Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-10
The Story Of the New Shoes
By NJ. 8. pr.Arr.

It was half full OF hay and very warm.
There was n small hole under ono or the
caves. known only to three little Owls ana
on wild winters day they erept behind
tho fringe OF fcicles and flew into the barn.
There they nestled together on q broad
beam and listened to the frozen sleet strike
the shingles like tiny bullets. They heard
the great storm shake and press at the
doors. until they cried out: who. who-o
who-o-e7" And the storm walled: You.
you-u, you-u-ul'' IL whiried around In
long sheets of snow. This made the owls
afraid to go out. 50 they nestled closer and
told stories TO pass the time away.
Tho Story of the New Shoes was the
first Ii was told by the owl with long
feathers on his legs. lie told how in the
summer he had stayed for a long time
around the little, low house near the wood.
and how one evening. as he perched on the
woodbiRe that grew over the window, ne
had heard them all talking inside--father,
mother. little girl and ooy-aH talking about
the picnic. and how the little boy had 10
shoes to wear. The father and mother
thought perhaps he might have new ones.
Oh. how the little boy listened as they
talked 1t over! And how happy he was the
next evening when the shoes came home!
On the Gay after that he wore the shoes as
he walked into the village. for his mother
must have spice to make a cake for the
picnic, and the boy was going all alone to
buy 1t. He felt quite his age seven
years. The owls sat on tree in the wood
as the little boy walked through. Owls can
see very little in the Daytime, even in the
dusky woods but, learning over as well as
he could. he the new shoes They
were SO new and black and could speak in
two ways
He watched the little boy as far as he
could be seen. 1t was early In the after
noon then, but be took several maps and II
was getting quite late and still. The boy did
not come back. SO the owl began to boot
little, just for change. he was so busy
hooting that he did not see the little boy
running swiftly along the path, his new
shoes tied by the strings around his neck.
for part of the way had been very muddy.
As soon as the boy came near the owls
tree he stopped.
There was the very owl he had heard
every evening, and now he was 50 near
perhaps he might catch him. He ran softly
over the moss and put his shoes at the
foot of a tree close to a sharp stone that
would mark the place. Then he began TO
wonder how he could climb the tree where
the owl perched. The owl wondered. teo.
so he just fitted quietly out of 1t and into
another. Then the boy ran under that,
and so he and the owl played hide-and-
seek for some time.
AT last the little boy lost the owl ana
thought he would find his shoes Where
was the tree with the sharp stoneY AT
first he was so sure of finding 1t that he did
not hurry much, but looked about from tree
to tree, thinking the next one would be the
right one. After a while he walked faster
and faster until he was running around
painting for breath, and so frightened about
his shoes!
The wood was getting full of shadows
now, although long beams or golden sun
light came through in places But the sun
was going down and soon it would be all
shadow and no sunbeam The little boy
gave up and sat down on an old messy
log Before this ne had kept the tears
hack so that he could search for the shoes.
Now he sat on the log, bent his head, and
with his hands over his face gave long,
trembling cry.
The owl heard it, although he had gone
asleep in the tree where the little boy first
disturbed him. But even 50. he awoke with
start and wondered what was the mat
ter. He could not understand, and 50 ne
began to hoot.
The little boy heard him. wiped his eyes
his sleeve and ran as fast he could
toward the tree where the hootng came
from. He felt sure his shoes were near II,
and SO they were. There was the sharp
stone and near 1t the shoes with the stock
ings inside and the package of spice be-
side them on the ground. He put on his
shoes, tying them tightly that he could
not lose them again. 1t was late and ne
could not help looking around little 10
see how dark the wood was growing. All
at once he heard some one talking, ana far
down the way saw his father, mother and
little sister.
They were so glad to find him, and the
boy could hardly keep the tears back as he
told them how nearly he had lost his new
shoes.
The little sisters hair was done up so
tightly in curl papers, in order to be fine for
the picnic that she could hardly shut her
eyes, and she had been winking them all
the way to keep them timber. But as she
listened to her brothers story she kept her
eyes and her mouth wide open.
AS soon as tho little boy saw his father
he began to feel very tired. So his father
carried him most of the way home, while
the mother and sister dragged long pieces
Of dry wood behind them, so that they
might have a hot oven.
The owl flew softly behind Them stopping
now and then in a tree when they seemed
to look around The last tree he came to
was very near the windows of the little
low house, and from there he could see
them bustllng about, making the cake.
After supper the children went to bed.
The little boy tried to watch his mother as
she laid out his best clothes to be worn to
the picnic the next morning. But his eye
Iashes kept falling down on his round
cheeks
A cool breeze came from somewhere and
swung the branches Of the tree outside the
window. 1t ruffled the OWLS feathers and
gently waved the curtain. The mother
drew the blanket over the little boy and
kissed him.
Good night Tommy Two-shoes," said
she.