Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-21
THE BAREFOOT BOY


the girthy. sood-natured-looking man with
the pair of double chins.
First warm, baImy. zephry. lazy. lilac
fragrant day of spring would start me of
on that bank. Feet would all of sudden
begin to feel hot and hampered In my shoes
as l trudged to school, and then the sight
OF the tads that didn't go to school already
running around barefoot would wear on me
something awful. wondered why 1t was
that I'd had the bum luck to be born into
one of those blamed too-respectble fam
lilies that had silly notions about boys going
around barefoot whenever they wanted to.
Always was a grievance with me, anyhow.
when was a tyke that hadn't been born
tad. The youngsters of the common,
onnery families seemed to have such heap
better time of it than the kids belonging to
the families that sort O held their heads up
and cleaved to the line of responsibility.
We'll. when I'd get to school on one OF
those Hlac-dreamful days I'd find myself
unable to concentrate my mind upon my
lesson for thinking about the fun Of going
barefoot. I'd keep my eyes on the printed
page before me without seeing line of
what was supposed to be studying. The
windows of the school room 'ud be open for
the first time that day, and the smell OF the
sweet new green grass would come sinking
in. and could see the apple trees burdened
with their big. waxy, fragrant blossoms in
the yard on the other side of the school
playground. and hear the twittering of the
birds that were just above busting their
little threats with happiness over the sea-
son just beginning, and overhead, as l
peered furtively out of the school room
clouds swimming about the sky-they made
me think of islands in the sea that always
dreamed about, but had never seen-and all
of this would convey the great, big, mean
ingfui message to me that the time to go
barefoot had arrived, and that longed and
ached and hankered to go barefoot with my
whole being.
But laundering to go barefoot and actual
ly getting to go barefoot were two different
things the way the family into which /
had unfortunately-as I considered-been
born was organized. My mother was sad
stumbling block in the way of the going
barefoot thing. 1 knew this ana fully APP
preciated the difficulties of the situation,
but l always went brayely and sturdily to
work to win her over
I'D generally go to work on my mother
with reference to the going barefoot bust
ness when I got home from school for din
ner-ye-eh, of course we had dinner at
noon at our house-and l always had just
about the same formula.
Nav, I'd say to her, after voluntarily
going out to the shed and bringing in for
her whopping big armfuI of wood-'Maw,
it's terrible hot. and my feet is all bis
tered. Kin l go barefoot when l come
home from school s. afternoon?
"Whereupon the good, little old mother
would shoot me quick glance of the
most ureadful repfOach
And catch your death of cold? she d
say, In a most unyielding tone. What
can you be thinking of? OF course you
can't go baretoot-not for long time yet
Indeed, l think you'll have to wear your
shoes and stockings all the time this year.
Nice little boys don't go barefoot any
more
I'D know that that was what she'd be
going to say, of course but I'd go right
ahead.
But maw. Ia say. teasingly, Butch
Kane is going barefoot and lot of the
other fellers.'
Butch Kane! The idear shed say to
that How can you mention such dreadful
common boys to me! Much less expect that
I'd let you do the awful things that they
dor
q But Butch's father. is rich and has
a horse and buggy-he Keeps a saloon Ia
say to her. as If to clinch Butchs respecta-
bilty. Nav, pul-lease femme go barefoot,
on'y for a little while. when 1 come home
from school s afternoon. Jes' a little
while. I'll get in lots o kindlin' before
take off my shoes and stockings and
And then I'd notice that my dad was
taking in the situation with a sort of half
grin ftckering around the corners of his
mouth. although he wasn't saying a word
L kind o felt always, that dad because
he'd been a kid himself, was sort o. on my
side in these matters, but he never inter-
fered with my mothers orders and I had
too much tact, you bet, to appeal to him
directly over my mothers head. But I'd
shoot my dad a sort OF wistful gaze, and
I'd say to him:
Paw, didn't you go barefoot when YOU
was boy on hot days like thisY
Dad, he'd throw up his hands and turn
away to conceal the broad grin on his face
then.
'''Of course your father did nothing OF
the sort said my mother then. Your
father was raised right
But, maw, I'd persist, my feet hurt
me so-these shoes are too tight, and they
IrlfsH my T
sons
My dad would sort o. look UP question
ingiy at my mother then.
" Mother he'd say to her. in a sort of
apologetic tone. don't you think It's warm
enough now for,
Now. there you go, John. interfering
with what L say to the boysp and then dad
he'd look sort OF sheepish and go ont into
the back yard to train the honeysuckle on
the fence.
4" But NAV I'd begin again. and then
shed chop me off right short by saying:
| Now. see here, Johnny. l don't want YOU
to say one more word about 1t to me-you
can't go barefoot. not yet at any rate and
that's all there Is about 1t. Wash your
hands and face and get ready for dinner
SOS you won't be late for school,
well, I'd never feel discouraged over
the outcome of this opening break because
you Sec was pretty we'll acquainted with
my mother-pretty we'll acquainted with
her, God bless her sweet hearti
And so, when [ got home from school
that afternoon, I'd go ostentatiously to
work to chopping a hull heap of kindling
wood. making lots Of noise about It, and
when l got through with that I'd get the
rake and sort o go over the earthen floor
of the Woodshed with it, and ell the time
I'd be casting furtive glances out of the
tail of my eye. for [ knew that my mother
was watching me out of the back window
Then, when 1 got through, I'd sort o. limp
into the kitchen, as IL my feet were hurting
me something horrible, and I'd sit down on
one of the kitchen chairs and look sad
and overdoue, and then I'd sigh, drearily
Gee, NAV, but how these old shoes do hurt
my feetr
And then she'd stand and look at me
with her hands on her hips and her head
cooked a leetle to one side, and q sort OF
softening light In her big hazel eyes
g Son., shed say. don't you sit there and
tell your mother a story like that-you
know that your feet are not hurting you
" But nav, they are-honest they are
cross m heart. They're all sweIled up. and
oh, nav. pul-lease let me take my shoes
off, just for little while. won't your
Well, she'd say then, the relenting
light that knew so well. and always looked
for. appearing in her eyes, Just for a little
while. now, Johnny, and see that you don't
go far away, and
well. I'd have my shoes and stockings
just about off by the time she got that far
And | guess 1t didn't feel good to wall,
out on the cool grass. barefoot for the first