The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1867-05-15
From Every Saturday.
THE LEFT SLIPPER. ,

derella nowhere, L exclaimed one morn
!, ing, drawing out from under the sofa of m,
: sitting room a small slipper for a left foot
1 "but if there was lady, be she Cinderal
3 la or Susannah, who had a smaller foot thai
this would fit, Il should like to see Eer
| that's all.
4 sat down agrin to my coffee and ham
and wondered however it could happen tha
Mrs. Pottle, my worthy and obsequiou
landlady, should have allowed the slippe
J to be overlooked in the" tt borough cleaning
she had assured me always took place be
tween the exit and entree of her different
sets of dodgers; yet here it was. The shin.
ing of the soft, bronze -colored leather haC
attracted my eye as the sun lit up the
abyss beneath the sofa; and now what must
do with it? Perhaps, after all, it was
Mrs. Pottles own; but | laughed at the
idea Of her elephantne foot finding entrance
there; perhaps it belonged to a child or
grandchild; but it was not probable inter.
pretatiou of the mystery 1t could surely
not be kept under the sofa for ornament;
and yet how should such thing as one
slipper not be missed, if the ownor pos
sessed two feet?
However, the little innocent-looking slip
per, fit to case very fairy's foot, lay there
and destroyed my peace of mind as locked
at it. My readers may laugh at me as
they choose; but will frankly confess that,
whilst some men fall in love with bunch
of curls. pair of eyes, smile, hand, a
voice, | was, before breakfast was half
over, head and ears in love with slipper.
1t was folly-nonsense- course; but so
it was. Philosophers would say it was the
form that my imagination conjured UP as
the real owner of the slipper, but | don't
care to be so particular-I believe fell in
love with the slipper itself. Such pretty
little thing it looked and felt, as | turned it
over in my hand, with its silken sandals,
and rosette of blue, and its neat lining Of
white silk; dainty little article, indeed,
perfumed with soft, sweet ordor OF roses,
that all its long isolation from its sweet
mistress had not wholly destroyed. -"
. I heard Mrs, Pott!e ascending the stairs
with my letters, and hastily, put the slipper
in nv coat pocket. had determined that
| would be guilty of theft, if theft it was,
sooner than part with my new treasure.
The landlady entered, Letters, sir, if you
please, sir!"
"Thank you, answered ceolly, and let
her 90 again; though longed for the his
| tory Of her previous lodgers. thought
she eyed me suspiciously, but, of course,
| | was mistaken; aud turned and finished
ny-breakiast, ~and then broke the envelopes
Of my letters.
| ring the bell Mrs Pottle enters. L
am sitting on the sofa reading the paper;
but lust said carel, ssly: "You have kept
these lodgings some time, l suppose, Mrs.
Pettle?'
"Law! yes, sir" she answers, stopping
short in the general gathering together OF
plates and dishes; nigh upon twenty years.
Though my poor Samuel Icing taken off
early, sir, was obliged to begin at forty
Now I'm turned sixty, sir, though some do
say" said Mrs. Pottle, with smile, that
they hardly can think tbs more than a few
years ago began-I' m so much the same"
'"rhey are all right" | said, willing to
propitiate Mrs. Pottls, ''you might as well
pass for fifty, and young looking woman
at that; but, however, what sort of people |
do you mostly get here-young men, like
I am, in merchants offices, or something
of that kind?'' ...-.,
"Wel, yes, sir; first and last I've had
some score Of clerks and junior partners;
but still isn't always so; but there was one
young maL-near,y the first ever had"
Ibid not exactly want twenty years
list Of dodgers, so | interrupted the worthy
soul by saying, But who have you had
latalyY Who was the last now, tefore !
came?' .,s
"A curious old couple, sir, as you ever
cast eyes on. ..
odd" l gasped, Il"
Mrs. Pottle did not, suppose, notice my
agitation, but replied: Yes, sir; the gen
tleman about seventy five, should think,
and the lady might be year Older or
younger-not much difference between
-, R,,k bao, ro,Y ,ordcp-tbat'c g vn1r |
bus SIR" And Mrs. Pottle disappeared
with tho tray Just as the horn and the rat
Ting wheels were distinctly heared nearing
the terrace | put on my hat mechanically,
and went down stairs vexed with the abrupt
termination to her recital. As rode along,
the thought struck me that the whole affair
was a trick, and that Mrs Pottle wanted to
bind me to the spot, or make me interested
in her house, or inveigled in some foolish
love affair. This decided me to take no
tice of her attempts at conversation for the
future, and not even to permit her to finish
the story begun in the morning.
Just then the omnibus stopped, and an
old maiden lady, whom had dknownthrough
her acquaintance with much respected
aunt of mine, similarly circumstanced as to
age and matrimony, entered it. l politely
handed her to scat for my aunt's sake
and commenced a conversation, which l
strove to render interesting, though my
mind was certainly very absent that day; so
absent that, in one of the pauses of our
discourse, incausiously drew out my pock-
ct handkerchief to wipe my forehead, and
with it-horror of horrorsl the little bronze
colored slipper, with its tlue rosette. |
shook it hastily from my lap into the straw
beneath, but the old lady had seen it, and
felt aghast as remembered that the story
of that little slipper for the left foot of my
pretty Cinderella would probably cost me
f5, 900 of my very discreet aunt's money.
Should throw myself on the old lady's
mercy at once-in the omnibus-by con-
Tossing the truth? But would she be likely
to believe me if did? l thought not. |
should only have falsehood added to the |
black list already prepared, l doubted not,
for presentation to my aunt. | knew the
old lady would not go as far as | did, for
she had already told ME her destination, SO
| kept my own foot on one edge of tho lit |
tie slipper, determined to pick it up again,
spite of all, at the first opportunity.
II think you dropped something, sir. "
said my aunt's friend coldly.
Nothing of consequence, think, thank
you," I replied, in confusion
II should rather think it was of great
consequence, she remarked, cruelty:
doubtless the young lady wants her slipper
matched or mended, ,4 t
The young ladyl What young lady? All!
if / could only find this Cinderella Deep
ly mortified, said no more; and the old
lady soon left me. ] went into the Office,
carrying my hankerchiefin different pock.
ct that might not draw out the slipper
with it, and sat down to my writing; but
my head was confused, and that little bronze
slipper danced over the page, over every