The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1921-06-14
.S|LvERHORN BARBER
SWINGS SOME RAZOR
BY JAMES F. O'BRIEN

| by JAMES Il. u BhleN
1t is a good safe bet that the lady
! who carried a department store In
her retieule would never have banked
on selling machines for turning out
home made haircuts to the miners of
Silverhorn had she known that the
camp has a barber who can turn OUT
with neatness and dispatch anything
| from a Dutch haircut for the little
| girls to the atroeity that Is just now
popular with young men. Yes, sir
| Silverhorn has its own barber-and
he's a good barber. too. 1t Is true
he was credited with a strike-out by
one mother when her little girl came
| home with a new-fashioned haircut
but even Babe Ruth doesn't make :
home run every time he goes to the
| bat.
They call our barber Dad" and the
| name fits all right. There are those
| who would argue at length that the
| mother of Pretty Willie was pre-.
| JUDGED when she gave him that name
though they are willing to admit that
"he is a good fellow at that" Bui
with Dad" it is different. No one
would accuse him of being pretty. bur
little child would instinctively want
to get up in his lap and cuddle In biz
arms. That's the kind of a sign he
carries on his face.
dad" doesn't look like the typica
barber. He is built big enough for
Dempsey and would doubtless be
able to give a good account of him
self in the hay field. The typical old
fashioned barber. as soon as Gus.
toner got in his chair. would start
telling the latest filthy story he knew
while he absent-mindedly would fl
the customers mouth and eyes with
lather. He doubtless figured that o
half decent man would suffer so much
in hearing a rotten story poorly told
hat he would be unable to feel the
dull razor as it pulled the hairs out
by the roots. 1t is probable that
Dad doesn't know any filthy stories
and If he did, the thought of his wife
nd six daughters is enough to make
him keep fro's telling them.
Nor ;c lilo tho t.-z.ioaI mod
ern barber-the dapper fellow who
when a man with but little hair on
his head comes in and says, 81 want
haircut" fiippantly asks, (Which
one?" The dirty brushes and towels
of the old-time barber would some-
times give customer the BARRIERS
itch, which was hard to cure. Now
adays it is usually the barber himself
who has the itch--in his palm-and
it is almost impossible to cure, though
relief is obtained when 1t is crossed
with piece of silver. The bigger the
piece of silver. the more relief the
modern barber feels. But Dad
hasn't an itching palm, and he never
makes a play for tip.
The first time the scribe went to the
barbershop he entered with fear and
trembling-and a sunburnt face. The
architectural lines of his mug are not
conducive to easy shaving. and his
skin Is as lender as his beard Is tough.
BARRIERS never shave him just for rec
reation--they insist on getting paid
cash for It, His Is the kind of beard
| that is supposed to take very heavy
and very sharp razor. And when,
after being lathered. Dad" approach
ed him with a little skinny razor, he
said an act of contrition, gritted his
| teeth and tried to console himself
with the thought that the more he
| suffered in this world the less he
would have to suffer in the next.
| But, oh boy, the ease and smooth
ness with which Dads knife went over
| his face was enough to make him
cease regretting that he had voted for
Wilson-almost. And anybody who
can make a fellow do that Is entitled
to a medal. 1t would not be going too
far to say that he Is entitled to two