The Van Buren press., 1898-09-10
A NEBRASKA ARTIST.
Why Mortgage on Land of DAM
gerous Barber Was Never
Foreclosed.

Another Omaha narrative is that of
Barnard Barnard told it on himself
and seemed to feel that he was lucky
in being able to relate his adventure.
Barnard has some capital and fire.
quently makes loans on farm proper
tY. He is tender-hearted and would
not see a sparrow fall; but also he
does not care to see his investments
go to pot.
q went out in Chase county once
he said, ITO look after some land which
it seemed l was going to have to take
in on mortgage. l reached there
dirty and disreputable after long
ride through the sand region, and after
finding the little country hotel broke
imme ediately for a barber shop. The
barber was fierce looking fellow and
he used laundry soap, as | shortly
learned. That has nothing to do with
the story-I simply mention it as an in
dex to his desperate character. | be-
gan to regret bitterly that | had not
gone to a tinshop to be shaved. |
finally asked him the cause of his dis
turbed condition.
Stranger he answered, i been
sittin' up nights for a man from
Omaha
Il made some monosyllabic response
and he nicked out a three-cornered
excavation near my jaw.
"'Yes, that's what makes me nerH-
Gus. I'm just a little bit shaky. Iain't
had no sleep for five nights and days,
out here to take my claim away from
me en- a mortgage. I'm going to kill
him if l see him in time
81 started in the chair and he blamed
me for the long scratch which he made
in my left check. wanted to get right
out of that chair, but was afraid that
this wild creature might suspect me.
In lieu of safer things, sympathy, it
seemed to me, was proper at this mo-
ment.
"'Has the fellow any right to take
your land?' inquired,
illegally, mebbe yes. By rights, no.
put in six years on that ground off an
on from the barber business, an I'm
going to hang to it. l usually have my
own way. You notice I'm the only bar
Der in town
eyes But about
"'Three other fellows have come
here at odd times and tried to git my
trade. One shot-two skipped-me
here yit.'
He said this as dispassionately as
a clock ticking off the seconds, and in
cidentally he took about a quarters
worth of skin off my neck. I'm an
honest man and good barber he
said. AN don't intend to be run over.
! The people out here know me and they
patternize me. Travelin' men say
they've heard of my Hoffman house
| shave all over the state. There! That
was your fault, not mine. You ought
to set still. I'll plaster some soap over
II an stop it. l don't usually cut any
one twict, but settin' up waitin' fer
that Omaha feller has kind of upset
me. Mebbe you don't know the man?
Names Barn-something. killer, |
hear, and a highway robber. Ought to
| be pretty prominent ovs- there. I'll
prominent him, though
"He had his razor right under my
chin. 4 never saw the man in my life.'
l Kissed through my teeth, being con-
sumed with horror.
$50? Wen, if he ever comes out
here, as I hear he is goin' TO, you'll hear
of a new death. I'll be here giyin' the
delighted public the real Hoffman
house shave years after that feller's
sizzled into cinders. Wait there, l
want to put lie on your hair. Got to
give you the best job in the house
And I meekly returned TO my chair,
while he rubbed a compound of lard
and musk into my scalp. l gave him so
cents and he shook hands with me four
times and insisted on knowing my
name. | told him il was Jones, be-
| lieve.
From my last accounts he was still
out there. He can stay there for all
I'll ever do to abridge his business
Philadelphia Inquirer.