Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-17

-HE July sun was Singing not
outside the little barber shop.
and Penrod Schofield was ad-
q hesive enough to retain upon
HE face much hair as 1t fell from the
shears.
There is a mystery here: The tom
serial processes are not unagreeable to
manhood; but the hairs detached from
a boys head get into his eyes. his ears.
his nose, his mouth and down his neck,
and he does everywhere itch excruciat-
ins.y. Wherefore he blinks, winks.
weeps, witches, condenses his counte-
nance ard squirms, and perchance the
BARRIERS scissors clip more than intend
ed-belike an outlying fiange OF ear.
'Um-muh-ow," said Penrod. this
thing having happened.
ID 1 touch v up little?" inquired
the barber. smiling falsely. That don't
hust. You will get 1t, though, II you
DON'T sit stilIer."
"Pfuff" said Penrod. endeavoring to
dislodge temporary mustache from
his lip. ,,, It.
Vent on reprovingiy II hear every
body say he's the best boy in town.
"pfuff Phirr."
neighborhocd maxim no such remarks.
added the barber. about nobody OF the
name of Penrod Schofield."
Well" said Penrod. who wants 'em
to- OUCH
IT hear them call Georgia Bassett
the little gentleman rentured the
barber proyocatively, meeting with IN
slant success.
turned Penrod truculently. I'D like TO
hear anybody try. Just once. that's all!
I bet they'd never try 1t ag- oucn!
why? what'd You do to en-
ITS all right what Id do
''What'd YOU do IL it was little
girl? You wouldn't hit her, would
you "
You wouldn't hit little girl, would
YOU persisted the barber. gathering
into his powerful fingers a mop of hair
from the top of Periods head and pull
ing that suffering head into an unnat-
ural position.
'ow, Say-look out.
so you'd go and punch pore. weak.
little girl would your said the barber
Well Who said I'd hit herr" de-
lnanded the chivalrous Penrod. Il bet
you wouldn't call her names, would
youc''
NO. I wouldn't. What hurt is it to
call anybody names"
amt sayin' what you'd do if young
lady ever walked up and called you
a little gentleman. want to near
what you'd do to her"
I'D do enough. Don't worry about
that
well. suppose it was boy. then.
What'd you do if a boy came up to you
and says: Hello, little gentleman'?"
sinister frown. ''if he got home alive"
suppose it was boy twice your
size?"
Just let him try" said Penrod omi-
nously. You just let him try. He'd
never see daylight again-that's ALL
The barber dug ten active fingers into
the helpless scalp before him and did
his best to displace it, while the
anguished Penrod, becoming instantly
a seething cruicible of emotion. mis-
directed his natural resentment into
maddened breeding upon what he
would do to boy twice his size who
should dare to call him little gentle
man."
The torture stopped suddenly, and
the barber applied cooling lotions.
which made Penrod smell like a colored
housemaid's ideal.
Now what" asked the barber,
combing the reeking locks gently,
what would it make you so mad fer. to
have somebody call you little gen.
tleman? It's a kind of a compliment,
as it were. you might say. What would
you want to hit anybody fer that fer?"
You just let 'em try it," he said
threateningly. as he slid down from the
sehair. And as he went out of the door
szhe called back those warning words
once more: Just let 'em try it, Just
once-that's all ask 'em to. They'll
find out what they get"
The barber chuckled. Then a fly lit
on the BARRIERS nose and he slapped at
IT, and the slap missed the fly, but did
not miss the nose. The barber was
irritated. At the moment his birdlike
eye cleaned a CLEAN as it fell upon
customers approaching: the prettiest