Part 12 (1/2)
The barber and his customer were speaking in more confidential tones.
Winn was paying little attention to either conversation until he heard thebarber say, ”blind man.” It seemed to hang in the air as the otherconversation died away.
The customer in the chair didn't seem to notice the quiet.
”Wasn't that the Frank” -- ”Say, Phillips,” interrupted one of the men from the corner.
”What do you think about this railroad?”
If the barber minded having the topic of discussion changed, he didn't show
it. He began to expound at length on the benefits of the railroad.
The man in the chair tried to interrupt with his objections but had little
success. Finally Phillips ended with, ”What's good for the town will be good for us all.”
He must have finished the haircut the same time he finished the speech.
Winn heard the snap of a cloth being shaken and the creak of the chair as the
customer rose.
”I hope all that new business will bring in another barber,” he grumbled.
”Then you might have to lower your prices.” The man sounded serious to Winn,
but everyone else laughed.
As the customer left, the barber came toward Winn, his footsteps drowned outby the sound of the door. He leaned toward Winn and nearly shouted,”Ready for you now.”Winn was sure he jumped six inches. One of the men in the corner said, ”He's blind, not deaf, Phil- lips.” The other man laughed.
Phillips mumbled an apology as he led Winn to the chair and awkwardly helped him into it.
”In fact,” said the man who had laughed, ”I hear it works the other way.” He
walked across the room, his spurs jingling almost like bells as they hit the floor. He brought the smell of cigar smoke with him.
”I've
heard that if you lose your sight your hearing gets better.”
”I haven't noticed that it has,” Winn said. He wished the two men would leave. The foolish barber hovering over him was bad enough without anaudience besides.
”Well, Phillips here probably undid all that just now, yellin' in thefella's ear.” This came with a laugh from the man in the corner.
”That's enough now, Bert. I didn't yell, I just startled him. Why don't yougo hang around somewheres else?”
”Well, I was going' to get my hair cut,” said Bert, stomping across the room,”but it'll likely all turn gray afore you get round to me.”
An uncomfortable silence followed the slam of the door. Phillips filled itas quickly as he could by asking Winn what he could do for him. Winn asked for a trim and, since he normally cut his own beard, he tried to tell thebarber what he was used to doing. He realized that he probably sounded veryfussy to the other two men.
As Phillips began to cut, Winn listened to the man with the cigar. He was still standing. He could hear his spurs as he moved around some.
Spanish spurs, probably, with large row els. The man stayed near the doorand Winn guessed there was a window there. Perhaps the man was also waitingfor a haircut and was as angry at losing his turn as the one who had left.He might be watching for someone; perhaps he had a limited amount of time tospend here.
Winn hated getting special treatment. In the army some of his fellowofficers had expected it, even demanded it. It had always embarra.s.sed Winn.For an officer during a war, however, it was sometimes necessary. This was not. He felt like he should apologize to the man who was waiting, but hehadn't asked for it, and an apology would embarra.s.s the barber even more.
The barber, who had talked so freely to the last customer, was quiet now.
He cleared his throat occasionally as if he wanted to say something but henever spoke beyond instructions to turn this way or that. Once he told Winn to look up. He cleared his throat twice after that.
Finally he was satisfied and removed the cloth from Winn's shoulders.
He lifted something from the counter and, clearing his throat, set it downagain. Winn thought he heard a ghost of a chuckle from the cigar smoker.
Winn paid with a coin and was pocketing the change when the door opened.
”It's your young friend,” the barber said, as if he was talking to atwo-year-old.
”He'll help you now.” Winn mumbled his thanks and followed Peter out of the shop.
As the door closed behind them, Phillips sighed with relief.
”I'm sure sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Dempsey, but I just didn't know whatto do, that boy leading him around and coming back for him and all.”
”No problem,” Kyle said. He let the curtain drop across the window andstepped toward the chair.
”If you hadn't done it, I would have.” He was glad to get Sutton out of thatshop as soon as possible. He didn't want anyone else to know that Cynthiehad a man living in her house. Even if he had gotten his
own haircut first, he would have hung around the shop until Sutton was gone. He would never have left the men alone to talk about whatever they chose.
He looked at his reflection in the large mirror over Phillips's counter.
His dark blond hair barely showed a need for a trim but that was the way heliked to keep it. He gave Phillips's reflection a smile and eased into thechair.
From the window he had seen Cynthie and the child waiting at the wagon.
The Merlin boy would probably get them out of town soon. Maybe a casualobserver would think that the stranger was another hired hand.