The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1885-01-15
New Shoes.

NEW 1l4uSSs
II wonder if there can be a pair
of shoes IN it,
Little Tim sat on the ground close
beside a very ugly dark-colored
stone jug. He eyed it sharply, but
fnding it quite impossible to see
through it's sides,pulled out the cork
and peered anxiously in.
Cant see nothin' but it's'so dark
in there l couldn't see if there was
anything. I've a great mind to
break the hateful Old thing"
He sat for awhile thinking how
badly he wanted a pair Of shoes to
wear to the Sunday school picnic.
His mother had promised to wash
and mend his clothes, so that he
might 90 looking very neat indeed,
but the old shoes were far past all
mending, and how could he go bare
footed?
Then he began to count the
chances of his father being very an
CRY when he should find his bottle
broken. He did not like the idea OF
getting a whipping for it, as was
very likely, but how could he resist
the temptation of making sure
about those shoes? The more he
thought of them the more he
couldn't. He sprang up and hunted
around until he found a good sized
brick bat, which he flung with such
vigorous hand and correct aim that
the next moment the old bottle lay
in pieces before his eyes.
How eagerly he bent over them
in the hope of finding not only what
he was so longing for, but, perhaps,
other treasures. But his poor little
hears sank as he turned over the
fragments with trembling fingers
Nothing could be found among the
broken bits wet on the inside with
bad smelling liquid.
Tim sat down again and sobbeC
as he had never sobbed before; 81
hard that he did not hear step be
side him until a voice said:
well! what's all this?''
He sprang up in great alarm. L
was his father, who always slept
late in the morning and was very
seldom awake so early os this.
"Who broke my bottleY h
asked.
81 did," said Tim, catching al
breath half in terror and half be
tween his sobs.
"Whv did youY' Tim looked up
The voice did not sound quite s.
terrible as he had expected. TIL
truth was, his father had beel
touched at sight of the forlorl
figure, so very small and so sorrow
full, which had! bent over the broker
bottle.
why" he said, Il was lookin
for a pair of new shoes. l want
pair of shoes awful bad to wear T.
the picnic. All the other littl
chaps wear shoes"
D. Glow came you to think you't
find shoes in a bottleY
''Why, mamma said so. askeC
her for same new shoes and she saiC
they had gone into that black bottl
and that lots of other things hat
| gone into it, too-coats and hat
and bread and meat and things
and 1 thought if broke it I'd fint
EN- all, and there amt thing in i
and mamma never said wha
wasn't SO beforehand l though
'twou!d be so-sure.p
And Tim, hardly able to sob on
the words, thinking how keenly hi
trust in mothers word had added t.
his great disappointment, sat dow
again and cried harder than ever.
His father seated himself on ;
box in the disorderly yard and re
NAMED quiet for so long time tina
Tim at last looked up timidly.
I'm real sorry l broke you
bottle, father. I'll never do i
/ again2"
"No, 1 guess you WON'T" he said
laying a hand on the rough littl,
head as he went away, leaving Tin
overcome with establishment tina
father had not been angry witt
him.
Wo days after, on the very even
ing before the picnic, he handed
Tim a parcel, telling him to open it
New shoes! new shoesw ht
shouted. "Oh father, did you get ;
new bottle, and were they in it?"
mo, my boy, there isn't going tC
be a new bottle. Your mother was
right all the time-the things al
twent-into the bottle, but you see
getting them out is no easy matter
so Pm going to keep them out after
this. IN. Y. Observer,