The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-04-23
JOY IN BARE FEET.
Where the Boys in a Big City Lose
OUT
CWashington Star)

W dS lluStDu CtdLsJ
And another respect in which the
bows living in a big town like this lose
out" said the man who has 9 habit OF
rnusing aloud, lis the cherished. tnesti-
mabIe privilege Of 'goin' barefoot when
the warm weather gets around. Very
few youngsters go barefoot in a place
Ike Washington during the calorlc
months. Their mothers won't let EN-.
1t isn't the thing. Not knowing the in
describable joy Of goia barefoot, the
kids of big city don't banker for it.
don't beg for the boon, and they never
know what they're missing.
"'Long bout this time the boys-I
mean the fairly welI-behayed. middle
class boys-in the little western town
in which 1 was brought up Degan to
skiIIfuIIy work upon the sympathies Of
their mothers in this goin' barefoot
matter. The kids always had their
dads as secret allies in this game, but
the mothers had TO be gradually, very
gradually, brought around TO the con-
ssnt-giviEg point. The mothers were
afraid that their boys il permitted 70
20 barefoot would be confused with the
common, taddy kids Of the town.
I'VE always got turned down cola. as
we. Of course. expected, the Hrst time
we tackled our mothers on this goln
barefoot proposition.
What d ye want to do-catch your
death of cold? would invariably be her
first adverse comment Having thus
fired the opening gun we'd let 1t go az
that and wait for a day tritfe warm
er and SUMMER to come along. Then
we'd try it again on her. The formula
was about as follows:
" May. can't 1?
cant you what"
Q" Go barefoot
"'No, you cannot-the idea Of such a
thingt
/" But all the rest Of the felIers are
goin' barefoot
That doesn't make any difference,
even If it were true, which it is not.
Only low, common, bad boys go bare
foot
:" Wen. Butch" Brannigan and
smoke" Sninlkins are gOin' barefoot
nav.
q Exactly what I say-Only wicked
boys ike to go barefoot And how
dare YOU mention those boys 20 me-
I Z i
THE next time I'd brace my mother
on the goin' barefoot question would
he when 1 knew my dad was in listen
inc distance. I knew that ! had him
with me in the matter, although he
never told me s0-we just had Sorl
O. understanding tacit and uneN-
pressed. 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 1 left the
room. saying to her:
IS Nav. what's the matter with let
/ ting the young 'Un 90 barefoot If nc
/ wants to? 'Tain't going to hurt him
/ it's good for him. in fact Used to be a
} kid myself once. and know it nd have
[ broken me all up if 1 hadn't been al
/ lowed 20 go barefoot
/ John NextdOOr, she would say 70
/ him severely then, what can you be
thinking of? Do you want your son
/ To grow UD 10 be AGRA burglar
( Then I'd hear my dad ehuckle, and
/ he'd change the subject
well. along would drift, bout the
/ latter part Of April pretty warm day
/ for a fact, and then after school tt
/ chop a whole lot Of Hndling wood and
/ clean up the back yard KNOWING al
/ the time that my mother was sizing ms
I'D out of the kitchen Window, ant
/ then I'd brace her once again on tn
goin' barefoot scheme. Ny lndustr,
/ 'ud have mellowed her up bit, ant
she'd look at me dreamily with he
finger to her lip. 1 always knew VIVA
was coming then.
Well. you may take off your shoe
/ and stockings for a little while. just q
/ run around in the grass in the yard
/ but don't you dare go cut Of the yar'
without your shoes and stockings
Sammy Nextdoori' she'd say
well, from that time on It was pref
ty nearly all right. I wouldn't take ad
vantage OF her permission, the FRS
time given to 90 barefoot around IN
ward. but the next time I'd sort o wrlg
gle out the front gate, and If / go
away with that without her noticing
Il wouldn't be long before I'd be owe
1 on the vacant lot across the street bare
foot She rarely called me down a
that stage Of il. contenting herself Wit
the remark that if / wanted TO be
conrOu little boy she couldn't help il
and &c would have to be my own look
cut-'and all my fathers fault I'd hea
her murmuring TO herself as sh
walked away.
After trainseing around all day bare
/ foot I'd endesvor TO sneak 10 BED q
bedtime without having cleansed m
barefoot pedaIs from their accumula
ton Of dust. but don't remember eve
having got away with that. Ny ml
Their always hailed me before I climbe
into bed and made me GO out to the we
ard drew q pan Of water and perfoTl
the pedal sb'utiOns in the tin basi
before craving between the nice, clea
sh=ets-'you horrid boz. for eve
dreaming OF such p thing the dea
/ little mother used to exclaim on sue
occa eions.
put how it did hut when. ate
goin' barefoot du~ing the long scho'
vacation, which I'D cause the feet
swell uD. cslloused like, about tire
sizes bigger'n before the arrival Of Oh
Barefoot season-how It did hurt whe
a feIlow'd try 70 get into his shoe
n