carefully
across the room, but Immediately returned and
resumed his former position.
'"When the clock strikes one he howled-
only five mnutes-when the clock .. There
was the report of some sort of fre-arrn-the crash
of broken glass-the zip of ballet, and the
maniac fell over me, shot through the shoulder.
His razor made an ugly cash which left this scar
on my cheek, as he went down
Il tainted. Ofcourse it was weakness from my
wounds received in service that caused me to do
so-they had not all fairly healed yet-and when
l recovered, | found that had been conveyed to
hotel near the depot and comfortably housed.
There were several parties in the room when /
came to my senses From one Of them learned
the following facts:
"The barber had been employed by the owner
Of the shop a week previous, and although at
times little peculiar, had, up to the night of my
visit, proved himself a moderately good hand.
That same evening couple of keepers from an
insane asy lum in neghboring city had reached
town. in quest of an escaped inmate of the inst
tuition to which they belonged.
They had tracked him to his place of business,
but supposing him to have gone, as all other
shops were shut up when they arrived they
visited the owner of the establishment and with
him We're on the way to the lunatic's lodging
when the light was discovered Peeping through
a chink in the curtain they had seen my perilous
predicament, and having tried the door, only to
find it locked adopted the only seemingly possible
plan to save me, and shot my would-be assassin.
! immediately upon seeing him fall, they had
broken aa door, released me, and made him
prisoner not seriously wounded. And
a9 Eoa bs , the reason why do not go to a
BARRIERS ~ gas shaved. I shudder at the very
though, ing helplessly in chair at the
mercy of a man who could cut my throat in the
twinkling of an eye, if he once took notion into
his head to do So No sir-ee-no BARRIERS for me-
I'll SINCE my beard off with candle-parboil
my face, and scrape off the brstles, as butchers
do those from porker's back before will ever
again allow razor to be put upon my head-piece
by any other hand than my own
Tom shuddered as he finished his story: and
as for Newell, have shaved myself ever since,
and expect to do so hereafter, as long as live