OCR Text |
Show FAST HAIRCUT FOR PETE By F. L. Rowley THE town was small and spotless. spot-less. Needing a haircut, I decided de-cided to try the little shop that huddled in the shadowi of the Hillcrest State Bank. "Howdy 1" A cheerful man In a ' long white smock looked me over carefully. "Stranger in town, ain't ye? I'm Shaky Mulligan. Been clipping folks In these parts for nigh on forty year. Hee! Heel D'ye get me, stranger? I said" "I heard you," I replied crisply crisp-ly "Now then. Mr. Mulligan, once over, lightly on the sideburns." "Danged if that ain't old Pete Hawkins coming this way," exclaimed ex-claimed the barber nodding to--ward the plate glass window. "Hate (o ask you this, stranger, but would you mind If I clipped old Pete first?" I groaned. "Thank'ee. Pete's wife kicks up a storm every time he's late . getting home from the barber hop; thinks he's out getting a snootfull." "How long will it take?" I sked impatiently. "Only about fifteen minutes; I shear Pete real quick. To make it interesting I'd like to make you a small wager. I'll bet you two dollars that Pete walks off without with-out paying for his haircut what d'ye say?" "Sure. Sure. Anything only please hurry." Pete Hawkins shuffled in, plunked himself Into the big chair, and stared hard at the ceiling. "That's a sizeable crack up there, " Shaky." he observed, nodding up at a foot-long break in the plaster. "A sizeable crack. Wouldn't surprise sur-prise me none to see you with a lawsuit on your hands. Whole ceiling ceil-ing might fall In and clobber ' somebody. " "Didn't get your name, stranger," strang-er," said Shaky, looking at me. I blushed. "Jones. Tim Jones. How did Uncle Eustlce make out?" Pete's gaze returned to the cracked ceiling. "Poor Uncle Eus tlce. Not only did be begin plastering plas-tering the ballroom celling single-handed, single-handed, but he also decided to pretty it up with doo-dads." "Doo-dads was the rage In those days," sighed Shaky. "And I suppose the celling fell In?" This from me. Pete gave me a withering stare before going on: "Yep. Doo-dads and curly-kews. Right pop'ler they was. And the celling DIDN'T fall In least not right away. It waited until one night when the ballroom was crowded then, kerplunk!" ker-plunk!" "How awful!" I cried. "Wert many Injured?" "Nope. Punchbowl was broke though. Uncle Eustice had to do the job all over again without doo-dads." Shaky silently eyed the crack In his celling. "It doesn't look too bad," I encouraged. en-couraged. "Phil Johnson might fix It for ten dollars," suggested Pete. "Ten dollars!" Shaky snorted. "For one little crack?" "Phil's a union man. Uncle Eustice could have done it cheaper cheap-er In his day, but" . Pete shrugged. Then a bright idea sparkled In his eyes: "Say. why don't you just give Phil a few free haircuts for the job?" Shaky studied the crack. "Not a bad idea. Thanks Pete!" "And thank you for the haircut," hair-cut," Pete replied "You win," I said, handing Shaky his two dollars. "One thing puzzles me though. If you know Pete doesn't Intend to pay, why do you cut his hair?" Shaky thoughtfully stuffed the bills Into his breast pocket before replying: "Well, old Pete doesn't I have much money, and sometimes his hair gets a mite long while he's waiting, but sooner or later a stranger like yourself comes in to pick up the tab. Why do you think I made the bet?" |