The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1917-02-16

But as he crossed the pavement to
the brilliant glass doors of the barber
shop, a second newsboy grasped the
arm Of the one who had thus cried his
wares.
Say, Yallern," said this second,
hoarse with awe, "'n't chew know
who that is?"
"Whor"
tits Sheridanr'
"Jeestv' 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 1t was their
habit to give him reception" his
entrance being always the signal for
a furry of jocular hospitality, followed
by general eXcesses OF briskness and
gayety. But 1t 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 treatment. Extras" lay upon va
cant seats and showed from the pock-
cts Of hanging coats.
| There was a 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
| the air like the last sputtering of a
| hrework; the BARRIERS stopped shaving
and clipping; lathered men turned
their PROSTATE 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 a tableau. 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 1t, the razor motioness. 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
man does not need to be shaved.
He stepped forward, profoundly
SiohC. bC lhlouSh w ILL tliAb Ahhh
in the chair one minute, Mist Sheri-
dan," he said, in a hushed voice. YES
suh." And of solemn negro youth
who stood by, gazing stupidly, You
goin' resign?' he demanded in a fierce
undertone. you goin' take Mist
Sheridans 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 buzzins from chair
to chair.
You sit down one minute, Mist
Sheridan" said the head barber gen
tly. Il 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-
nand 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 a copy of the
extra" there, and, frowning, he
picked it up rand 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 a thin
hand fell upon the paper, ve,ing the
print from his eyes, and, looking up,
he 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. Sc secure was he in the
strength and bigness of everything
that was his, he did not know what ca
lamity had befallen him. But be was
frightened.
Without word, he followed Bibbs
heavily out through the still shop. but
as they reached the pavement he
stopped short and, grasping his sons