River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-07-22
Selling Shoes.

tho chicago Inter ocean, IS q long
French mirror that reaches within two
inches of the floor, and before which
every pretty-footed woman who buys
pair of shoes spends from thirty min
utes to an hour and half getting
the effect" of the boot. The senior
partner in a State street house was
asked how the mirror affected the
trade. He ran his hands up his snowy
white cuffs. smiled and replied: ut
sells better than anything we ever had
in the house. We have only had it
about two years, but we wouldn't be
without it half an hour. Do you see
those two ladies over there? Well,
! they're waiting TO get the mirror to
see how their shoes look"
| At the time the glass reflected a
| young woman seated between two men
the clerk and her husband. She was
| faultlessly dressed. and her feet had
| Just been laced into matchleSs pair
of patent leather ties foxed with ALI
gator skin. She wore some sort of
navy-blue hosiery striped vertically
with a brocade of twisted silks and
| just the suggestion of Hamburg ruffle
was visible below her dress binding
For the first few minutes she sat with
her toes out, a ternately tapping them
/ in all degree, of time. Then she
crossed them with much grace and de-
! liberation; the next move was the first
position which she regarded with coy
admiration. Without any interruption
of facial expression she suddenly thew
one leg over her knee. arranged her
skirts so as TO just show the tinted
hosiery, and began to swing the top
foot
Then she didn't think they looked
graceful, somehow and while the
clerk declared sit was the prettiest tit
he had turned out that afternoon. the
ankles were at right angles with each
other, while the toes played a tattoo on
I the carpet that Rosina Vokes would APP
plaud. The .do hurry, Claude, "
which her husband made, in a suppli-
eating voice, was responded to by a
sudden elevation of the feet and a COM
| ing together of the two pointed toes,
the curve described being positively
hoidenish.
Now, you see that the shoe let's my
ankle turn it it. Won't you indulge
me with another fit, pleasc?'
Certainly. just Step 8" the second
divan, please and the bd>otnd sun-
tered off to the door. leaving "Clauar
and the clerk to make IT, new dc.ti
without his valuable sugges, ions.
She had scarcely reached the next
department when stout lady from La
Sale avenue with a pair of small feet
\ in a smaller pair of trench-kid boots,
! took the mirror divan. she was evil
IDENTITY making her debut Before Their
French plate, as all she did was to the
out. looking more at feet than into TO
mirror. Her stay was much sborte
than the belle who followed. and deci-
dedly less interesting. To begin with,
she was pretty; she wore suit of cha
mois- cOlored tricot and TWO stockings,
one a mulberry and the other olive.
each fretted with the opposite tint.
! Her boots were lusterless kid, cut very
low in the heel, with tapering toe and
patent leather vamps tipped with kid.
4 She turned her toes IN, aud out, car
ried her foot in all attitudes, bent them
/ for waltz. and carriage step, and a
roller skate, and caused the attending
clerk TO furl his eyebrows when she
I wished there was n fender"
'Oh, we get used to them. It's the
same. or about the same posing all
day, We try to make the glass gener-
nj, but cant. Only the ladies who
/ have pretty feet use it. Those who
wear a No. ; or shoe don I do much
/ flourishing with them. However, the
! glass is not without its benefits, and
we do quite little gratuitOus school
/ ing in TIE etiqutte of heels and toes.
/ To illustrate: There are plenty Of
women who wear good foOt-gear. and
are woefully ignorant in all that per
tains To pretty ell, ct Half of the toes
are turned in, and another fourth point
SqUarely front, both positions giving
bulky appearance to the foot.
Our patrons, who are alike our par
aEons, make the very best use of their
feet. ard the various maneuyers they
EXHIBIT. unconsciously in most eases,
we endeavor to teach the semi-uncouth.
The carriage of the foot is as much a
science as any branch of physical cul-
ture. and when woman knows some
thing about the subject, all shJ needs
j. nice shoe To make her feet look
pretty. Pretty feet are not the impor-
tant feature they are supposed to be,
tor shoes get out of shape, and an in
differently shod foot is equally insight
w, whether the foot is big or little
Beauty of foot lies as much in correct
shoeing rs mans shape in the skill
aud tact of his tailor"