At a Barber’s Shop

A man entered a barber’s shop with a boy of five or six years old holding his hand. He was in a great hurry and he asked the barber to cut his hair first and later to cut the boy’s hair.

“He can wait, I want you to cut my hair first,” he said.

The barber did as he was told and when he had finished the man got out of the chair and the boy took his place. The man excused himself and said that he was in a great hurry and that he would be back in a few minutes and would pay for them both. Then he left and the barber began to cut the boy’s hair. When he had finished, he picked the boy up and placed him in a chair to wait. He gave him a magazine to look at.

A half an hour passed. An hour passed. At last the barber said to the child, “Don’t worry, your father will be back soon.” “My father?” said the boy. “He isn’t my father. I was playing in the street and he came along and said, “Come on with me, little boy. Let’s go into this barber’s shop together and have our hair cut.”