The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-18
on presidential possibility of my own

on presidential possibility OF my Owl
flesh and blood. "a
In my day-that Is. since have In
termittently found myself the father OF q
new urchin every few gearsI have.
learned from hair cuttin Ito know the
variations and the peculiarities of the
puerile skull just as a cocoanut da1ler
or a watermelon merchant would know
his fruit NJ M IL # SCI $ 15
Many and. varied are the bumps OF
cussedness and the individual exores-
cences to be- seen and cut over. though
tI have always found one universal char
acterlstic Of the Juvenile scalp--dirt.
4 Tho sand which I have removed from
the blocks Of my offspring would go q;
long way towards assisting in the build
ing operations of this town. Every time
a new house goes up in our neighborhood,
all my flock are to be seen assisting the
contractor in his work. and at nightfall
the amount Of brick dust. mortar and
grit removed from the hair Of the young
9sters suggests a desert storm emoel-
llished with the debris resulting from q
municipal earthquake, wouldn't give a
cent for an urchin who could show up
in barlJeIts chair with an Immaculate
Uranium, for 1t would show that the
boy had been Gagged up and that he was
\ to come out some time or other when
nobody had an eye on him.
Hair-cutting has more than one tragic
side to it. Not counting the agonized
''ouches'' and grunts incident to dull
scissors and wool with sheep burs In It,
I there are other distressing features. Now
and then the steadiost hand demolalized
by the vacillatlons of the skull in process
of shearing, let's the scissors slip and
ships out bit Of raw, gritty meat, or
graduates a curly wisp OF yellow wool
that once was some woman's delight.
But / could stand nll this; 1t aln't such,
like that gets close to me. What makes my
old fist shake like ague and fever Is the
tackllng Of little curly-headed scalp
that amt never had the scissors on It
before-the Transforming OF one of my
babies into regular, short-haIred boy.
We mover shear our brats until they got
long about five, and darned II we'd do
It thon II 1t want for the pressure
brought to bear on us by the youngsters
themselves.
But when your long haired baby, whose
curls have been an object OF alteration,
gets to playing out In the hack yard
with the older ones, he ceases to cling to
his Mas apron strings and wants to be
q man. II III LueIl IIlul IllS OluCE Utoll-
ers call him "gal" and gond him into
frenzy by pretending to mistake his silky
wool for a mark of feninin!ty.
After this, 1t aln't no use trying to
i save the curls, If you can't do any
better. you might as we'll get an axe
and whack ,em off. The brat won't
have It otherwise. f5 X
And when his Mn, at the prospect OF
what's coming goes off among the pre-
servo jars and vinegar demi1ohns and
snif1es and gets her nose red, things
are made all tho worse, No boy wants
his Ma to snlffle on his account-least-
wise, not until the boys gets to be an
old.timer like mo and clings 20 everything
suggestive OF the past like a pea vine
to a corn stalk. @
Yes. gsmpmun, when the w shaver
gets timorsome about being mistaken Tor
gal, there amt nothin' to do but haul
him In, ruck towel under his chin. get
the shears and NOW his scalp. Nothin'
else will do: no excuse Will be ac-
#cepted,
But my, 1t doea SyNtt Everybody, when
he gets to go!n' AVN hill, somehow
kinder wants to have q baby round the
house, and darned II one baby Amt worth
whole hogshead Of small boys in short
pants
If It want for principl economy,
mind yer--I'd never he the first ia admin
lister the opening hair cut to any little
tad ot mine, I'D send him OF to a.