Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-07-18
this, evening there is going to be a

'niS @ evening tnere Is gong 10 De
dancer " r -
''The boss won like it," said the
Head Barber. "This is a'busy day in
the shop
81 don't care whether the boss likes
it or not, " said the Manicure Lady. "I
notice the rest of the help around
here lay off any time they feel that
way, and when the Festo was here the
boss was hardly ever in the shop. He
better not act icy around me when 1
tell him I am going. I'm just going,
that's all.
"I always like to 60 to5a commence
ment, George. The girls look so young
and innocent in their white dresses,
and the boys look so important when
they stand up there on the platform
with their chests out and tell about
launching their barks on the sea of
business life. Goodness knows, they
mostly find their level pretty quick af.
ter they leave school, and most of
them that talks about overcoming OBJ.
stacles that lie strewed in the road to
Success and Fame, has to be content
ed with good, everyday job, some
thing on the shipping clerk or book
keeper order, but just the same like
to see them up there, telling how they
plan to set the world on fire.
"Brother Wilfre was just that way
when he graduated. The poor simp
was made the class poet, and the
bunch of junk that he stood up there
and reeled off would have gave you
the blind staggers, but most of the vii,
layers didn't know that kind of tripe
from Tennyson s best, so they gave the
boy hand when he got through and
got him started on the road he is fol
lowing now, almost.poeting.
"Of course, girls don 7 take COM
mencement quite so seriously as the
boys, because most of them is kind of
figuring on matrimony iooners or later.
They think and dream at commence
ment time of prince that will ride up
on a big white horse and carry them
away; but few years later they are
glad enough to be married to a good,
honest teamster with two big white
horses and good credit at the general
store. Few of them draws princes
nowadays. knew mine never has
came yet, and here I am, whiting
nails and waiting for the proper sort
of a sparring partner with which to
end my days with"
~ was the smartest boy in the class
when I graduated" said the Head
Barber. "I had the valedictory, which
goes to the scholar. who has the high
est standing in everythi. during the
four years in the high school. Some
how or other I stopped right then, I
guess. The old gent wanted me to be
a lawyer and mother wanted me to be
a preacher, so ] compromised, and here
I am, knight of the razor and hot
towel, trying to make old thorough
breds look young and handsome for
tthree to four hours while they are at
a theater or banquet, I guess they
call it commencement because, with a
lot of young chaps, it is about the be-
ginning of the end
"Gee, George, you should talk more
4 hopeful" said the Manicure Lady.
"You have did whole lot with your
education, I think. 7 hear lot of
fellows that comes in here say that
You are the best barber that ever
shaved them, and you we had the head
chair here for a long time. guess
You can keep it till you die, for that
matter. Think how much better off
you are than lot Of college graduates
that never get anywhere except down
on the island. A fellow was telling me
the other day that quite few of our
best young criminals speaks now and
then of fair Alma Mater You wouldn Y
have got the valedictory if you hadn't
been bright, and I think it is lot bet
ter to be a bright barber than a dull
president. "