ABOUT BARBERS. 



259 



him as strongly as if he had never heard it. He shoved up my head, and put a 

 napkin under it. He ploughed his fingers into my collar and fixed a tov.rel there. 

 He explored my hair with his claws and suggested that it needed trimming. I said 

 I did not want it trimmed. He explored again and said it was pretty long for the 

 present style — better have a little taken off; it needed it behind especially. I said 

 I had had it cut only a week before. He yearned over it reflectively a moment, 

 and then asked with a disparaging manner, who cut it.' I came back at him 

 promptly with a "You did!" I had him there. Then he fell to stirring up his 



lather and re- 

 in the glass, stop- 

 then to get close 

 chin critically 

 pimple. Then 

 side of my face 

 was about to 

 when a dog fight 

 tention, and he 

 dow and stayed 

 losing two shill- 

 in bets with the 

 thing which gave 

 tion. He finished 

 then began to 

 with his hand. 



garding himself 

 ping now and 

 and examine his 

 or inspect a 

 he' lathered one 

 thoroughly, and 

 lather the other, 

 attracted his at- 

 ran to the win- 

 and saw it out, 

 ings on the result 

 other barbers, a 

 me great satisfac- 

 lathering, and 

 rub in the suds 

 He now began 



to sharpen his razor on an old suspender, and was delayed a good deal on account 

 of a controversy about a cheap masquerade ball he had figured at the night before, 

 in red cambric and bogus ermine, as some kind of a king. He was so gratified 

 with being chaffed about some damsel whom he had smitten with his charms that 

 he used every means to continue the controversy by pretending to be annoyed at 

 the chaffings of his fellows. This matter begot more surveyings of himself in the 

 glass, and he put down his razor and brushed his hair with elaborate care, plaster- 

 ing an inverted arch of it down on his forehead, accomplishing an accurate " part " 



