The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-11-29
PRACTICE ON FACES.
Experience of Barber When He Shaved
His First Man.

raZors and doing some reminiscent talk
ing. Somebody had asked him if he
remembered the first man he ever
shaved and what his feelings were at
the time.
My feelings, said John, ''were prob
ably worse than those of my man.
have, however, an exceedingly vivid
recollection of the event. | was at
work in a North Clark street shop. My
duties were that of porter, errand boy
and general roustabout. One day l
told the proprietor | wanted to be a bar
Der. He gave me some encouragement
and told me my chance would soon
come. One day he gave me a chair and
an old razor, Next day | got pair of
scissors and comb and brush and a
shaving mug. Then donned an apron
and tried to look as if [ was an old
hand at the business. The BARRIERS
'guyed' me, but | wanted to learn the
trade and | was not to be laughed out
of my intentions.
81 was well aware that | was not
allowed to take any customer that
came in. That would never do. APP
prentices must find their own victims,
so l slzirmished. For several days |
put in all my spare time looking for
man to shave, shampoo and hair cut.
But he couldn't be found. approached
two or three men who looked as if they
might appreciate the iuXuries of free
tOnsorial treat, but | evidently gave
them a mistrust of myself, and in each
case the offer was declined.
AT last he came He was unem-
ployed and looked it. He wanted the
price of a bed. 1t was in the evening
and only one or two of the BARRIERS
were in the shop with me. l told the
man | would give him quarter if he
would let me shave him, shampoo him
and cut his hair. He tried to tell me |
was having fun with him, but was 50
earnest about it that he finally came to
my terms lie regretted it afterward.
SO did |.
For four solid hours l worked on
that man. 1t was awful. | was as
badly frightened as he was and what
with his tough beard and my bad razor
the job became torture to us both
He was pretty goOd-natured however,
and as | had some court-plaster and
patched up his face when the job was
over he came to the conclusion that the
quarter was easily earned. His hair
looked as if rats had been eating it and
my hands were trembling with excite
ment when | brushed him off, but it
was great event in my life. l had
shaved my first man. He came to me
again in a few days and arranged to be
shaved twice week and besides, he
brought his partner to me, SO from that
time ! had plenty of practice. Then |
was given a chance at regular custom
ers. | made a success Of my trade and
now / own a shop"
"Barbers,' said one of the men who
had heard Johns story, are queer
lot. l travel a good deal and find all
sorts of them. Outside of Chicago the
first thing barber does when he wants
to inspire confidence in his customer is
to tell him he has worked in the Pal
mer shop at some time in his life
Once, in Atlanta, was in a barber
chair and the knight of the razor at
once sized me up as being from the
north, so he asked me if | was ever in
Chicago. | knew what was coming
He was going to tell me he had worked in
the shop paved with silver dollars SO,
to lead him on, | told him | had never
been in Chicago. Then | had never
seen the Palmer house barber shop
No, | had never seen it. He had worked
| there once. Would he tell me what it
was like, as | had heard stories about
| it. Then that barber romanced a bit.
| The floor, he told me, was made en-
tircly of dollars. There We're sixty
chairs in the place and each barber
wore full dress after six o'clock OF
! course he had never been in Chicago.
| | thought first he was having some
| quiet fun with me, but after | had
talked a little longer with him found
he was doing his talking from the
whole cloth.
The queerest experience l ever had
with a barber continued the man,
was in a little Kansas town. 1t. was
the Fourth of July and | couldn't get
away from the place. There was one
barber there and his shop was in the
| rear OF Jne grocery SJOFe, WHERE lne
post office was located. | found the
barber busy, but soon my turn came
and | got into his chair. He chatted
pleasantly. He told me how long he
had been there. Then he gave me his
family history. Then he told me a few
of the town scandals. | knew the Pal
mer house shop story was there, so
encouraged him Finally it came. o.
YES. he had worked in the Palmer shop
Was foreman there six years. The
shop was good one, but not what il
was believed to be. He left because
the BARRIERS were compelled to eat il
the restaurant of the house He wanted
to take his meals at home and didn't
like the rule. So he went to Kansas,
''He was about half through with my
face at this juncture when man came
up to him and whispered to him.
els that So? he asked.
eyes said the man.
"'Just excuse me minute, said my
barber Then he walked to a chair
near by, took a snare drum, hung i
around his neck, and went with tht
other man In five minutes | hearC
Marching through Georgia being done
by the village band. The lather drieC
on my face. put some more on an(
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