Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-03-29
JOY IN BARE FEET

"And another respect in which the boys
living in big town like this lose out" said
the man who has habit of musing aloud,
SIS the cherished, inestimable privilege of
goin' barefoot when the warm weather
gets around. Very few youngsters go bare
foot IN a place like Washington during the
caloric months Their mothers won't let
'em. 1t isn't the thing Not knowing the
indescribable joy of goin' barefoot. the
kids of a big city don't banker for 1t, don't
beg for the boon, and they never know
what they're missing.
Long bout this time the boys-I mean
the fairly we'll behaved. middIe-class boys
In the little western town In which I was
brought up began to skillfully work upon
the sympathies of their mothers In this
gofn' barefoot matter. The kids always
had their dads as secret allies in this game,
gradually. brought around to the consent
giving point. The mothers were afraid
that their boys If permitted to go barefoot
would be confused with the common. taddy
kids Of the town.
I'VE always got turned down cold, as we,
Of course. expected, the first time we tac-
Killed. our mothers on this gotn' barefoot
proposition.
death OF co1d? would Invariably be her
first adverse comment Having thus fired
the opening gum we'd let it go at that and
wait for a day trife warmer and SUMMER
to come along. Then we'd try it again on
her. The formula was about as follows:
Nav, can't II
" Can't you what?'
{" Go barefoot?
No, you cannot-the idea Of such q
But all the rest of the felers are goin
barefoot
:. That doesn't make any difference, even
If 1T were true. which it is not. Only low,
common, bad boys go barefoot.
Well, Butch Brannigan and Smoke"
Snffkins are goin' barefoot, nav
Exactly what I say-only wicked boys
like that go barefoot. And how dare you
those boys to me?-didn't I tell
you not to play with them"
The next time I'd brace my mother on
the goin' barefoot question would be when
knew my dad was in listening distance.
knew that I had him with me in the mat
ter, although he never came right out and
told me so-we just had sort O. under
tacit and unexpressed, on the
point. Well, when I'd tackle my mother
again with my father around, and I'D get
turned down as usual, I'd hear him, after
l left the room. saying to her:
Nav, what's the matter with letting
the young 'un go barefoot If he wants to?
'Tain't going to hurt limits good for
him. In fact. Used to be kid myself once,
and 1 know 1t 'ud have broken me all up
if hadn't been allowed to go barefoot
John Nextdoor,' she would say to him
severely then, what can you be thinking
of? Do you want your son to grow up to
be a-er-a burglar?
Then I'd hear my dad chuckle, and he'd
change the subject.
We'll, along would drift. bout the latter
and then after school I'd chop a whole
lot Of kindling wood and clean up the back
yard knowing all the time that my mother
was sizing me up out Of the kitchen win
dowo, and then ia brace her once again
on the goin' barefoot scheme. My industry
'ud have mellowed her up a bit, and she'd
look at me dreamily, with her finger to her
lip I always knew what was coming
then.
"'Well, you may take off your shoes and
stockings for little while, Just to run
around in the grass in the yard, but don't
you dare go out Of the yard without your
shoes and stockings, Sammy Nextdoor!
she'd say.
"WeH, from that time on 1t was pretty
nearly all right. I wouldn't take advan-
tage of her permission, the first time given
to go barefoot around the yard, but the
next time I'd sort O wriggle out the front
gate. and If got away with that without
her noticing it it wouldn't be long before I'd
be over on the vacant lot across the street
barefoot. She rarely called me down at
that stage Of it. contenting herself with
mon little boy she couldn't help iit, and it
would have to be my own lookout-and all
my fathers fault, I'd hear her murn1uring
to herself as she walked away.
after traipseing around all day bare
foot I'd endeavor to sneak to bed at bed
time without having cleansed my barefoot
pedals from their accumulation Of dust,
but don't remember ever having got away
with that. My mother always nailed me
before I climbed into bed and made me go
out to the well and draw a pail Of water
and perform the pedal ablusions in the tin
basin before crawling between the nice,
S-1n arrid vay,
dreaming of such a thing!' the dear little
mother used to exclaim on such occasions.
But how it did hurt when, after goin'
barefoot during the long school vacation.
which 'ud cause the feet to swell up. cal
loused like, about three sizes bigger'n be-
fore the arrival Of the barefoot season
how it did hurt when a fellow'd try to get
into his shoes again when school took up!''