Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-02-20


HE WIPED LARGE HOT TEAR FROM MY
HEAD.
He was a middle aged man with
deep, red eye, shaded by clustering
mass of eyebrow through which the
lake breezes were won't to sough. The
other eye was in the same condition.
His hair had formerly been bright
red.
Some was flowing and some had fed.
thought of this sentiment whilst he was
shaving me, and when he had finished |
wrote il in his album for him.
He bad an air of neglige and easy
naivette and bon homme and carte
blanche, and wore linen cuffs with edg-
ings Of iron gray. His collar also had
gray whiskers on 1t, and the name
around the buttons Of his trousers needed
reaching. He was a man of fine mold,
and while he strained me TO his breast
as he shaved under my chin discovered
that he carried little asafotida in his
left hand vest pocket to keep off con-
tagious diseases, and also that he had
very loud ticking watch OF the Ameri-
can type, with a revolutionary move
ment.
At times he spoke almost sadly of the
past and Of those be had shaved, who
were now Ia land where full boards
are worn almost exclusively. Once, as
he spoke Of a statesman who had passed
ON and left Us, he asked me TO excuse
him as he wiped large bot tear from
the top Of my head. / said, Never
mind; weep on, thou sad hearted man.
Relieve thine o'ercharged orbs. 1t will
do thee good. have wept in a barber
shop many a time myself. 1t does me
good TO see thee do so now"
When he had recovered himself a lit
tie, he wiped his eyes somewhat on a
towel, and, going into the clothes press
Tor few moments, where heard him
measuring out some cough medicine, he
soon returned, frightened up great deal.
he and his breath both having gained q
great deal of strength, 1t seemed TO me.
He said that he used to shave Commo-
dore Vanderbilt. l asked him how the
commodore was to shave. He said that
he always got shaved at home. 81 used
70 go up every morning and shave him
at his home. He left orders that was
70 come to his room, and there would
always find him in his shirt sleeves. He
rarely swore at me, fearing that l might
accidentally cut his cheek. He frequent
ly had soft boiled egg on the end Of his
nose, but / never laid up anything agin
him for that. You never can tell where
soft boiled egg will light. / even found
soft boiled egg on Mr.. Beecher's chin
once, and he said that it must have been
there all through one of his most search
ing sermons. You never know when
you eat soft boiled egg whether the
most OF it went inside on the lining of
the coats of the stomach or outside on
the lining of your overcoat, or in your
ear or down the back of your neck.
"One time, however, the commodore
swore at me quite good deal, remem.
Der. had shaved him little too close,
and 80 his face bled little. OF course
had to rub alum on it to stop the bleed
ing, and it made the old man quite smart
for one of his time of life. He got kind
Of hot and told me l could go away and
never come back any more. / told him
! had a wife and family and would like
very much to stay.
mo. said he, you cannot shave ''for
q billed owl. or "for sour apples" or "the
ace of spades,"' or some such thing he
said, know. But said he, 4 do not
want TO see your family suffer. You
have cut my face so often now, YOU -
mullet head, and then puckered It up
with alum, that my mouth stays open all
the time and pretty soon / will have to
put gore into the back Of my neck. Go
away from my house and never, never
return If you please. AS said, do not
want your family to suffer Sand 80 will
give you letter to a business man
know down town, who will see that you
get job at his place. Now go away
he gave me the letter, and / opened
IL careful so AZ not to cut the check, if
there was any into 1t. But there wasn't
any. IL was just a short letter. 1t said:
"DEAR JoHN-This win Introduce barber who
has been practicing on me for quite awhile and
patiently working his way up to q position where
nov feel like giving him this hearty and sarnss
'ettsr 70 you He has a family dependents On him,
and anything you can find for him 10 do around
your Justly csebrated slaughter hoU.ss win DO
duly appreciated by
yours truly c. vAxpErprr
p. Slot him try n irst on the cattle thst
sre already dead c. ""
did you ever shave any other cele-
brated people beside Vanderbilt and
meY'
Yes, l used to shave Mr.. Barrett
Lawrence Barrett, the great actor, when
he was i'm n hurry. He entered the shop
rather soft and glidy like, as IL he was
looking for Julius Cesar. with view to
stabbing him Mt IN early date.
II would say, Good morning, Mr..
Barrett.
HE would say, 'Sirrah, know thee
notr He would then fold his arms, and.
with growing wonder and delight, look
In the mirror at the only man for whom
be ever showed genuine respect and
ssteem which nothing could shake. Then |
he would take of his coat and fold his
Irms again and throw back his head and |
~ TO look like the man who acts as
'hisf train dispatcher for the solar sys-
em.