The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-15

NV bootblack is somewhat of a philoso-
pher, says Anna Rittenhouse in the Phi
ladeIphia Press, He applies his intelii-
gence to everyday affairs.
When I put my boots up for polishing
Yesterday, he said:-"Miss, you are EVIL
IDENTIFY a good soldier. You never look be-
hind"
And why that?' I said.
..The fronts Of your shoes are in good
condition. but the heels are white
After which he launched into a deal of
sage advice to the women, who had bet
ter look behind. Il think many ladies,
he said, polish their shoes after pulling
them on; then they cam get around TO
the heels easily, SO they leave them
alone"
knew he had hit the nail on the head
about me; l suspected he had about oth-
ers. If you are going 20 polish a snoe
with a sponge it should be done on the
hand not on the foot" he added "Inen
YOU get at every piece Of it.
suddenly he tapped the sole Of my shoe
with a ~buttonhook.
aGot them wet yesterday? And where
did you dry them?7 looking at me sus-
piciouslv. You remember what a famliy
doctor this bootblack is-he is the coioreo
bow who plays tunes with his Instruments
as he polishes. ~
nI dried them on the steam radiator, |
said in a meek way, as If | had been leii-
ing the family doctor that ! had worn
a loy-cut gown when had a bad throat
eyes. ma'am: / thought SO, and these
nice shoes won't wear as long now as
they would have DONE The statement
wasn't encouraging, for he knew, as l
did. that / had paid more than ordinary
for these boots and had intended getting
a long wear to repay me.
He was distressed, for he likes to nurse
a boot as a New Jersey lawyer does a
chancery case.
No one can make him believe but that
the wearing length of a shoe is due 70
his watchfuI skill.
But what he told me about wet shoes IS
too wise not to pass on to YOU
IF you find the leather is wet on the
surface and doesn't touch the stocking,
he said. "better let the shoe remain on
the foot if you are sitting in a warm
room. If you are afraid of that. or com
ing in from the street you wish to put on
house shoes, then do not put your wet
boots anywhere near the n fire or
steam pipes. The heat warps the wet
leather, and though it may not seem to
do so. when you put the shoe on you Will
feel "a certain stiffness that is most I'M
pleasant.
ssWipe the shoes off with care and a soft
cloth. Do not brush the mud off with q
stiff brush unless there is a good lea or
it. After every particle of dirt is Off rub
some oil in with the fingers or a bit OF
flannel"
ssVaseline?p I queried.
mo, ma'am; never put vaseline on your
shoe leather Use neatsfoot oil. Have q
small bottle of it always at hand and rub
some in the wet leather. Put the shoes
away in a warm place, not near the fire,
and let them dry naturally
When you put on you boots the next
day you'll find them as soft as if they had
been polished"
Does the hardening of the shoe cause
1t to split?" I asked.
TT does; very soon," he answered. One
who doesn't know may think the sole is
only very dry, but it has really contracted,
so that upon much strain it will crack
wide open: especially is it apt to cape
from the leather at the sides,
by this time my boots were polished,
and as he slipped the heavy rubbers over
them he told me that rubbers added to in
stead of taking away from the polish of
shoes.
Another point worth the showing
What a nuisance our good-byes are to
each other. 1t is the good-byes OF the
feminine world that are wearing our ma
t.ence t~hreadbare. And now. right now.
when we are in such a rush. how the
1ingerers exasperate. What a host of
them there are, They are good natured
creatures. never dreaming of their ability
TO ruff up our placiditv. or that we are
wishing them well out of the way at
the moment they fatfer themselves they
are most entertaining.
The average social exit is halting. We
are such hypocrites we smile and smile
when it goes lame and has to be helped
along to the front door and out on the
piazza and almost dow to the curb.
Much of the blame Of this exit rests
with the hostess. She aids and abets
the guest in her role of. lingerer and
only when in the throes of head ~saniffles
vows she will in the future toss good
breeding aside and save herself such an
imposition.
A story is going the rounds that a
woman has been found who has sense
enough to know how In got out of fhe