The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-24
RETRIBUTION BY
 WAY OF SHOES
ny PARyN ENGIANu.

NIOpyIIBHt, 1SVO, by bdlly 5tOTy fuD. She always declared that it was the little hole in the toe of her stock ing that caused it all. It was such tiny little hole, but the bright color spread over her pale face at the dis covery and gave 1t a beauty that James Eliot was quick to notice. She had sat up late the night be- fore to mend them carefully, but hav- ing grown so thin they could not bear the strain of alarming. It had taken many weeks to save up enough money for the new shoes and she had | needed them so much.
 On entering the store she felt that every clerk was looking at her shabby shoes.
 She remembered afterward that the tall. dark man, the proprietor, who | waited on her. did not seem to notice their shabbiness and treated her with the courtesy to which she had been accustomed in happier days. She smiled half bitterly as she re- membered her extravaganza in those days. Her mania for pretty shoes had been a family joke.
 Her thoughts were interrupted by a pleasant voice saying. These seem to fit you nicely. 10 you care to wear them? Very well. will send the l others"
 All that day something in the girls l face haunted James Eliot. He could not understand 1t. Had he ever seen her before? He had forgotten to ask her address, so could not send the old shoes. Perhaps she would remember and call for them. and wrapping them carefully he locked them in his desk.
 Day after day he watched, hoping | she would return. but as she did not, | one night he took them to his room and put them among the few treas ures In his cabinet. | Those who knew James Eliot would have thought this very strange. All his energy seemed concentrated upon making money and no one dreamed of | sentiment entering into his nature. With much at his command. he lived as simply as any clerk in his employ and no work was too hard for him. His presence was felt in all parts of his establishment.
 | One day he noticed a young lady quietly waiting in the store. She had evidently sought shelter from the l storm. There seemed to be something familiar in the pathetic little droop | of the head and as he walked past her she gave him a faint smile of recog- nition.
 His face frightened as he said with an eagerness that startled her: T am so glad to see you again" Re- covering himself. he added: Do you know I did not ask your name or address, so could not send the old shoes" ~.. l Let me take them" she said, won tened to say: No, 1t is raining, you will not want to carry package. l will send them tomorrow"
 He wondered what she would have thought had she known where they were and how sacredly they had been treasured. *l~
 My name is Helen Arnold. Send them to 500 Hawthorne Ave" | Helen Arnold! MT. Eliot said. in an astonished tone, but noticing her look of surprise he added quietly 1T knew a MT. Frank Arnold in the East
 You remind me strangely of him, but it Is probably just strange coin cidence He owned a large manufac- turing establishment, but failed in bus mess on account of the dishonesty of one he considered his best friend"
 The tears came to her eyes as she said: He was my father" MT. Eliot tried to speak naturally. as he said, May I claim you as friend for your fathers sake? He was one of the mo- blest men I ever knew"
 l She held out her hand and said in a pathetic way, T have been so lone ly It Is a good to meet some one who knew my father.
 May I call this evening and talk 1 to you of him? I knew it is asking much of you, but
 T want you to come." she said eagerly, If you knew my father" That evening as Helen Arnold pre- pared her tea and toast, she hummed softly, the first time for many weeks. | She had been so lonely, but now some one was coming who had known her father With unusual extravaganza she added some fruit to her evening meal.
 When she came down in a dainty muslin dress that she had not worn since the other days, MT. Eliot did not at first recognize the pathetic little creature he had seen at the store. You seem like an old friend" she said. giving him her hand in a cordial way. Tt Is so lonely to know no one. | I feel sometimes that l must give up and go back.
 why did you come here all alone?" he asked. , tell you all about It. It will be a com fort to tell some one my trouble. It is kind of you to want to know. After the failure and fathers death I felt that I wanted to get away from all the people I knew. My mother died when was little, so father was all l had. SonIe of my friends tried to be kind, but I could not endure their pity, or to be dependent upon them.
 ..I had some ability for writing and came here expecting to make my liv- ing in that way. So many many things that wrote were rejected and when the little money l had was all most gone, l went to work in store. | still try to write in the evenings, hut often I am too exhausted to think. Oh. I am so tired of 1t all.
 Poor child" he said, T should think you. would despise the one who brought this trouble on you.
 "rhe man who caused my fathers failure. and indirectly his death. is dead. There is a son. but have never seen him. At the time or the failure hs was abroad. l do not like to think of them, but he may not approve of what his father did.
 He would surely suffer did he real ize what trouble has come to you" ho rnid shuddering. The paleness Of