Wichita eagle., 1890-01-30
-HkSSNtlAm
Daily - Eagle
BURIAL OF THE BOOTS,
SOME SUPERSTTT,ONS ABOUT DEAD
MEMS SHOES.
Where . Funeral Is Called a Dead Shoe,
Pretty Little Stories in Which Shoes Are
Prominent Characterization the Queen
Moved the Farmer.

Pretty Little Stories in Which Shoes Are
Prominent Characsers-How the Queen
Moved the Farmer.
The superstition Of the burial Of the boots
probably survives in England It is about
seventeen years since the writer beard from
an old gypsy that when another gypsy was
"puvado," or ''eartsed," very good pair Of
boots was placed by him in the grave The
reason was not given; perhaps it was not
known. These customs often survive after
the cause is forgotten, simply from some feel
ing that good or bad luck attends their OBJ
servance or the neglect of it.
Many years since writer in an article On
shoes in The English Magazine stated that
according to an Aryan tradition, the great
er part Of the way from the land of the living
to that of death lay through morasses and
vast moors overgrown with ferns and thorns
That thedead might. not pass over them bare
foot, pair of shoes was laid with them IN
the grave"
The shoe was of old in many countries a
symbol of life, liberty, or entire personal con-
troll In Ruth we are toll that sit was the
custom in Israel concerniu g changing, that a
man plucked off his shoe and delivered it to
" a slave transferred herself by the symbol
of the shoe.
When the Emperor Wli.dimir made propo-
sails of marriage to the daughter of Ragnald,
she replied scornfuily thai she would not take
OF her shoes to the son of slave. Gregory
of Tours, in speaking of weddings, says: 1.-The
bridegroom, having given ring to the bride,
presents her with shoe"
CURIOUS CUSTOM
AS regards the Scand inavian hel-shoe, or
hell-shoe, Kelley, in his ''Indo- European
Folk Lore" tells US that a funeral is still
called dead shoe in the Hennebarg district;
and the writer already cited adds that in
MS. of the Cotton library, containing an ac-
count of Cleveland In Yorkshire in the reign
of Queen Elizabeth, there is passage which
illustrates this curious custom It was quoted
by Sir Walter Scott in the notes to Min
strelsy of the Scottish Border" and runs
thus: "W hen any dieth certakrse women sing
q song to the dead bodie, reciting the journey
that the partye deceased must zoe; and they
are of behefe that once in rtpair lives it is
goode to give pair Of new shoes to poor
man; forasmuch as before this life they are
to pass barefoote through a great londe, full
of tho-ns and furzelf-eEcepte by the mery.e
the forfeyte-for at the edge 81 the lande IN
Guide man shall meet them with the same
shoes that were given by the partie when he
was LIVING. and after be hath shodde them
disnisseth them TO go through thick and thin
without scratch SCALE"
This must be very agreeable reflection to
all gentlemen who have bestowed their Old
boots on walters, or ladies who have in Ike
Foe .vift a6 hair rTf, ba
legend specifies new shoes; but surely pa il
of thirty shilling boots only half worn count
for as much as a new pair OF half a sovereign
ch.ussures However, If ono is to 10
Through thick and tim without scratch OF
scallen it may be just as well to be on Hae
safe side. and give a GOOD new extra stout
pair to the gardener for Christmas. For
truly the superstitions are strange thinfs,
and no one knows what may be in them,
There are one or two quaint shoe stories of
the olden time which may be Of value to Inc
solicitor.
CUPID IN SHOES.
It befel once in the beginnings of Bohen ia
that, according 90 ScEntarik r''SSlawische al
terthumer,n z, p. 42A, Libussa, queen of
that land, found hersek compelled by her
council to wed And the wise men, bel ng
consulted, declared that he who was to mar ~
the queen would be found by her favor ite
horse, who would lead the way till he fou no
q man eating from an iron table and kned to
him. So the horse went on, and unto a "a ED
where q man sat eating a PEASANTS dina Yer
From plowshare. This was the farm Ter
Prschegnischi. So they covered him with The
royal roDes and led him to the queen exps Ct
ant But ere going he took his shoes of iii
low wood and placed them IN his bosom, . nd
kept them to remind him ever after Of his
low origin
1t will, of course at once strike the reat Ter,
as it has the learned, that this is a story hat
would naturally originate in any coun try
where there are iron plowshares, hor SeS,
queens and wooden shoes; and, Us Schafs rik
shrewdly suggests, that it was al "a put up
iob;n since, of course, Prschenichi was
already q lover of the queen, the Ii rise
was trained to find him and TO llneel ba ore
him, and, finally, that the powshare and
wooden shoes were the prepared propea tics
of the little drama. The Seven League b DOTS
and the shoes of Peter Schlemihl, which cake
one over the world at will, have varia ton
in a pair recorded in another tale
There was beautiful and extremely n 'oud
damsel, who refused young man with e'ery
conceivable aggravation of the offence in
forming him that when she ran after him,
and not before, that he might hope To M AIRY
her; and at the same time meeting pod- old
woman who begged Der for pair of Old
shoes To which the proud princess replied:
Shoes here, shoes there;
Give NE a couple, tt give thee pair
To which the old woman, who was itch,
grimly uttered, an give thee a pair
which, The rest of the expression was
really too unamiable to repeat. Wen, the
youth and the witch met, and going to the
lady's shoemaker, made him make" a ST.
perbly elegant palr of shoes, which were sent
to the datnsel as gift. Such q gifSi No
sooner were they put on than off they start
ed. carrying the princess, maisTe chs, over
hill and dale. By and by she saw that a
mantle man, of course, WHOM she had re-
fused-was in advance of her. As in the
song of the Cork Leg" 1.-The shoe never
stopped, but kept on toe pace" ! nd the
young man led her to lonely cas- lie and
reasoned with her. AM as she had Z rorlised
to marry him should sne ever run a9ter him,
and rs she had pursued him whole day, she
kept her word. The shoes she sent TO the
witch filed with gold, and they were we'd
ded, and al went as merry us thousand
Srigs in duck pond--St. James Gazette
A Sure Test
Noted Detective tat riends hor;sel-This /
guest Of yours, who, you say, came TO You
with such catering iesters of introduction, Is !
an impoetor.
Friend-Ilnpossihle, he is one a the most /
cultured gentlemen / ever met
True; but al the same ne is net what be /
presends 70 be. BE claims 10 be q man Of |