The Ordway new era., 1916-09-22

] NLlt svuIiSSANlS NoL NILS 81 AoisAAI ~
get on in the world.
But as he crossed the pavement tc
the brilliant glass doors of the barber
shop, second newsboy grasped the
arm of the one who had thus cried his
wares.
Say, YalIcrn" said this second
hoarse with awe, mt chew know
who that is?"
who"
IT'S sheridan"
"Jeest.' cried the first, staring in
sanely.
At about the same hour, four times
a 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 jocular hospitality, followed
| by general eXccsses of briskness and
gayety. But it was not so this eve
ming.
The shop was crowded. Copies of
the extra" We're being read by men
waiting and by men in the latter stages
of treatment. Extras" lay upon va
cant seats and showed from the pock-
cts of hanging coats.
There was Il loud chatter between
the practitioners and their recumbent
patients, a vocal Charivari which
stopped abruptly as Sheridan opened
the door. His name seemed to fizz in
81, .
firework; the BARRIERS stopped shaving
and clipping; lathered men turned
their prostrate heads to stare, and
there was a moment of amazing silence
in the shop.
The head barber. nearest the door,
stood like a barber in tableau. lis
left hand held stretched between
thumb and forefnger an elastic sec
ton of his helpless customers cheek.
while his right hand hung poised
above it. the razor motionless. And
then. reused from trance by the doors
closing he accepted the fact of Sheri-
dams presence. The barber remem-
bered that there are no circumstances
in life-or just after it-under which
a man does not need to be shaved.
He stepped forward, profoundly
grave. Il be through with this man
in the chair one minute, Mist Sheri-
dan," he said, in hushed voice. Yes
sub" And of a solemn negro youth
who stood by, gazing stupldly, You
goin' reslgn?" he demanded in a fierce
undertone. You goin' take Mist
Sheridan's cOat:" He sent an angry
look round the shop, and the BARRIERS.
taking his meaning, averted their eyes
and fell to work. the murmur OF sub
dued conversation buzzlng from chair
to chair.
You sit down one minute, Mist
Sheridan" said the head barber gen
tly. II fix nice chair fo' you to wait
in"
Never mind" said Sheridan. go
on get through with your man"
'Yessuh." And he went quickly
back to his chair on tiptoe, followed
by Sheridan'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 a hilarious de-
mand for the meaning of the mystery,
but an inexplicable silence had been
imposed upon him by the hush that
fell upon his entrance and by the odd
look every man in the shop had bent
upon him.
Vaguely disquieted. he walked to
one of the seats in the rear of the shop
and looked down the two lines of bar
bers, catching quickly shifted, furtive
glances here and there. He made this
brief survey after wondering if one of
the BARRIERS had died suddenly, that
day, or the night before; but there was
no vacancy in either line.
The seat next to his was unoccupied,
but someone had left copy of the
extra" there, and, frowning, he
picked it up and glanced at it. The
first of the swollen display lines had
little meaning to him:
Fatally faulty. New process roof col
lapses hurting capitalist to death with in
ventor. Seven escape when crash comes.
Death claims
Thus far had he read when thin
hand fell upon the paper, covering the
print from his eyes, and, looking up,
he saw Bibbs standing before him,
pale and gentle, immeasurabIy COM
passionate.
I've come for you, father" said
Bibbs. Here's the boy with your coat
and hat. Put them on and come
home.'
And even then Sheridan did not un-
derstand. 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 a word, he followed Bibbs