Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-06-21
Tight Boots.

Did you ever wear anyf
If Won have not been the happy propri-
etor of ANYTHING of the kind, 60 at once
and secure pair of these leather agoniZ-
ers, and wear them half an hour, that you
may understand to what depth of suffering
a human being may be driven, and still
live.
Everybody is ambitious to have small
feet-why, it would be difficult to tell. 1t
is one Of those indisputable facts which 1t
is impossible to explain.
You 60 into shop to be fitted. The
clerk is all attention he knows his busi-
ness; he knows Just what you want, ex-
actly-made to order for very wealthy
and particular party, but it was a misfit,
and would not do. Splendid stock best
in the market !-none like it to be had
now for any price !-sell it for less than
cost!
Strange what numbers of misfits one
comes acrossl
Ofcourse, you tell him that you wear
size smaller than you really do. That Is
understood. He knows you will; and II
| is his province to encourage you in the De-
lief that your feet are smaller than the ay-
erage.
You tell him you wear threes. de
knows better; but it is not his business to
say so. He offers you three and a-half
You try to squeeze your foot into 1t; but
| it won't 90. You grow hot and mortified
but he blandly assures you that little de-
pendence can be put in numbers. This
| is very small three and a-half-uery-
not larger than two and a-half is gener.
ally.
Then you begin to feel that you may
venture on something trifie larger. He
gives you four. With a great deal Of
Squeezing your foot goes about half way
in. The heel sticks. You rise and stamp
Then the clerk rubs the leather and coaxes
it gently, and you stamp again, and the
thing is done 1.-The boot Is on! 1t fits
you ike the skin of potato fits the pota
to, and your foot is adorned with about
as many punches as can be found on {
fair sized vegetable of the kind men
toned.
You feel as ifyour foot had turned into
a block-a good sized one, too-and 1t Il
momentarily growing bigger. Your an.
kles Jingle as If there was anest of striped
| tailed wasps operating in that direction
and the cold shudders run up and down
your spine. y
But no matter! 1t is the fashion to hav'
small feet, and tight boots are the agent
1t is agony to bear that unrelenting press.
ure on your toes but never mind your
foot looks so genteel! You guess yol
can live through it, and it will stretci
with wearing, and you'll get thinner pal
of stockings.
And soft happens that through grea
tribulations, corns and bunions are born
on your toes, and you wear plasters, ant
you soak with hot water, and you Gu
and carve with dull razors, and you try
cranberries, and lemon, and soft-soap-
and the corn, as tenacious as Poe's raven
is still there!
Then, indeed, does the world lose it
charm-life is heaviness, and ''th
grasshopper is burden"
Your temper sours, and your nerves ar
unstrung, and you are peevish and cross
and ifyou are woman you scold your chill
dren and kick the poodle {; and if you are
a man you slam the doors and curse thu
boot-maker.
Curse, rather, your own pride; for, o
all the weaknesses to which human M
ture is subject, there is nothing more con
temptibly silly than Furnishing ones sci
to the verge Of lunacy with tight boots
Imagine Washington taking leave o
the army in tight boots
Imagine st. Paul giving forth his pre-
cepts in tight boots Kate Thorn, q
N. Y. Weekly.