The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-07-01
(Copyright ISIS. By Harper 4 Brothers1

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
furry of jOcular hospitality, followed
| by general excuses of briskness and
| gayety. But it was not so 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 treatme 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, vocal charivari which
! stopped abruptly as Sheridan opened
the door. His name seemed to fzz in
| the air like the last suffering of
! 1rewOrk: the BARRIERS stopped shaving
and clipping; lathered men turned
! their PROSTATE heaos TO stare, and
i there was a moment of amazing silence
in the shop
The head barber, nearest the door.
stood like a barber in tabieau. His
| 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 motionIess. 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 hfe-or just after it-under which
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 a hushed voice. Yes
suh." And Of a solemn negro youth
who stood by, gazing stupidity, You
| goin' resign?" 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 buzzing from chair
to chair
You sit down one minute. Mist
Sheridan" said the head barber gen.
tly. Il fix nice chair TO 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 ipexplicable 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 a 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
1apseS hurting capitalist to death with in
ventor. Seven escape when crash comes.
Death claims
Thus far had he read when a thin
hand fell upon the paper. covering the
print from his eyes, and, looking I'D.
lie saw Bibbs standing before him,
pale and gentle. immeasurably 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 be in the
| that was his. he did not know what ca
lamity had befallen him. But he was
| frightened.
Without a word. he followed Ribbs
heavily out through the still shop. but
as they reached the pavement he
stopped short and. grasping his sons
sleeve with shaking fingers. swung
him round so that they stood face to
face
"What-what-" His mouth could
not do him the service he asked of il.
he was so frightened
"Extry" screamed newsboy
straight in his face Young North
side millionaire insuntly killed. Ex-
try"
''Not-Jimr' said Sheridan.
Bibbs caught his fathers hand in his
own.
And you come to tell me that?''
Sheridan did not know what he said.
But in those first words and in the
first anguish of the big. stricken face
Bibbs understood the unuttered cry of
| accusation:
'Why wasn't it you?"
CHAPTER xI.