Wichita eagle., 1889-02-22
THE sHAyERs.
Peculiar Customers Who Drop
Into BARRIERS Chairs.
knights of the Razor Who Easily Become
Familiar With the Secrets of Those
Whose Faces They Reap-Passing
Judgment on New Clothes, Etc.
lPhlladeIphia Press.l

Philadelphia Press.J
"Shaving mans face makes you init
mate with him; you can't help it, that's
fact" said the gentlemanly colored bar
Der, as he rubbed an additional dose of
lather on the customers chin. 81 don't
mean to say you become his bosom friend
with the first shave, but let him come
regularly for three months, aud you know
all about his business, his family, his
friends, his meals and everything else.
All the education Tve had l got at Lincoln
University, but most of the knowledge of
the world and the people in it Pve learned
in the barber shop. Does che razor hurt,
sir?"
"Do all your customers chatter with
you: Don't shave me too close"
"No, sir; there are a few silent ones.
They frown all the time. One or two Of
them come here six or seven times with
out exchanging a word with one OF US.
So quickly do we learn the popularity of
such men that we don't even put the usual
questions to them, and as for attempting
to sell them any hair remedy or dandr uff
remover, we would as soon try block of
stone Bay rum? yes, sir. The most in
teresting customer is the lover. He IS
daisy, particularly when he first arrives
and confdentially ask. you to make his
hair curl little on the forehead and
to shave him very smooth, as he is going
to see his girl. By the time you have fin
ished with his face, it's ten to one you
know as much about the lady as he does.
AS time goes on you can tell by his moods
how his love affair progresses, until the
period arrives when he either grows tickle
and tells you of his new flame, or gets
Tilted and grows beard which only
brings him at odd times to the shop for
trimmings, or gets married and stays
away altogether. Powder, sir?"
1.-THE dude, of course, is always with
u.s." continued the barber, rubbing vigor-
ously at the bald spot on the customers
head; she very seldom has much hair on
his face, but he likes to feel the razor.
When he has anything above his mouth
he is always careful to request: Please
don't take anything off the end OF my
moustache'-and you DON'T because, as
a rule, you can't. Then the man who has
forgotten his pocket-book is constant
occurrence, and so is the man who owes
YOU for two shaves and never comes again.
He don't mean to stay away, but when.
ever he thinks of you he hasn't got
enough change, and so he goes somewhere
else for his scraping.
''The stingy man is the Ileast popular
customer. He never by any chance gives
YOU the change, even if it is only five cents,
and it's funny to see what little interest
is taken in such man. The boy always
forgets to brush him of and usually man
ages to knock down his hat He never
gets clean towel, and is usually shaved
with the razor you are honing down. His
pimples are never spared, and his cup IS
seldom washed. That's the way he catches
it. But the contrast with the generous
customer, the man who never takes change
out of a quarter and very often leaves
dime with the boy besides. Why, we al
most eat him up with attention; we all,
from the boss downward, brush him off;
we treat his hat with the tender
ness of a baby; we battle his face
with the particular lavender water OF the
dude customer; we laugh at all his jokes
and admire all his clothes; in fact. we are
his admirers from the moment he enters
until he leaves us. Speaking of clothes
reminds me that the dressy customer Is
the Young man who always comes to US !
for a first opinion On his last new suit, and
he generally takes our advice in regard to
fit. Complete admiration of his taste
generally brings out quarter of dollar.
''The most perplexing customer" con-
tinued the barber, as he waxed the ends OF
the customers moustache, "is the doubt
full one Sometimes he is all talk, and at |
others he has not word to say. Occa-
sionally he knocks you silly by telling you
to keep the change out of hall dollar,
and then for the next week or month he
looks as sharply after his five cents change |
as though his life depended on it,"
"Some BARRIERS make money, l SUPPOSE"
oueried the customer, as he rose fro IN the |
chair with his hair plastered down on his |
forehead and his whiskers redolent with
brilliantine.
"Not very many, sir, and no big money
at that, unless you get some capital some
how and become q boss barber. Very few |
journeyman BARRIERS earn more than SD
week, the majority less than SO. Christ /
mas time brings $50 to $40 in tips, and /
sometimes an old suit of clothes or other /
half-worn raiment is given US by a GUS
toner. Still, there are worse trades than
shaving and cutting hair, and now. think /
of it, | don't think l mentioned the .
drunken customer to you, who is the most /
valuable of the lot. He either wants to be- |
sobered up because he is drunk or sobered /
down because he has been drunk. He has
to be doctored with the towels and Jumps
of ice behind the ears and strong doses of
bay rum and tanning, and cocktail
brought in by the boy and then more ice.
and finally when he is through and says,
How much?' IN leave that 10 you, SIR
never brings less than half dollar and
very often means whole one-thank you,
sir, call again"