Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-03-31
The Baby,s Shoes.

DE was q rough, hOme-spun looking
aaaD, and, a he tramped up and DOWN
the depot platform among some other
waiting passengers, he gave occasional
utterance to disjointed sentences, such
as: "Well, 1 dew declare! l vow to gra-
ciousr" and seemed greatly puzzled ever
some knotty problem.
At last he felt in his pocket, found IN
old stub of a lead pencil, and approach
ing the wall of the depot building began
to scratch something on a smooth space
on the boards. Hurrying passengers
jostled him, the city newsboy yelled in
his ear, but he paid no attention till .
man Of his own stripe, . farmer neighbor
with al honest glowing c~ountenance
looked over his shoulder and pointing to
the scratches he was making, asked:
"Wha be theyw
"Figgers," said the arithmetician, land
figgers don't lie; now, you add 'em up
and reckun the sum teetotal, and zee
what it makes"
One pound Sallerates. ....4 10
one pound Kremetartar g
A Barol Lam wicke.. ............... 10
three pounds NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. q
four yards caliker.. ........... .......... 30
one one new coffee g
AANAOV w OV0AAO AN w
Teetotal. 81 ~
"Thar! it reads all right" said the
man, as his friend footed it up, "but
there is a balance, an I've got my ticket
mall; there's a balance left over of q
hull dollar, an it he'd no bizness to be,
cas- Hannah calkilated the expense, and
Civ me just enough and zone to spare.
You sec what's troubling me is the fact
that there's somethin' I haven't got"
His friend persuaded him that it was
all right, that he had paid less than he
expected to for some articles, and that
accounted for the balance, and he finally
took his seat in the cars and piled up his
bundles in the seat between them. Then
he began a search for his ticket.
First he took out the surplus dollar,
then a G almanac, and at last he UNI
earthed the bit of pasteboard; then he
put his traps back again, and as he did 80
there fell from among them a narrow slip
of white paper.
"What'ts thatw he asked aloud, spread
ing the tiny bit of paper out on the
brown surface Of his toil-worn hand
where it lay white and pure like some
fair lily's petal. He turned it over in q
vain attempt to remember what he had il
for, and read some pencil marks IN the
other side. Then he gave a loud whoop
and grabbed his hat.
"Look at thatg" he shouted, holding
the strip Of paper up to the inspection Of
his friend; "read it! Hannah writ it,
and I'll be hanged eff I didn't go and
clean forgit it. Length of baby's sole,'
that's it. I was to get a pair of new
shoes for baby, an eff I'd a gone homo
without 'em, Hannah wouldn't hev give
me house-room, sho! Whoa there, corn
ductor! Lemme out! I'm agoin' clear
back up town to get the baby's shoes, an
if 1 amt back in half an hour ye needn't
wait this train for me. I'll take the
next" and he went off, looking as
pleased as possible, while his friend re-
marked to the rest of the passengers:
"Sol never did have much sense, but il
seems ez if hat air baby of his'n has took
away what leetle he used to hev.
never see such q idiotl"
But there were several just such idiot
in that very car, and as the broad bacl
Of the happy father disappeared In tn.
distance. they snuf1ed suspiciously ane
looked after him with a half-regretful
half-envious longing expressed in theil
moistened eyes.-Mrs. L. Payne IL De
fronS Feoo Proee