The Republican., 1899-10-26
l Drurgsey's Patent Shoes
\ By Kenneth F. Harris. n
AAAM MSiASA.4 .4A4 4AS

nRURGSEY was disappointed in his
~ shoes. They had been the pride of
his heart for about week, for they
were not ordinary shoes, with plain up
pers, counters and soles and nothing
more except the laces and eyelet holes
They were the latest development of
sanitary science applied to the domes-
tic arts. A savant with noble brow
and double convex spectacles had de-
voted years of study to the evolving of
this shoe. At times this savant almost
despaired of attaining his ideal and
poverty stared him rudely in the face.
His wife would break in on him at
critical moments during his expert
ments and tell him that the soap was
out and the children were crying for
tomato catchup, and things like that.
Then she would speak of the prosperity
of her sisters practical husband John,
who had devoted himself steadily to
sewer contracts. 1t was in vain that
the savant would plead that he had no
genius for sewer contracts. His wife
was one of those illogical women. New
ertheless he had persevered, and the
hygienic footwear was sprung upon the
world. Drurgsey was one of the first
to adopt the invention.
The shoes were so contrived that a
sort of ventilation shaft penetrated
their depths, running from the counter
to the heel and thence along the inseam
to the shank. They had a perforated in
sole, with a substratum of India rub
Der, so that the raising of the foot Great
ed a suction in the ventilating pipe and
drew refreshiugly cool streams of air
into the shoe, forcing them out again
when the foot was pressed on the
ground. \ little circular, with sec
tional draft decorated with figures at
the angles and little arrows in full
flight indicating the direction of the
air currents, went with every pair. 1t
was about as scientific a thing alto
gether as can be bought for six dollars,
without taking into consideration its
practical utility. Then, it is a form of
entertainment. When conversation
Jagged Drurgsey could always lift his
left foot on his right knee and say,
with simulated carelessness: Here's
rather an ingenious thing in the way of
a SHOE" and then proceed to lecture
upon it. He carried the circular about
with him in his pocketbook, and it was
nearly worn out by the time the shoes
began to rip.
They had seemed to be strong shoes,
and well sewn. Drurgsey concluded
that the mechanism had been deranged
in some way. He said it was his be-
lief that the shank had fouled one of
the piston valves or that the inseam
had expanded and jammed the shaft.
Whatever the cause might have been,
there was an unsightly rip that afforded
more ventilation than was necessary.
''I'll send them around to Hindman's
and get them fixed" said Drurgsey.
''They didn't guarantee them to last
week, but L guess they would have
done so if l had asked them, and they
won't have the nerve to make any
charge"
81 might send Mary with them to the
cobbler's," suggested his wife.
IHeSe dTen SlOeS 10 SEND 10 q cob
bier, said Drurgsey, bitterly. "If there
was a competent machinist in the
neighborhood 1 might consider that
proposition, but it's fifty to one wheth-
er this man wouIa know the difference
between a connecting rod and cylin-
der cover. The best way will be to send
them around to the maker, and then
if there are any of the castings miss
ing they will have them in stock"
He began to lace up the shoes as he
spoke.
''Why don't you put on an old pair?"
asked Mrs. Drurgsey. "You must be
getting absent-minded. You don't ex-
pect them to mend those shoes while
you waltz"
"Well, I'll be in the office all the after
noon. I'll just send the Office boy round
with them and work in my stocking
feet. ] don't want to carry bundle
of old leather downtown and back"
Mrs. Drurgsey said she thought that
would be a good idea. She then told
her husband to be home in time for