The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
I might have had a COCOA


! From the marriage we went to the
residence of Mrs. Hall, on Haymount,
| mother of the groom, where an old
| fashioned ante-bellum wedding sup
| per was served, and where for several
| hours the young people had a most
| delightful time. If l am not mistaken
| DR.. Battle, of Chapel Hill, was best
man; if not best man, he was, at any
| rate. one of the best looking young
| men of the occasion, and seemingly
a great faVorite among the ladies. /
was in trouble that night-had on
tight shoes; and while | tried to be
| very lively, hoping to make myself as
| popular as Mr. Battle seemed to be,
my feet were suffering; and, al
| though in the midst of a refined social
| circle and surrounded by as pretty
| women and as gallant and agreeable
| gentlemen as Fayetteville could af-
| ford; and, although a most charming
| lady accorded me the privilege OF
| promenading with her on the piaZZas
and out on the lawn, bestoWing upon
| me her sweetest smiles, while she
| leaned 50 confdingly upon my arm,
| was, all the time, just as miserable s
| a pair of tight shoes could possibly
make me, and [ would willingly have
| given the shoes, and thrown in my
| socks, to have been out of that scrapc.
O, they were pretty shoes, stylish
and all that, and the merchant who
| sold them to me- that evening, was
profuse in admiring my well-shaped
! feet. And l don't know how many
| times these shoes were cOmpiimented
! by those who saw them as | SGT about
| the hotel. Yes, the shoes were all
right but my feet were a size or two
| too large for them, was the difficulty.
Under ordinary circumstances I
would have been only too glad of the
H.
| home; but ] am bound to confess. as
| beautiful and as entertaining as she
! was, | was sorry when she graciously
! granted me the privilege My feet
! could not have burnt much worse if
| they had been on d gridiron, and by
/ the time | had walked a half mile to
| the girls home, and swung on the
! gate a half hour, they were red hot,
/ speaking after the manner OF para
I bles. When the good night was said
! / was about a mile from the hotel.
| | knew | could not make the distance,
! suffering as | was; 50, remembering
! how | used to do. as a boy, to relieve
my feet when my homemade shoes
! hurt them. | at once resorted to that
old-time fashion, and that was how it
! happened that l walked into the of
/ flee of the hotel, filled with young men,
in my stocking feet
/ don't suppose l should have re,
membered all this if my feet had not
got to hurting, a few moments ago
necessitating the pulling off of my
| shoes.
How is it that women can wear
tight shoes without complaining?
| They can pack their feet into narrow
shoes a size or two smaller than their
feet-shoes with heels about two inch
es high, located under the hollow of
their feet; and prance around all the
evening, and be as gay as bare-footed
children. l can't understand it. Il
a mans shoes hurt his feet you'll
hear of it and he'll get larger ones
the next time; but a woman generally
makes her feet come to her terms,
hurt or no hurt.
They say that George Washington
had big feet, and was not ashamed OF
them. which last statement proves
that he was q man of sense. / once
knew a gentleman who wore shoes
thirteen or fourteen inches in length.
He was sensitive about his big feet
and resented it if he saw one, seeming
ly gazing ut them He was sitting
on front seat, in a church one night, !
his feet standing on their heels, very
much resembling a pair of old-fash-
toned dog irons, while near him sat
4 lady who. listening very 2ttentiVely
to the sermon, seemed to nave her
eyes fixed on those feet. He supposed
that her thoughts, also, were on his
feet, and it made him mad. Where |
upon he wrote upon q slip of paper
and handed TO the lady, the following |
ill-natured sentence: IF you'll look !
more at the preacher and less at my |
feet you'll be more benefited by the |
sermon" The lady wrote back: IN |
youll take your feet out of my way |
so I can see the preacher, l will.
That gentleman kept a grocery store |
and one dag a little boy, who had !
never seen him, was sent to buy Of i
him some potatoes. The little fellow |
rushed in, and, without any preface |
to his remarks, said:
"Mr. c.: Mama says please send
her five cents worth -God-a-Mity, |
what a foot.-"taters."
1t made he gentleman so furious
he threatened to kick the hoy out. |
That was a story Capt Woodson told !
in the local column of the Daily |
News"
I will close up on the foot question
With the remark, that it matters noc
how big or little are our feet, provid
ed we make them walk the straight
and marrow way. 1t is sad to think
that a great many pretty feet are in
the wrong road On the other hand, it
is a source of great pleasure to know
that many feet wearing brogans, as
well as many club feet, are plumbing
the track that leads toward the Celes-
tial City.
Coming back to the old-time school
master I will say this much, that
while he may have been-like a wan
dering Jew as to restlessn ess-going
from neighporhood to neighborhood
with his belongings tied in a red