The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-11-11

The borrowed razor worked splendid
ly, and as he noticed the fact the little
BARRIERS face assumed a more satisfied
expression. AS he stopped to strop the
razor he smiled at the man In the
chair, and continued: when l honed
that batch of razors l was suffering
from bad headache, resulting from a
rap on the ear while was sparring. I
was nervous and cranky for a week.
During this time my keen sense of
touch, highly developed nervous sys-
TEN, or whatever you may please to
call it, was in very bad shape, and it
was impossible for me to work or do
anything with any degree of comfort
1t was while I was in that shape that
/ honed my razors, with the result that
you have seen. Fortunately there has
been nothing very serious happen yet,
and there won't be, for l don't intend
to use any of them until after they
have been honed again.
Under the soothing influence of a
perfectly satisfactory razor the barber
was growing talkative again What
have told you l have told to many
others patrons of the place, but most
of them laugh at me. One old gentle
man, whom I nicked with razor that
was in cranky mood, thought | was
crazy when / explained how | hap
pened to cut him and went to the boss
with complaint. He insisted that 1
must be crazy or suffering from the eff
fects of some drug. He insisted that
unless I was discharged he would
change barber shops, He shaves him
self now believe. l could tell you any
number Of instances to show that what
| say about razor's moods is true
Just to illustrate I'll tell you of an
incident which almost resulted in a
tragedy as the outcome of using a raz-
or that was in a bad mood. 1t was
about four years ago, and at the time
l was the next to the head man in the
shop connected with large hotel In
one of the larger western cities. The
chief performers We're my employer,
his wife, and an intimate friend
Jackson, as / shall call the barber was
under ordinary circumstances one of
the best natured men in the world and
devoted to his wife She displayed an
equal attachment for him. and Hugh
es, the other man, in the case was an
intimate friend of both. He boarded
with the Jacksons. AT that time there
were working in the shop with Jackson
and myself three other BARRIERS. includ-
ing one named Harris. He was first
class barber, In fact one Of the clever
est l ever saw, on that account Jack
son stood for more from him than he
would have from a less competent
man.
This Harris was never so happy as
when stirring up trouble, and had the
men in the shop in all sorts of rows
until they came to know just how
much reliance to place in anything he
said. 1t was on one of those dull,
gloomy days that one gets the blues
and there was no business to speak of,
only an occasional customer, when we
all turned In to sharpen our razors.
Now, that | come to think of it, it was
rather funny that Jackson should have
set us at work at the time, for he was
a firm believer in the sympathetic re-
lation between razors and persons. But
he wanted the work out of the way
While we were all at work, Harris
came in, hung UP his hat and coat, and
putting on his shaving jacket walked
over to jackson. I was working at the
next chair and could not help over
hearing what was said.
Harris was telling of seeing Mrs. !
Jackson and Hughes together, and as
he went on making insinuations, we
could see Jackson's face assuming an |
angry expression. Finally, with an ex-
clamation of anger, he put away his |
hone and razors and, putting on his |
hat and coat, went out. After he had |
left the shop Harris told the rest Of the |
boys what he had told Jackson and all |
expressed themselves very freely as
to Harris conduct. What they said |
was not to his liking, and he sulked the
-est of the afternoon. After Harris had |
he began to talk over the i
matter and in the course Of our talk + |