Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-10-18

Everything was as dark as pitch in the eel
lar, which smelled close and damp, while the
air was laden with the stale fumes of opium.
IT BRINGS HIM EVERY TIME.
"What you wantee3n came in treble key
from the occupant of the room, who was as
vet invisible to the intruder, who, neverthe-
less shouted, "Ho-la-mah?" which is the Chi
nese for how do you do? and further added,
81 came to see you mend some shoes, Sing"
''Me not mend shoe; you go hsme," said
the old Celestial, who was now seen in the
dim light that struggled through the little
grated cellar window, sitting on bunk on
which, previous to the interruption, he had
evidently been snoozing.
1t wasn't very warm reception, but then
Cinnamon are seldom polite or pleasant to
white people who may chance to intrude
upon them in their own apartments, that is,
unless there is money in it, The writer fully
approaching this fact, made his way to
where the old ''Chinll' was seated, and, put
ting quarter into his hand, offering him at
the same time cigar, and mentioning the
name of the Chinaman who sent him, pro
ceeded to make himself as comfortable as
possible by appropriating a stool that was
near.
1t was curious to see the effect of the money
and the cigar on the old man, who, with a
''smile that was clsildlike and bland," said:
ssOh, me see You likee lookee see how
China boy shoe be mended."
"Yes, that is it," returned the writer.
''You mend shoes, don't your
sob, yes me mendee shoe" he said with q
grin Before me not know who you be;
me likee you to go away. Now me know,
you stop and see."
''All right, I'll watch you mend shoe, and
then won't bother you any more"
'sNo trouble" said Sing, and he reached for
pile Of shoes that lay in heap on the floor
at the foot of the bunk. Picking out one on
which the sole had been badly worn. he pro-
ceeded to rip off a portion of the old felt, and
getting a smooth surface at last, he pulled a
big sheet of thick telling from a drawer and
proceeded, after the fashion of a Yankee cob
bier, to cut new sole. This done, he fitted
it upon the sabot, and then taking an awl
through the handle Of which thong was
run, he placed the point on the surface Of the
felt, the shoe being held firmly between his
knees Then, taking the thong in both hands,
he gave it peculiar twist and the awl went
through the new felt and the old sole that re-
manned on the shoe.
Repeating this operation several times, he
stuck small pegs in the holes to hold the felt
in position and then proceeded to bore holes
in rows all over the surface of the sole of the
shoe, until there were eight or ten rows OF
many holes each. Then the sewing com
menced, and it was surprising to watch how
dextrously he used the needle. When sewed
on it would seem that a sole would never rip
off, and, in fact, Sing said they seldom do.
That part of the work finished, he took a
sharp knife and pared the new sole down at
the sides until it exactly fitted with the old
and then dipping little stiff brush into some
thing that looked like whiting he daubed il
all around the edges and over the bottom
and after rubbing it over with cloth, the
shoe was pronounced complete.
SOME FINE ONES
The writer, during the above operations
asked many questions, and, as Sing had
warmed into q pleasant and communicative
mood, the following very interesting infor-
nation regarding shoes was CLEANED:
In China, where of course the greater por-
ton of all the shoes worn by Celestials in
this country are made, there is an absence OF
well tanned leather, and it is for this all
shoes are made SO thick. If a thin layer OF
that poor leather were used the shoes would
wear out in no time, and as they are rather
expensive from a Celestial point Of view 8
wearer of thin soled shoes would have 6
heavy bill for foot wear to pay. 1t is fol
the same reason that the uppers of all the
shoes are made of cloth, for there is very lit
tie of the thin, ornamental leather in the
country, and as the Chinese are not very
progressive they would never think Of I'M
porting that very useful article so as to make
their shoes more durable.
OF the cloth tops there are many varieties
although by far the greater percentage o.
Cinnamon wear those of black silk OF cotton
oruamented with embroideries of different
sorts. The designs upon them take many
forms, and some of the more elaborate of the
sabots cost as high as S12 or SIS a pair, Will,
those worn by the rich mandarins in China
are even more expensive than that. An OF
binary pair of shoes, however, can be pur
chased for about So, and it is only the well tt
do merchants OF laundry men OF the Celestia
dudes who buy the more expensive sorts.
Chinese dudes, by the way, often wea
shoes the uppers of which are made of blue
purple or red satin OF silk embroidered with
some other contrasting color, but these, as
rule, are sent to them direct from China
where some sweetheart Or living almond eyet
wife has worked on them for many days, 81
that her absent lord may cut a dash among
the swells of Chinatown.
The shoes with felt soles are much NOR
popular than the other and it is thought b,
the wearers of them that they last longer ant
look better than those made of leather. Th
soles are also easier to whiten, and this is
great point in their favor.
The Tartar ladies, who do not follow tn
custom of Chinese ladies of rank in crampin!
their feet, wear the same sort of shoes as tn
men, but the soles are made thicker.
The only reason Sing could give why tn
soles of the shoes were sewed all the wa,
across was that if the felt or leather uset
was sewed only around the edge it woul
warp out of all reasonable shape on the frs
wetting.
There are also Chinese slippers that ar
quite novelty in their way and very cheap
They are made of either woven straw 0
bamboo, with fat soles, no heels or counters
and resemble what are known in New Eng
land as slipshods. In the front, beneath tn
/ woven bamboo, are placed strips of differen
colored paper, which have quite good effec!
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