years younger, went along in my charge. It was thought that the
performance might entertain her. I was mounted in a chair and had
a cloth tucked in round my neck, like a self-made millionaire about
to eat consomme. The officiating barber got out a shiny steel
instrument with jaws--the first pair of clippers I had ever seen--
and he ran this up the back of my neck, producing a most agreeable
feeling. He reached the top of my head and would have paused but
I told him to go right ahead and clip me close all over, which he
did. When he had finished the job I was so delighted with the
sensation and with the attendant result as viewed in a mirror that
I suggested he might give my little cousin a similar treat. From
a mere child I was ever so--willing always to share my simple
pleasures with those about me, especially where it entailed no
inconvenience on my part. I told him my father would pay the bill
for both of us when he came by that night.

The barber fell in with the suggestion. It has ever been my
experience that a barber will fall in readily with any suggestion
whereby the barber is going to get something out of it for himself.
In this instance he was going to get another quarter, and a quarter
went farther in those days than it does now. I dismounted from the
chair and my innocent little cousin was installed in my place. As
I now recall she made no protest. The barber ran his clippers
conscientiously and painstakingly over her tender young scalp,
while I stood admiringly by and watched the long yellow curls fall
writhing upon the floor at my feet. It seemed to me that a great
and manifest improvement was produced in her general appearance.
Instead of being hampered by those silly curls dangling down all
round her face, she now had a round, slick, smooth dome decorated
with a stiff yellowish stubble, and the skin showed through nice