New-York tribune., 1920-12-12

hasty sort Of man, full of strange
oaths and reluctant to make allow
ances. 1t was a physically tough
but spiritually battered barber VINO,
about year later, returned to the
Hotel Cosmopolis.
Safe back beside his chair in the
Cosmopolis Shaving Parlor. Lancelot
was again happy. Barbering was
in his blood. His father had been
barber His earliest memories
were Of the clinging scent of hair
washes. There was, moreover, a
marked artistic strain in him which
found expression in the exercise Of
his trade. After all, to the thought
full man, being barber is much the
same as being sculptor. The
sculptor takes a shape!ess block Of
marble and chips off all that is un-
necessary and superf1uous. What
else does a barber do? There were
times, after he had seen a customer
come in with scrub of beard and
a mop of hair falling over his col
lar and. after chipping away all that
was superfluous, had watched him
walk out, dapper and trim and
pleasure to look at, when Lancelot
felt the glow Of the creator.
& UGH, then, was Lance1ot Purvis
- on the morning Of the 9TH Of
April, the date on which for the
first time in his life he set eyes on
May Gleason.
Once or twice in the day Of New
York barber there arrives the Star
Customer, the man Of comprehensive
outlook and unbounded ambition, who
wishes to make himself 100 per cent
perfect not only as regards his hair
and face, but in all the outlying por-
tons of him. One of his species
came to Lancelot's chair on the morn
ing of the 7th Of April and just lay
back and said eyes" to everything
He wanted a haircut, q twice-ovel
shave, a face massage, a singe, dry
shampoo and something for the
scalp. He wanted his shoes shinec
and he wanted a manicure. 1t must
+ have been his birthday or something
1t was at this point that Ma,
! Gleason stepped daintily into Lance
:. lots life.
The manicure girls at the Cos
j. mopolis, as rule, meant little t.
Lancelot. He hardly noticed them
They were just there. Yet somehow
, the very first glimpse Of May Glea
son set his heart jumping so quick
. ly that he found it difficult to keeI
. his mind on his job. Fortunately, b,
years Of practice he got his scis
sors so trained that they worked al
most Of their own volition. Conse
u quently, he was enabled to look ;
good deal at this remarkable girl, a
! she bent demurely over the custom
: crs fingers. He could catch only a,
: occasional glimpse Of her face. Bu
,. that did not worry him, for what h,
L wanted to look at was her hair.
: If there was one thing in the worlt
n that had the power to stir Lance
{ lot to the depths it was beautiful
:. hair. And this girls was the mos
: beautiful he had ever seen. It wa
x dark hair. Dark! The word l.
+ feeble. 1t was like great rollin,
n black wave. It was like q soft
T. brooding cloud IT was like a moon
4 less night. 1t was like water unde,
n the stars.
i He looked down at her. And, a.
n he did 80, she happened to look up
t She smiled. And the subjugation O.
. Lancclot was complete.
HUPlD gives quick service. That
~ very evening Lancelot founc
opportunity Of speaking Il
her. 1t was raining az he came GU,
into the world at tho ond Of his day's
: labors, and he was just opening hii
umbrella when out stepped this girl
Like the feathcr.brainod 1;ttIn &h;rc