Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1913 — Actor Taking No Chances- Christian Barber is Mystified. [ARTICLE]

Actor Taking No ChancesChristian Barber is Mystified.

Goldwin Patton, the handsome leading man with the Miss Bobby Robbins Repertoire Co., the show that opens a week’s engagement at the Ellis Theatre tonight, with the four-act • society comedy drama, “Wife In Name Only,” considers himself a very fortunate individual, not that he is vain, and he isn’t congratulating himself on account of his good looks, his splendid yoice, or his clever acting. He has been duly thankful for these very necessary qualifications to success in his chosen profession for a long time. The fact is, Mr. Patton is quite thankful and appreciative of the mere fact of his own existence. Mr.Patton^ ing around the cigar stores of Newcastle, where the show is playing to capacity houses this week, to the effect that a local barber, Ernest Atdent by name, had joined the church and was traveling the straight and narrow path that leads to everlasting life. When Mr. Patton heard this he could not believe it. Not that it Is hard for one to conceive a barber living an upright life, far be it from such, but the fact that a Newcastle barber would refuse a drink or a cigar could not be impregnated into Mr. Patton’s cranium. Mr. Patton has a personal friend who is a barber, so we can forgive his skepticism. When Patton heard the news he de cided that he would visit the shop where Atdent was employed. He did so and asked for Mr. Atdent. Mr. Atdent came forward wearing a clean barber’s coat and. a pious look. Patton noticed both, and seating himself in a chair, he demanded a shave, Atdent went through the preliminary motions that seem to be an essential part of every barber’s duties, and after he had carefully and assiduously sharpened his razor and deposited a nice thick creamy lather on the front part of Patton’s countenance, he started. Now, this barber evidently thought it was his Christian duty to secure as many advocates of the cause as possible, and this was the phsycological time. Everything was in readiness, his patron was lying at his mercy, so taking .his razor in one hand and a firm grasp in Patton’s hair with the other, he said, “Stranger, are you prepared to die?” Patton either misunderstood or was unprepared for death, for with one long yell, he eminated from that shop, and now, well, never again- He bought a safety razor.