The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1895-11-21
my feet and hoped they would fit bet
tar than

my feet and hoped they would fit bet
ter than my shoes did.
His structures We're we'll grounded,
for, wanting a pair of shoes for bicy
cling some weeks ago, | bought some
ready made ones of brown calf and had
been i'll advised enough to wear them
on this occasion. They did not fit me
well and were fast wearing out. |
shonld have liked the man who sold
them to me for Is. Cd. to have heard
my critics remarks upon them From
the technicalitiGs he employed | rather
think he must have been "interested"
in shoe leather
Otherwise from the general tone of
his criticisms, feel sure he would have
attributed some of their deficiencies Of
appearance TO the feet inside them. My
shirt did not please him II was Of blue
striped flannel He asked me how much
Igave for IT, hut did not tell hin, he
cause he would not have believed me.
He pointed out that he himself was
man enough to Wear white shirts, and
indeed ii Ms quite conceivable that the
one he had on might have been white "A
week ago, and, given a large eXpendi-
ture of soap and labor, might some day
be white again.
He wanted to know why |, who call
cd myself a totf / never havel, couldn t
afford anything better than flannel He
said he WAS ashamed of me. He had
said that before, and he said it often
afterward. | felt rather apprehensiye
about the treatment my tie would un-
dergo, and when its time came it was
very fully dealt with. 1t certainly was
rather gaudy l. was made # Indian
cotton, i'll pattern of yellows and
green's and reds
After its cheapness of appearance, the
thing that seemed TO strike him most
was its inadequacy rs a protection
against cold. As it was only rather IA
narrow bow. this deficiency was perhaps
not quite So remarkable as he was i'll
rlined to make out. He said If l would
make him Il present of 1t he would give
il to his mi>sus for pair of carriers,
but | did not offer to do so.
He offered me half IA crown for my
bag, siXpence for my stick, ninepence
for my umbrella and various sums rang
ing from 3 farthings up to nearly a
shilling and amounting i'll the aggregate
to about -four and siXpence, for all my
clothes as | stood. There Was no ques-
ton for myself-in fact, he said he had
seen better men made out of tea leaves.
My gun and cartridges he did not iden-
tify as belonging to me, but carpet
bag which was over my head ruled the
market at enc and siXpence, because he
said it would he useful for his old cat to
kitten in.
This mistake proved his downfall and
my salvation. The lady to whom II he
longed, virtuous female who was cen
voying two children and IL husband to
the seaside, was very much offended at
this allusion to her property. She said
she WAS Il respectable married woman,
which was obvious; that she had left
home that morning with headache and
fixed on n nonsmokinR carriage for the
curious reason that She didn want tC
travel in a smoking one.
She rebuked my astounded aggressor
i'll no measured language for his treat
ment of me, whom she was kind enough
to refer to as very civil spoken gen
tleman, - and took me under her wing
generally. l was very grateful. Ny as
sailant, who had hitherto been under
the impression that his witticisms We're
much appreciated by large and aid
miring gallery, dried up completely and
only recovered his spirits after "A nap,
from which he awoke only i'll time tc
alight at his destination. He then said
Good evening quite politely, and add
ed that if We're to step ont of the train
he would give me i'll charge for abusive
language Pail Mall Gazette.