The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-03-09
BEST OF ALL BARRIERS
TO BE SHAVED BY AMERICAN Me-
GRO WAS \ DELIGHT.
Entertaining, skIlful and Humorous.
He 'ss Been supplanted by the
More 6uslness-LIke Modern
Tonsorlal Artist.

The tear OF regret may glisten for
moment In the corner OF the eye or
some elderly man when he revisits In
imagination the barber shop of long
ago That was In the day when in
the middle west popular prejudice
held fast to the opinion that the negro
was natural barber. the American
negro the best barber In the world
He knows more about family trees
than any college of heraldry-if there
is such an institution-couid possibly
know and how long and interesting
he would talk of your folks folks in
Lexington, Ky!
Let me rest yo' hat, and yo' coat.
sab. Yes. sir. Judge @. was heah this
mornin' and Col b. got out OF the
cheer only a few minutes ago"
With sigh OF anticipated comfort
you sank into the chair and stretched
out your legs Yes. sab. yo' really do
need a shave, sab It's a pleasure TO
me TO shave you Yo' beard is just
as 1t should be. Now and then get a
rough neck with squirrel whisSers
that upsets me TO whole day"
Perhaps you may recall story in
an old text book about very differ-
ent kind of barber. that began after
this fashion.
A prating barber who waited upon
a certain king. came one day to trim
his hair and asked him: Sire, how
will you have 1t done? silently said
the king.
1t Is not necessary to continue that
story, the Indianapolis News remarks.
One may know at once that the bar
ber Of this churlish king was not q
negro. He was probably mere ton
sorial artist. wholly devoid OF the de-
lightful charm OF entertaining that Is
possessed in SO high degree by the
black knight OF the raxor-one might
now, alas, call him the disinherited
knight, as SO many have come In to
crowd him from his place.
Only one superfiuous question would
he ask, and that was from long estab
lished habit: Does she pull, sah?'
Yet he well knew that In his gkillfu
hand the keen blade was as light Al
gossamer, for as he afterward ad
mitted he had "honed and stropped hei
down flner'n a gnat's heel" How
deftly ne would spread the cool iathel
over the rough and razorable cheel
and chin! With what tender care hs
i avoided the wart that nestled on youl
upper lip. close to your nose, anC
never say word about this blemisf
on a very handsome face!
| But you did not get out OF the chaii
in any such briet time as this tall
has required In its telling. BY nt
means. How he would daily abou
you. comb and shears In hand. clip
ping here and there an infinitesima
bit of hair which. In his critical 1udg
ment. spoilt the symmetry OF BIZ
work. And. at last, as though loatl
to let you go until his sense OF tn,
perfection OF his work had been salts
! fed In every artistic detail. he wouIt
still detain you for last lingering. re
gretfnl inspection, following you /,
the door and watching your shadow d
1t heightened in the afternoon sun
What genial humor he had. wha
knowledge OF human nature. whit
and black? The newspaper. even then
was we'll enough in its way. but no
to be compared as news teller t
| him who RaVa the pOSSfn Of tho daa
old town with racy favor and pie
J turesque beauty that proclaimed tn
master The new barber has fine
shop and sometimes foreign accent
is more matter of fact and business
like, candidly. you know he /
not-well. he's not the old barber.