St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-10
AN ODD LITTLE FAD.
Plaster and Marble Models of
Pretty Feet Given
Away.
A Hasty Husband Precipitates
a Row Over a Sc y
cret,
And Learns What His Wife
Intended for. His e
Present.
Various Orders Install Off
GERS and Have a Good :
Time.

PROBABLY one OF the QCeereSt craZeS OF al
the strange ones that have from time to time
run the gauntlet of public approval, is thai
now fashionable in st. Paul and other East
ern and Western cities. In this era of fem
mime emancipation tom all the restraints
supposed to have existed in former ones, it is
scarcely to be wondered at that the dear girls
have discovered and promptly put into prac
tice new method for tickling their OWL
vanity and pleasing their beaux. l dropped
into the apartments of a bachelor friend q
few days ago, to smoke quiet pipe and talk
over the latest happenings in our mutual
world. Ny bachelor acquaintance is,a brio,
a-brac fend. His place is filed with all sorts
of little knickknacks given him by the girls
of his set. and it was the latest addition to
this somewhat curious collection that at.
tracted my attention. The new ornament
was plaster model of foot and ankle. 1t
was a very pretty foot, evidently fashioned
after that of a lady who had no need to be
ashamed of her pedal extremities
''W here did you get that, Tom?' | asked,
pointing to the object OF my admiration.
THAT he echoed, following my gesture
oh that's plaster of Miss Jones foot
pretty model, isn't it?''
He spoke in so matter-of fact style of the
ornament that had almost concluded to
congratulate him ON having decided to enter
the married state, when he cut me short
with
''That sort of things all the style now, you
know. Almost all the fellows [ know have
got a collection of feet as New Years gifts
from their lady friends. The idea started in
Paris. believe. Most of such ideas do. Then
New York caught the infection, and now St.
Paul has it in violent FORM"
isn't it a rather risque style of offering?h
l asked.
"Oh, there's nothing in it. The thing was
begun by Bernhardt. who is said to have the
prettiest foot of any living woman. The
king of Italy got mashed on her as she ap-
peared in a pair of sandals, and raved about
the perfect symmetry of her feet. The result
was that the impetuOus Sarah had marble
model made and sent it to his royal nibs, who
replied in an autograph letter accepting the
compliment. From that beginning grew the
absurdity of the present. of course all the fell
lows who have half trunk full of feet know
well enough that, although the givers con-
ferred pretty compliments when they gave
the alleged fac SMILES of their charms, they
were careful that the plasters should be ideal
rather than real in their resemblance to the
original. To tell the truth about it very few
women have pretty feet Hundreds of them
have deformities due to wearing tight shoes.
Among the imperfections are corns, bunions,
warts and other excresences. Now these
would look badly reproduced in plaster, as
the Italian on Wabasha street who makes the
moulds ana gets out the models is a master
in idealism Once in a while, though. there
is woman who wants her foot modelled just
as it is. A rather amusing episode resulted
from that fact few days ago. A Summit
avenue husband happened into the studio of
the busy Milanese modeler. He was with a
friend who wanted to inquire about some
commission for lady acquaintance. The
married man was sitting about through the
assortment of half-fnished and completed
models. when he came across a fin
ished plaster that riveted his attention.
1t was a pretty foot enough that was
represented, but it had one defect-there was
a bunion faithfully reproduced on the little
toe, and one nail, that of the second toe, was
missing. The visitor grasped the foot in
both hands, held it at arms length, and
gasped out:
my wife's footr
1.-THE others looked at him astonished, the
Italian especially, who didn't know him
from the side of house. The next instant
the model lay on the studio floor. hopelessly
smashed, and the irate husband had the
modeller by the throat 1t was with great
difficulty that he was prevented from chok-
ing the man to death, and the discovery a
few hours later that his wife had intended
the plaster as New Years Offering for him
only made him the madden. l think matters
have adjusted themselves by this time, but
there were still clouds on the horizon last
time was up there.
las left the comfortable quarters of my
host and meandered adown the classic park
of St Anthony, l wondered whether-well,
Just how far this sort of craze might be car
ried. and whether it would end with feet and
aptIac