Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-07-10

The first step that took with the view of
knowing myself, was to ring at the door of
| an eminent chiropodist. He was within, of
course, as 1t was his business TO be- l was
conducted by footman in splendid livery
| up noble staircase into drawing room fur
| nished with all. and little more of, the glass
| and satin that taste has ordained to be neces-
sary for the proper fitting up of such an
apartment. A luxurious easy chair was plac-
| ed for me near the table in the centre of the
rooms, and was mild and deferentially told
| that the professor would be with me in few
| minutes. In the mean time | was left to con
| template his portraits as he appeared while
| extracting the corns of three crowned heads
Or rather three crowned feet-of Europe,
and those of an Eastern monarch, who. from
| his undoubted Arab origin, ought never to
have been troubled with shoes, much less with
| corns When these works of art had had
| their proper destined effect upon my mind,
the professor coarse, fat man-entered,
arrayed in a crimson velvet dressing gown,
with smoking cap to match. i rose to greet
him, but he bounded forward with an air of
what was meant to be charming amiability
and consideration for my bodily sufferings and
begged that would on no account disturb
myself
"My dear sir, !" he began, II have seen too
many cases of your kind not to know how
extremely grateful a little rest must be.
Allow me to take off your boots and shoes"
He placed a small black viewed cushion for
me to rest my feet upon, and in few seconds
those supposed Suffering members were expos
ed to view
''Ah" he exclaimed, .sthe very thing I ex-
pected; exactly the same the young Duke
OF Spndles. who was here the other day Do
you know his grace -
replied that did not
"A very atfable young nobleman,' he con-
tinued, pinching my toes with his fore-fnger
and thumb: extraordinarily SO, when we
consider what his grace must have suffered
with his feet before his grace came to me. L
think, sir, that L extracted from his grace's
right foot, alone, in single morning, not less
than five and forty corns of different degrees
of magnitude ~
L exhibited polite degree of astonish-
ment.
Eyes SIR" he resumed, ..and | did more
than that cured his grace of one of the
most awful bueIons that has ever come under
my notice during long and active profes-
sional career. Cure me of that bunion' said
his grace, and you will earn my everlasting
gratitude 1t embitters my youth, it darkens
the festive board, it gnaws me like yulture,
1t come between me and the legitimate plea
sures of the ballroom. which L am SO well
htted by age, appearance, and position to en-
joy put out my talent, sir, and his grace
went away another man. The hundred gum
eas that his grace presented me with were soCn
spent, but the diamond ring that he gave me
Ishall preserve and wear, by his grace's desire,
to the last day of my liie.'
He displayed ring
His grace must have been peculiarly affict-
ed.' | observed.
mo at all, sir; not at all. In fact, between
ourselves, cOrns and bunions are the great
curse of our aristocracy. Not one of that
illustrious body is free from from them, male
or female. 1t is an infallibie sign of blood"
While this conversation, or rather broken
monology was going on, the manipulation of
my feet continued, and small pea-looking
Jumps of some drab material were, from time
to time, placed upon a salver standing on the
table.
You must be person of extraordinary
tortitude," he resumed, Ito have endured
what you must have endured, for so long
period. Are you aware that | have already
extracted thirty-two corns from your feet ?'
was not aware of the fact.
This" he observed, taking off the peas
from the salver, lis what causes the pain in
the foot. 1t Is the seed, or needle of the corn,
which being pressed down 10y the boot, enters
that portion of the flesh which is not benumb
ed or hardened, and produces that sharp,
prcking pain, popularity known as shooting"
The professor rose with look of triumph
ant satisfaction, and | replaced my socks and
boots.
There" he exclaimed as stood up once
more, "you feel another man now, and will
walk down stairs very differently from the
way in which you walked up them"
l certainly did walk away differently, for 1
was thirty-two pounds lighter. Each corn Or
pea was charged a sovereign, and thirty-two
pounds was the cost of my first lesson in the
difficult art of knowing myself.-HouSetoLd
Word