The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1916-08-18

N-~ - " Va IN oaA
shop, a second newsboy grasped the
arm ct the one who had thus cried his
wares.
Say, Yallern." said this second.
hoarse with awe, "'n't chew know
who that is:"
"Who?"
ats Sheridan~
"Jeest" cried the first, staring In
sanely.
At about the same hour, four times
q week-Monday. Wednesday, Friday
and Saturday-Sheridan stopped at
this shop to be shaved by the head bar
Der. The BARRIERS were negroes, he
was their great man. and It was their
habit to give him a reception" his
entrance being always the signal for
a furry OF j~ocular hospitality. followed
by general excuses Of briskness and
gayety. But it was not 90 this eve
ming.
The shop was crowded. Copies of
the "extra" were being read by men
waiting and BY men in the latter stages
Of treatment. Extras" lay upon va
cant seats and showed from the peck
cts of hanging coats.
There was a loud chatter between
the practitioners and their recumbent
patients, q vocal charivari which
stopped abruptly as Sheridan opened
the door. His name seemed to fizz in
the air like the last suffering Of a
firework; the BARRIERS stopped shaving
and clipping: lathered men turned
their PROSTATE heads to stare, and
there was q moment Of amazing silence
in the shop.
The head barber, nearest the door.
stood IKE Z barber In Z tableau. His
left hand held stretched between
thumb and forefinger an elastic Sec
tion q his helpless customers cheek.
while As right hand hung poised
above i, de razor m~otlonlesa. And
then, rOussA from trance by the doors
closing, hs accepted the fact Of Eheri-
dams prssence. The barber remem
bered toat there are no circumstances
in 1fe@r Just after it-under which
a man does not need to be shaved.
] He stepped forward, profoundly
grave. II be through with this man
in the chair one minute, Mist Shcri.
dan," he said, In . hushed voice. YES
sub" And OF a solemn negro youth
who stood by, gazing stupidity. "You
goin' resign!" ne demanded In q fierce
undertone. You goin' take Mist
Sheridan's coat?" He sent an angry
look round the shop, and the BARRIERS,
taking his meaning, ayerted their eyes
and fell to work. the murmur Of sub
dued conversation buzzing from chair
to chair.
"You sit down one minute, Mist
Sheridan" said the head barber gen
tly. II fx nice chair TO- you to wait
In"
"Nevef mind" said Sheridan. "Go
on get through with your man."
"Yessuh." And be went quickly
back to his chair on tiptoe. followed
by Sherldan's puzzled gaze.
Something had gone wrong IN the
shop, evidently. Sheridan did not
know what to make Of It. Ordinarily
he would have shouted q hilarious de
mand Tor the meaning Of the mystery,
but an in~explicable silence had been
imposed upon him by the hush that
fell upon his entrance and by the odd
look every man n the shop had bent
upon him.
Vaguely dlsquieted, he walked Ia
one Of the seats in the { Of the shop
and looked down the two lines Of bar.
beers. catching quickly shifted, furtive
glancee herr and there. He made this
brief survey after wondering II one OF
the BARRIERS had died suddenly. that
day. or the night before: but there waa
no vacancy in either line
The seat next to his was unoccupied.
but someone had left Q copy Of the
extra" there, and, ~frowning, he
picked i mp and glanced at It. The
first Of the swollen display lines had
little meaning to him:
Fatally faulty. New process roo col
lapses hurting capitalist to death with In
ventor. Seven escape when crash comes
Death claims
Thus far had he read when Z thin
hand fell upon the paper, covering the
print from his eyes, and, looking up,
he saw Bibbs standing before him,
pale and gentle. UNNECESSARILY com
passionate.
i've come Tor you, father" said
Bibbs. Heres the boy with your coat
and hat Put them on and come
home"
And ven then Sheridan did not I'M.
lcrstand. So secure was he in the
strength and bigness OF everything
that was his. he did not know what ca
lamity had befallen him. But he was
frightened.
Without q word, he followed Bibbs
heavily out through the still shop, but
~ they reached the pavement he
stopped short and, grasping his sons
sleeve with shaking fingers, swung
him round 10 that they stood face to
face.
"What-what--" Hi mouth could
oGe do him the service he asked oe 4,
Uan - f~r1n1enn.