The San Francisco call., 1913-09-26
The
Manicure
Lady
BY WILLIAM F. KIRK

f<THIS is my birthday. George"
said the Manicure Lady II
would have forgot it if mother
hadn't gave me a present and If |
hadn't got this birthday card from
one OF my gentleman friends. Oh,
dear me. George. as we grow older
our birthdays amt SO important. are
they?"
Il never pay no attention to mine"
said the Head Barber. The Missus
always remembers it and gives me
something. but outside of that my
birthday is just one of the $50 days
of the year"
Il wonder who sent me this card
said the Manicure Lady. 81 know
quite a lot OF fellows, and most of
them is pinched a little these days.
so that a card would be about their
speed in the way of birthday gift.
The gift amt very expensive one,
but tho sentiment on 1T is beautiful
1t says:
May each new day of the coming
Hold moro of sunshine than sor-
row.
And each dark shadow disappear
In the rosy dawn of tomorrow
That's pretty good salve." said the
Head Barber. 1T must have been
somebody that thought lot of you.
kid. But 1 should think queen like
you would have got a raft of birth
day presents. When my wife was
your age she used to get lots of pres
ents. or at least that's what she tells
me now
| Folks used to be kinder to each
other" explained the Manicure Lady.
It's getting now, George, owing to
the high cost of living or the Gulf
Stream changing it's course. or some
thing, that nobody pays no attention
to their neighbors excepting to ask
them to please move over a little I
can remember. and 1T amt long ago,
when every birthday of mine meant
at least half dozen presents from
this and that friend.
| The way it is now, 1 am surprised
that I even got this card. 1 wonder
who sent this card to me. First 1
thought that 1t might have been my
Brother Wilfred, because he leans so
much toward poetry and 1 thought
perhaps he was paving the way for
touch. His songs amt selling the
way he thought they was going to,
and the money he got for the first
royalties went like hot cakes. But
Wilfred says he didn't send it, so it
must have been some of the boys that
comes in here to have their nails did.
| Gee. George. it must make them
old spinsters sad to have so many
birthdays. am only 26 today, and it
seems as il it was only a week ago
that I had my last birthday 1 re-
member that day very well, because
the old gent had been out to some
and came home feeling superb.
| He brought zany with side whis-
kers along with him, and it would
have did your heart good to hear the
pair of them singing She's Only a
Bird in Gilded Cage Mother gave
the whiskered fellow the gate, and
Wilfred put tho old gent to bed
don't like to think my brother would
| roll nobody. much less his dad. but ne
seemed kind OF bounteous with his
change the rest of the week and paid
me FIVE dollars he had borrowed from
me. That's how / remember my last
birthday SO we'll. Just think, IL my
birthdays seems to come that close
together. how thick they must seem
to old girls that nobody never led TO
tho altar, girls around so summers
DID,
Il guess a lot of them old maids
is happier than young girls planning
how to get married and young mar
ried women planning how to get sin
gle again." said the Head Barber.
Maybe they don't care to be clinging
vines"
Maybe not" said the Manicure
Lady, but q sturdy oak is kind of
nice to cling to paydays.''
U\VYWV VVT II VyUnIy pwDS