Page:A strange, sad comedy (IA strangesadcomedy00seawiala).pdf/201

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A STRANGE, SAD COMEDY
189

the Colonel, so he weakly yielded. He would send David over on the next day.

Mr. Romaine did not ask to see Letty, and went off after a short visit, leaving the Colonel in a very bad humor indeed.

Nevertheless, next day Dad Davy appeared and was introduced into Mr. Romaine's bedroom. Dad Davy was not only honored by being thought capable of shaving Mr. Romaine, but he had brought his implements with him in a rusty-looking rush basket.

"You may know that I am about to dismiss my man; and I desired to find out if I could get any sort of a barber, in case there might be delay in the arrival of a man from New York that my agent will send me," said Mr. Romaine. He was sitting in a large chair, with a newspaper in his hand, and wore a flowered silk dressing-gown, and evidently had not been shaved.

"Lord, yes, sir; I kin shave er gent'mun," answered Dad Davy, with visions of a silver quarter illuminating his imagination. "I done brung some new shavin' things wid me, and ef you wuz to let me git de hot water, I kin trim yo' face jes' ez clean ez er b'iled onion."