The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1913-01-13
BEST OF ALL BARRIERS
TO Sc SHAVED BY AMERICAN M
GRO WAS A DELIGHT.
Entertaining, skiIfuI and Humorous,
Hs Has Been suppIantsd by the
More susiness-Llke Modern
Tonserlai Artist.

The tear OF regret may Elistsn for q
moment in the corner OF the eye Of
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 prejudics
held fast to the opinion that the negro
was q 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 instit1tion-could possibly
know and how long and interesting
be would talk OF your folks folks In
Lexington. KY
Let me rest yo hat, and yo' coat,
sab. Yes, sir, Judge G. was heah this
mornin' and Col. B. got out OF the
cheer only few minutes ago"
With sigh of anticipated comfort
you sank into the chair and stretched
out your legs. Yes, sab, yo' really do
need shave, sab. It's q pleasure To-
me to shave you. Yo' beard Is Just
as II should be. Now and then / get
rough neck with squirrel whiskers
that upsets me TO whole day"
Perhaps you may recall story In
an old text book about very differ
snt kind of barber, that began after
this fashion.
A pratins barber who waited upon
a certain king, came one day to trim
his hair and asked him: Sire. how
will you have It doneF silently said
the king.
1t is not necessary to continue that
story, the indianapolis News remarks.
One may know at once that the bar.
Der OF this churlish king was not a
negro. He was probably a mere ton.
serial artist wholly devoid OF the de-
lightfui charm OF entertaining that is
possessed in so high degree by the
black knight OF the razor-one might
now, alas, call him the disinherited
knight, as so many have come in tc
crowd him from his place
Only one superiuous question would
he ask, and that was from long estab
lished habit: Does she pull, sah?"
Yet he well knew that IN his skiliful
hand the keen blade was as light as
gossamer, for as he afterward ad.
mitted he had "honed and stropped her
down finer'n gnat's heel" How
deity he would spread the cool iather
over the rough and razorable cheek
and ehin With what tender care he
avoided the wart that nestled on your
upper lip, close to your nose. and
never say a word about this blemish
IN a very handsome facet
But you did not get out OF the chair
In any such brief time as this tale
has required in its telling. BY no
means. How he would daily about
you, comb and shears in hand, clip.
ping here and there an infinltesimut
bit OF hair which, In his critical judR.
ment. spoilt the symmetry OF his
work. And. at last, as though Ioath
to let you go until his sense of the
perfection OF his work had been salts,
fed in every artistic detail. he would
still detain you for last lingering. re.
gretful inspection, following you to
the door and watching your shadow as
1t heightened in the afternoon sun.
what genial humor he had, what
knowledge OF human nature. white
and black? The newspaper, even then
was we'll enough in its way, but not
TO be compared as news teller to
him who gave the gossip OF the dear
old town with racy flavor and pic
turesque beauty that proclaimed ths
master, The new barber has a inner
shop and sometimes foreign accent
is more matter OF fact and business
Ike. candidly, you know he II
2ot-well, he's not the old barber