Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-11-19
THE RED SHOES,

BY HANS CHRISTIAN NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ny
ANNA MARY H0wIrT.
There was once little girl who was very
petty and delicate, but in summer she was
forced to run about with barefoot, she was so
poor, and in winter, wear large wooden shoes,
which made her little insteps quite red, and
that looked so dangerous
In the middle of the village lived old Mother
Shoemaker; she sat and sewcd together, as
well as she could, little pair of shoes out Of
old red strips of cloth they were very clumsy,
but it was kind thought. They were meant
for the little girl. The little girl was called
Karen.
On the very day her mother was buried,
Karen received the red shoes, and wore them
for the first time. They were certainly not in
tended for mourning, but she had no others,
and with stockingless feet she followed the
poor straw coffin in them
Suddenly large old carriage drove up, and
n large old lady sat in it; she looked at the lit
tie girl, felt compassion for her, and then said
to the clergyman;
Here, give me the little girl will adopt
herip
And Karen believed all this happened on
account of the red shoes, but the old lady
thought they were horrible, and they were
burnt. But Karen herself was cleanly and
nicely dressed she must learn to read and sew ;
and people said she was u nice little thing, but
the looking glass said "Thou art more than
nce-thou art beautifull'
Now the Queen once travelled through the
land and she had her little daughter with her
And this little daughter was a princess. and
people streamcd to tho castle, and Karen was
there also and the little princess stood in her
fine white dress, in window, and let herself
DO stared at; she had neither train or a golden
CROWN but splendid red morocco shoes. They
were certainly far handsomer than those Mother
Shoemaker had made for little Karen. Moth
ing in the world can be compared with red
shoes.
Now Karen was old enough to be confirmed;
she had new clothes, and was to have new
shoes also. The rich shoemaker in the city
took the measure Of her little foot This took
place at his house in his room thero stood
large glass cases, filled with elegant shoes and
brilliant boots. All this looked charming, but
the old lady could not sec we'll, and she had no
pleasure in them. In the midst of the shoes
stood pair of red ones, just like those the
princess had worn. How beautifully they were!
Tho shoemaker said also that they had been
made for the child of ACCOUNT bnt had not fitted.
"That must be patent leather said the old
lady, +" they shine sol7
"Yesy1they shinc p said Karen; and thew
fitted, and were bought; but the old lady knew
knothing about their being rcd, else she would
never have allowed Karen to have gone in red
shoes to be confirmed Yet such was the case.
Everybody looked at her feet and when she
stepped through the chancel-door on the church
pavement, IT seemed to her as if the old figures
on the tombs, those portraits of old preachers
and preachers wives, with stiff ruiTs, and long
black dresses, fixed their eyes on her rcd shoes
And she thought only of them as tho clergy
man laid his hand upon her head, and spoke of
the holy baptism, of the covenant with God
and how she should be now a-matured Chris
tian; and the organ pealed so solemnly, the
sweet children's voices sang, and the old music
directors sang but Karen only thought of her
red shoes
In the afternoon the old lady heard from every