The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1900-11-24
GENTLEMEN WORE BOOTS.
vAsy were the Correct FhihE fsr
nre.s 0sea.isas Not So hany
Hsars Ago.

nreaa oeeaniens Not SO hany
Years AEe
Over on the other aide Of Canal street
IN the local Latin quarter. there Is a
little sobhler's shop that looks X an
etching by Durer. The tools, which
are stuck IN leather loops around the
walls, have al air Of serious antiquity,
liks dscayed gentlefolk, and over The
threshold is an empty wicker bird cage,
canted a. just tbs right angle TO make
what the artists call "a good compost
ton" Ths cobbler himsef 10 q small
ish atoop-shouldered man, with = per-
fectly bald head and iron sPectacles
half way down his nose. He is d~istrust-
full Of strangers, but when he knows
his customer he is a well Of entertain
inc "Reminiscences. The other day he
told a friend how the ancient and hon
orabls craft OF boot-making had gone
into decline. says the New Orleans
Times Democrat.
IL was working for myself two years
before the California excitement be-
gan, IN '4e,p he said. Those were
grand days. All gentlemen wore boots
then. made out of the finest calfskin,
with tops about IL inches high. The
Wellington boots were fashionable
just before my time, but I've made a
few pair, mostly for foreign gentle
men, and they looked very elegant out
side Of tight p~antAloons. The top was
generally morocco. II Rugged the calf
of the leg close and came TO a point In
front, 6nirhed with o ANAL red or pur-
pie tasssl. But the boot that every
body wanted was q plain, hns-grained
ealfskin, and it had to At like q glove
or IL wouldn't do at all. Do you see
those lasts up on the shelfp Well the
, men they we're made for are dead now
the whole crowd; but I'll bet you there
, isn't one in the lot that hasn't been
! patched and altered at least 40 times
, That shows you how particular they
were. Feet will change more from
ysar 10 year than you have any idea Of
!, and we had TO keep track OF suei
changes 80 as 70 make the boot sc
! perfectly snug. In those days gentle
man, especially . young gentleman
!. who went into society, wouldn't have
al hoot that he could veal without cur'
ing for q hrst weak or %. They want
: ed them ~tEht-tlgAt as wax-an
!. every young buck had his collection Q
= boot-hooks and boot,iacks TO get 'er
!, on ana on. Those tools were commo
n birthday and Christmas presents bac
\. in the f4os and SOS, md some Of theI
were got up very nns. I've seen boo
hooks with silver mounts and mahoi
any handles 500 . pair.
'yThe strain of pulling on a pair
tsht boots var so great" continue
the little cobbler, musingly, that v
hs used 10 run the strap ends half-wa
down the inside Of the leg and doub
\. sew them with waved silk twist.
~. young gentleman was actually kill,
here in 1880. or ~thereabouts, by Il
breaking Of his bootstraps. l remei
Der the circumsthnce wen. He was 9
" ing 10 a ball, and was sitting on a ,sto
in his room, pulling on a pair OF ne
boots with the hooks they used the
. Both straps gave way together, and
u fell over backward and hurt bis spi
!" 50 that he died next day. Yes, 81
that's = fact. The family are still j
ing here, and l made boots for n
Ich his uncles up to less than ten years al
nd No; I cant say there was anything
'ut pecially peculiar about the boots
Oft that time except that they had mu
higher heels than are worn pow q
ag- very light soles, generally finish
the around the edge with a stitching
her yellow thread. A good pair of boz
'er- could be resoled four or five times, ]
was II was seldom done. When they beg
to wear q gentleman would genera
give them to his body servant.
uIy "The price OF boots then was ne
iess than SIS and more often SEQ, I
Yes, the planters up the river thought no
hen ing Of ordering half a dozen, or eve
md. dozen. pair at a time. i had one g.
on" customer from Lafourche. He wa
fine gentleman, with grand mann
,l,sA One day he came into the shop to or
a pair Of boots, and while | was mt
uring him 10 correct his foot he loo
~ at me very sharply. viii you allow
,.ir to see your tongue? he said, presen
was surprised, but I put it out
,,ra he pursed up his lips, like Q I
80 whistlingI 'Hum-m-m,' said he, 'ho
your appetizer 'Poorish,' said l. I
~ wasn't feeling very we'll Just u
- Make me IL pair Of boots this ii
IN said he, and walked out without
ISL other word. l felt kind Of uncomi
s'sa able for awhile after that, but, ]
: bless you! I've outiived him thes
years. Boots went put Of style In
VS. '7Os, but a good many Of the old pc
still stick to them, and. Tor that
ter, some are worn even 10 this da
,.,h, have four customers now that ] n
boots for regular, They are all mi'
aged men, and | used TO work for
fathers and uneles. They say tina
In high leather legs keep them
n aG catching cold, and they don't wan
city ieet ught' Du' prefer 'nen iarse
imef roomy, 80 ! don't nave Y go V
using trouble Of correcting their lasts,
vsr, did on the old days.
~ don't make shoes" added tn
IN, man, with q touch Of asperity, ~
,.ton. made . pairsin my lie, but it's'i
! men Tor me perhaps ,na' -.ney 'aA
4 thu wearing them and make them as
' nov as they do. That brings In en-
i,sion cobbling to keep the pot a-boilinl