Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-10-23
SHOES CAME BACK.
HOW Mr.. AND MRS. ALGERNON SMITH
DISPOSED OF A NUISANCE.

of the Furnace, and All Is Well.
A rag peddlcr was slowly passing
Mrs Algcrnon Smith s house when that
good woman hailed him.
GLOW much for old shoes?'
"Holluv cent pount for WOOL an
cotton. l CANT puy ole shoes"
"But won't you give me something
for them?'
"Any iron or pottles you want to sell,
lady? You want to sell dose things vat
you hat on? Helluv cent pount. l
gan no more gif. | want not dose shoes,
not for nottings. Nottings else?'
Mrs. Smith Indignantly closed the
window. When her husband came home
at night, she said:
"Algernon, want you to take Il lot
of old shoes I've done up in package
and throw them away"
"Why don't you give them to the
washerwoman?' asked Mr. Smith.
"She won't have them-says they're
not her kind of shoes, " was the answer
"They are all either too large or too
small, the heels are too high, and they
are the wrong number. | offered them
to tramp, and he said when he went
into the shoe business he would let me
know-he wasn't buying misfts yet"
81 like his impudence Where are
they? I'll make short work of them, "
said Mr.. Smith, and he took the big
bundle his wife gave him and went out
In 5 minutes he was back.
$50 you got rid of them," said his
wife joyfully. II think there was an
accumulation Of six years in that lot.
Some of them L had given to people
who We're begging at the door, bnt l al
ways found them again neXt day in the
lot. Old shoes are like cats, if you send
them away they always come back :"
''Thc cat won t come back this time, "
said her husband 81 dumped them in
vacant lot and ran. After this when
you buy pair of new shoes leave your
old ones at the store
Next morning as Mrs Smith was do
ing her homework the door bell rang
81 guess maybe you've had~a bur-
glary," said the CHEEKY voice of man
who stood on the steps and seemed in
hurry. 81 found this bundle, with your
name and address on it, when l was
looking over my lot today"
Mrs. Smith took the bundle and fee
bly, thanked him. When Algernon came
home, she told him. He said there were
moro ways Of killing cat than of chok-
ing her with butter, and after supper he
took up the bundle and went out
He knew of a nice dark place down
near a church where he could slide in
and drop that load of shoes without be-
ing seen. He had taken the precaution
to tear off the address and had changed
the shape Of the bundle AS he deposit
cd it i'll the archway of this dark corner
a heavy hand was laid on his shoulder
"No, you don't. No abandonment of
the little innocent when you get tired
of your own flesh and blood Pick up
the poor thing now or I'll club ye. -
1t was the new policeman on that
beat, and he didn't know Mr. Smith
He listened to his explanation with a
most aggressive and unbelieving air.
"Lemme see the kid, he demanded
and when the "kid" proved to be kid
shoes he grew still angrier
"I've mind to run We in for disturb
ing the peace and resisting an officer, -
he said, but finally permitted Smith to
take his bundle and go home.
The next night a. snudge came out Of
the Smiths chimney, and the neighbors
held their noses. About midnight
loud rapping was heard at the front
door, and Il light in the basement was
hastily eXtinguished. Mr.. Smith an.
swered the summons, while Mrs. Smith
hid in the coal cellar. A patrol wagon
full of policemen was at the door. One
of them was on the steps.
Are you running glue factory here
without a liconse?" he demanded of
Smith.
"Then what is that internal odor?
Your neighbors have telephoned that
you were making yourself nuisance
and want you abated."
Smith took the crowd in and told his
story-how they had put those shoes in
the garbage box and had them turned
out again and how they had tried to sell
them or give them away and finally to
lose them Then he showed the police to
the basement and opened the door of the
furnace, where the shoes We're being
cremated. Then he produced some bot
ties with long necks that were sent for
his birthday, and for half an hour he
was busy pulling corl,s. After some
time he released Mrs. Smith from the
coal cellar
Are they gomez" she gasped
THE police?'
mo, no; the shoes"
EVERY scrap reduced to ashes.
They embraced, and happiness reigned
in the Smith household. - Chicago
Times Herald.
Two Cities.
The following announcement is post
ed i'll the Boston street cars: 1.-THE board
of health hereby adjudges that the de-
post of 'sputum' III street cars is a pub
lie nuisance a source of filth and cause
of sickness, and hereby orders that spit
ting on the floor Of any street car be and
hereby is prohibited. " The following
sign appears in the street cars of New
York city: "Spitting on the floor of
this car is positively prohibited. Goth
am and the Hub have different ways of
at the same statement -Elec-
trical Review.
The best theaters in Australia are
usually built on English plans, but are
moro like American play