The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-27
THE BARBER SMILED IN VAIN.
The Fat Man Discourses on Tipping n
Ignores His Own Moral.

lkuOTeo HIS VWu hOFaI.
Nope remarked tho prosperous looking
fat man in the chair Of the hotel barber
shop, addressing the expectant looking
barber who was trimming his hair with
extreme care, Il confess that l can't under
stand all OF this talk that some cheap skates
are making with regard to the tipping Of
BARRIERS. Chats right; just take a little
of the side there, but not too much.)'
The barber bent beamingly to his work.
while the prosperous looking fat nal in
the chair ficked an imaginary hair out Of
his eye with the third finger Of his left hand,
thereby showing a fine three karat blue
white diamond.
"A man" went on the amiable fat citizen,
who'll buck about handing over a quarter
or a half dollar, or even more, to a barber
who has satisfactorily performed his on
serial stunt ought to be working on the Stag
heap with the Polacks and the Huns at
about 81 cents per diem.
you've generally observed, / dare say
that the man who fails to slip his barber
a tip almost invariably sinks out Of the
shop with his shoulders hunched forward
and with a hangdog look about him that
all too plainly indicates the acute self soorn
that he feels.
Now, even the cheap and parsimonious
skate who sneaks out OF a barber shop
without passing over a little piece of super
fiuous silver to a man who has been e~xercis-
ing his skill upon him always yields to the
ingratiating responsiveness of the Pullman
porter, you'll notice-he always executes
the dig for at least two bits, at the windup
Of the little railroad journey.
is there any reason why a Pullman por-
ter should be slipped a quarter for merely
making a bluff at brushing the cinders of a
mans clothes, when a barber, who has spent
maybe a half or three~quarters Of an hour
upon tho same chaps hirsute, is ignoreda
mot a bit OF reason In the world, my good
man, so far as ! can see, and 20 a man who'll
tip a Pullman blaokmailer and fail to tip a
barber is mean enough to swipe the milk
and the newspaper off our doorstep at
dawn's early light, and you can just stick
a hatpin In that fact so that you won t fail to
bit light on that top spot. where it's begin
ming to show a little ~attenuation.) }"
The barber wore a grin all over his coun-
tenanoe az he handed the prosperous looking
stout man a band glass In order to enable
him to examine the back of his,head. Then
twisted his mustache into small points,
scrutinized him with great care all over to
see II he'd made mistakes Of omission or
commission and took off the apron with a
flourish and an ex expansive, expectant smile,
The amiable fat man a djusted his collar
and cravat with great care, smiling the
while, The brush boy. who had been a
delighted listener to his conversation in
the chair, put a vast amount of elbow grease
into busting of the clothing and hat OF the
prosperous looking fat man.
When he was all fixed and ready, with
hat donned, the stout man advanced upon
the barber, who was smilingly holding. out
the check, while the brush boy stood by
g~rinning from ear to ear.
The stout man pulled from his trousers
pocket a large fstful OF quarters and halves,
jingled the money unsteady. took the check
from the fingers OF the barber, picked out a
large, shiny and perfectly new half dollar
from his bunch Of silver change, smiled
with great amiabilty pom the barber,
cleared his throat, and
And then the fat man turned upon his
heel and strolled toward the pay desk,
where he paid his check, took his change,
turned about and smiled agreeably at the
be rber and the brush boy and walked out
with his shoulders erect inc looking not in
the least hang-dog or ~sheepish.