The Lady Barber Kidn't Remember Samson.

Otago Witness, Issue 2732, 18 July 1906, Page 88

The Lady Barber Kidn't Remember Samson.

The lady barber who had the firfet chair was idle, and she leaned against the cigar case and stropped a razor with deftnct.s She was a blonde — a ripe blonde. He had always liked that shade of hair, but hitherto had been compelled to admire it on the dazzling beauties who pirouetted in the front row of the chorus and sang something about "simple village maidens, we," or words to that effect. He had never tried a lady barber shop in his life.- He had heard of such things, but somehow or other had missed them. He walked down street, but at the next corner stopped, turned, and retraced his steps. Yes ; he needed a shave. At anyrate, it would be an experience worth telling of afterward. He entered the shop, removed his coax and collar, and slipped into the first chair with studied nonchalance. He was satisfied that anyone who saw him would be convinced *hat he had been barbered by a lady since he was a year old. The lady barber — the ripe blonde — left her position near the cigar case and came to the chair. " Shave, sir?" she asked, softly. "Yes, ma'am," he replied, and then mentally kicked himself. He had mapped out a conversation in which merry badinage and apt repartee should show that he was a man of the world, and here he was answering her as if slie were a school teacher. She rubbed her taper fingers over his cheek aud ckixu and then c&r.c.le&sly.

slid them" around under 'hia- ears. He was looking at himself in the glass, -_ and he could see the -ruddy blushes surging ovei his face. "You need a haircut," she asserted. "Cut it," he said, weakly. She went to the shelf before the mirror, paused long enough to tuck in a wandering ringlet, then picked up the scissors and came back to him. " Will you have it trimmed close or left rather long?" " Yes — cr — no — that is, just medium." Hex scissors snipped busily, and from time to time she smoothed down his hair and looked intently at his head to see if she were getting his lock* cut properly. His coura-jje began to return to him. " I don't suppose it has the same effect on a man to get his hair cut here as it had on Samson,"' he ventured, a wan smile accompanying his remark. " When was he here?" she asked, briskly catching his top hair in the comb and slicing it off with the scissors. "Oh, he wasn't here. He " "Then how's it going to have any effect on him?" " You don't understand me," he explained in an embarrassed tone. "Samson got hie hair cut a long time ago." " Time he got it cut again, then," she giggled. "Send him around " " 'Fraid I couldn't. He -was the fellow that I-efc Delilah cut his hair, you know."' "Delilah? That's a funny name. Where did she work?" " I guess you don't quite catch my point. You know, Delilah got Samson to let her cut his haii-, and he never was so strong afterward." " There's lots o* these fresh guys think tt^ey're stirongy -wittr a. person -just l>ee*liaso she cuts their hair," declared th© lady barber with come emphasis on "fresh guys," assuming considerable dignity and squinting at the crown of his head. "It wasn't that way with Samson. Delilah cut his hair, as I say, and " " Nevei was any girl named Delilah worked in this shop. Leastwa-ys, not as I can remember of." "I should hope you don't remember her personally. She would be a pretty old woman if ehe were alive now." "Oh, was she the girl that worked here two years ago, and got took with the typhoid fever?" " No, no J She wasn't a regular barber." "Just eubbin' avounJ fa'oni one shop to another, huh?" "No; she didn't work in a shop. You see, she got soro on Samson and got him to thinking his hair was too long, and then he let her cut it " " That's the only way to get them to let you trim it— make them think their hair is too long."' " Well, she cut it for him, and that queered him for good' and all. I just wondered if it would do me th-© same iv ay." "I guess nobody's got any kick comin' on the kind of work we do in this shop, if I do say it myself,", she replied, presaing her lips together at' th© last word and Lurrying' with her work. " Well," he seid. trying to catch her eye, but finding: this was impossible, because the towel was pinch'ng his neck. "Delilah trimmed^ — — " "Will you have bay rum or a tonic?'* He took both. "Neck shaved?" "Yes." Then he told har to shave bis face. While this was being Oonc he made several efforts to bring Samson up again, but each time she daubed lather in his mouth and apologised grimly. At last she was through with him, and he sat up in the chair while ehe combed anJ brushed his hair and spirayed cologne on Im face. " I'll bet," he said, throwing a tone of careless elegance into his voice — "I'll bet you Samson didn't get any euch haircut as this, or he " " Here's your check, sir. Thank you. Next !" After he had 1 gone the lady ba/rber at the second chair asked : " What was that fellow tryin' to tell you, anyhow, Lulu?" " Oh. he kept taltin' about someone named Samson, and " ' ' Gee ! &ome folks don't know the Schley case is over and done with, do they?" — W. D. Nesbit, in Judge.

"Yes."