THE OLD SHOES
X By GENEVIEVE ULMAR. |
“I am sorry to have to ask an im
mense favor of you, Mary,” began
John Rice, in his clumsy, but straight
forward fashion.
“If it is something that pleases you,
or does you any good,” brightly re
sponded his patient, gentle-faced wife,
“don't be sorry, John. Be glad, for ^
am bound to grant it.”
“You dear, lovable sweetheart!” en
thused John. “I don’t know how I
ever came to get you—I don’t deserve
you. You have been imposed upon
ever since I married you. Just to
think of it! I calculated that father
had enough to care for the home brood
as long as any of them lived. You
know how he went out to Oregon with
all his money bent on buying a big
fruit farm and moving there. You re
member how he came home dazed,
and telling an incoherent story of be
ing beaten in a rough mining town
out West. We^could get no trace of
the thirty thousand dollars ho had
taken with him for investments. It
was gone—lost. Father died. Mother
found barely enough left to support
her. To relieve her you consented
to take the children.”
“Wanted them, you mean. I was
delighted to have the dear little ones
to care for.”
“Well, I may as well break the final
bad news,” went on John desperately.
“Mother's millinery venture has failed.
She can struggle on no longer and—
hold on! where are you going?” for
Mary was flitting away fast as she
could go.
“Where am I going?” she chirped
vivaciously. “Why, to get the spare
room ready and comfortable fast as I
can, of course. Why, sir, do you think
I am going to have honored company
catch me unprepared?”
“You angel!” voiced John Rice. “You
have brought nothing but brightness
and blessings to anyone coming near
you:
John's mother was settled in the
very best room in the house. New life
seemed to inspire her, with her chil
dren restored to her, and Mary’s con
stant cheerful smile brought radiant
sunshine to her drooping spirit.
Things were not going well with
John. A cut in salary made him look
serious, but Mary declared it possible
to meet the grocery bill without de
priving them of enough to eat. The
mother contributed a few dollars a
month to the household from doing
some sewing, but John was worried,
for it looked vague and dark ahead.
Then came'a new surprise, and com
plication, and burden. The brother of
. Mary was crippled in an accident at
the mills where he had worked. The
doctor said he would be an invalid
for about a year. Harry Estes could
get around well enough, but he could
not do the hard work his former posi
tion had required.
Harry was cutting away a dangling
piece of a shoe sole when old Mrs.
Rice noticed the fact.
“Why. Harry, your shoes are pretty
well gone up, aren’t they?” she re
marked.
“That for some time, ’ Harry tried
to say lightly.
“I was thinking,” proceeded Mrs.
Rice reflectively. “I have some clothes
and such up in the old trunk of my
dead husband. Yes, and I am certain
there is a pair of shoes he wore. They
are not new, but certainly better than
those you are wearing. If they fit
you, they might do. Wait I’ll go and
look them up.”
Mrs. Rice proceeded to the attic.
She returned shortly with the pair of
shoes she had described and handed
them to Harry.
“Why, they fit just famously,” he
declared, as he tried one on. They
were patched up a little. I helped the
old shoemaker on Central street carry ,
in some leather supplies a tew days
since. He told me that made me a
free customer in the way of repairs I
might need. I’ll go and see him now.”
The shoemaker was true to his
promise. Harry sat in his stocking
feet as the artisan began work on the
shoes.
The worker had found the sole of
the shoe quite regular and ordinary.
When he came to the other, however,
it held fast and firm and he had to
dig hard to loosen two thin plates of
steel. He drew them out. BeWveen
them lay a little package, done up in
oilskin.
“Whoever wore these shoes used
this sole for a pocketbook,” observed
the cobbler, as he handed the oilskin
packet to Harry.
The latter unfolded it, Within rest
ed a note! or a check! No, a certi
ficate of deposit on an Oregon bank
for thirty thousand dollars!
Harry knew enough of the history
of the Rice family to read the oracle
promptly. He uttered an excited yell.
Then, in his stocking feet, he made a
dash for nome.
The agitated Mrs. Rice insisted on
going straight to the local bank to be
assured the certificate was good.
There she left it for collection—“half
to John and Mary,” she directed.
“If we hadn’t taken in the children,
mother would never have come-, nor
tjie old shoes,” reasoned the happy
Mary “ And, oh, John, see the grand
fortune that has come to us for duty
well performed! ’
(Copyright, 1915, by the McClure Newspa
per Syndicate.)
A new telephone meter automatical
; ly cntr o.L the instrument to which it
s attached when a set time expire
Eleventh Grade School,
Following is a list of those who
have contributed to the $700.00
fund necessary for the purpose
! of ac ding the eleventh grade to
our high school next year and to
increase the term to nine months:
W. E. Jelks, $100.00
H. Arnof, 100.00
Dr. G. B. Fakes, 70.00
C. W. McCrory 50.00
L. W. Sturdivant, 25.00
J. R. Taylor, 25.00
T. W. Woodbury, 25.00
W B. Kyle, 20.00
Miss Nell Stewart, 12.50
C. Crotzer, 10.00
C. B. Cook, 10.00
| R. L. Johnson, 10.00
G. W. Barber, 10.00
C. T. Willis, 7.50
June Dallas, 5.00
Miss Mattie Wells, .5.00
Miss Ethel Johnson 5.00
Miss Ruth Best, 5.00
Walter W. Raney, 5.00
Total $500.00
R. C. Davidson of Little Rock,
district aprent, will be here Mon
day and remain a few days as
sisting our county agent, R. H.
Abbey, in his farm demonstra
tion work.
G. G. McCrory, manager of
the Planters Mercantile Co., one
of the strongest and most pro
gressive firms of its kind in
Woodruff County, was a Mem
phis visitor Sunday.
nr
OUR PUBLIC FORUM
V—E. P. Ripley
On Relations of Railroads and People
The industrial leaders of this nation are talking to
the public face to face through the columns of this paper
The time was when if a corporation had anything to say
to the people they^ sent a hired hand, whispered it through
a lawyer or employed a lobbyist to explain it to the legis
lature, but the men who know and the men who do are
now talking over the fence to the man who plows.
When the leading business men of this nation get
“back to the soil” with their problems, strife and dissen
sion will disappear, for when men look into each other’s
faces and smile there is a better day coming.
Mr. E. P. Ripley, president of the Santa Fe Railroad,
when asked to give his views in reference to relations existing between the
railroad and the public said in part:
“Frequently we hear statements to the effect that these relations are
improving, that the era of railroad baiting has passed and that public senti
ment now favors treating the railroads fairly. As yet this change in public
sentiment, if any such there be, is not effective in results.
It is true that in the legislatures of the southwestern states during the
past winter there were fewer unreasonable and unreasoning laws passed
than usual, but a consideration of the hostile bills introduced shows that
ther^ is still reason for much disquiet even though they wore defeated by
more or less of a majority.
Moreover, the idea that the railroads have been harshly treated does
not seem to prevail in the offices of the State Railroad Commissions which
seem to cherish a notion that their business is not to act as an arbitrator
between the railroads and the people, but which proceed on the theory that
the railroads are able to take care of themselves and that their duty is to
act as attorney for the people even though in' so doing they deny justice
to the railroads. It requires no argument to demonstrate that the railroads
are entitled to justice equally with other citizens and taxpayers. That they
have not received it anjJ are not receiving it is perfectly susceptible of
proof. That they have practically no recourse in the courts has also been
determined.
The situation therefore is that the people, through their representatives,
must elect whether the services of the railroads shall be adequately compen
sated or not; and it requires no fortune teller or soothsayer to predict that
in the long run the service will take the class that is paid for and no better.
The natural competition between the railroads and the natural desire
to perform first-class service has heretofore resulted in giving the public
much more than it was willing to pay for. Continuation of this will be
impossible and no laws, however drastic, can long accomplish the impossible.”
MAKE LOVE THROUGH FRIENDS
Chin Wah and Mary Vaszkabine
are not linguists. Chin speaks Chi
nese and the girl Hungarian, but
both have friends who can interpret.
They were marriec^ at Cleveland de
spite the fact that they could not un
derstand each other’s native tongues.
During the courtship mutual
friends translated the Hungarian
and Chinese love letters. Chin, who
is twenty-seven years old, has a laun
dry. The bride is twenty-five years
vold.
NATURAL CONSEQUENCES.
Blondine—Hear about Uriah Um
son ?
Brunetta—What about Uriah?
“Up in the North T^oods a hunter
mistook him for a beast and nearly
jshot him.”
“I am not surprised.”
“Nqt surprised?”
“No, his wife has called him a
bear ever since they were married.”
IN THE CONFUSION.
“There was considerable confusion
in the cafe last night when the lights
went out. Didn’t I see you at a
table?”
| “Yes, I was'there.”
“Some fellows got kisses in the
darkness.”
“I got a check for six dollars.
Somebody switched qhecks on me.
; My own was for two ”
Misses Ruth Hailey and
Gretchen Tarpley left today,
Friday, for a few days’ visit to
friends at Weldon.
C. J. Ford, H. T. Miller, Neal
McCue and Glenn Harris were
among those who had business
in Augusta Monday.
Misses Ruby Hargis and Jonnie
Harris who are attending Gallo
way College, Searcy, were the
guests of home folks Saturday
! and Sunday.
Hears* In Connection
established 1*99
H.T. RANEY
Undertaker and Embalmer
COFFINS, CASKETS AND ROBES
McCRORY,
ark.