The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-03-17

1oh W Ihe waruroDe OF lie IN spite OF their lnslg-
ni6cent SIZE The shoes that come afterward are
thrown aside or given away all to pieces
and are less provocative of sentiment than the two
weatherbeaten shoes that have served their turn to
boy or man. But the first shoes are often kept by the
mother OF the little one who put them on, some
times to show them to him when he is big enough
to appreciate that at time his feet were as dimn-
utive, sometimes to awaken memories of little feet
that finished their earthly pilgrimage too sorrow
fully soon
But it is not to the mother alone that the first
pair OF shoes is important. AT the time of their
acquisition they are omnipresent to the conscious
ness of their baby owner.
The first pair of trousers fill not so wide place
in the mental horizon. By the time one arrives at
his first trousers he has tasted of good many
felicties and can compare thing with another.
He may have known and remembered disappoint-
ments and life is not with him an entirely rOseate
dream; he may have had fights with the neighbours
boy and perhaps did not always come off victorious.
and while the trousers are, OF course foretastes of
heaven, still his eyes have been opened to some of
the Establishments of early boyhood.
But the first pair of shoes-perhaps should say
the first consciousness of pair of shoes-comes
when the is not yet three and brings with it
absolute and unduted felicity.
From time to time mother goes away from the
reply is, "Mama has gone to town. She'll come back
sOon"
He runs to the window and climbs up on chair
and looks toward the point where the hill drops
suddenly and there is nothing to be seen but clouds
and blue sky. Toddekins knows that somewhere be-
low the blue sky mama is riding after old Jack to
"Tottiton" "Tottiton" is as near as Toddekins can
come to pronouncing the name of the village to which
mother has gone to do her Saturday shopping, but
Tottton is near to the name as is necessary. All
children have their Tottitons, places of delight from
which mamas come back bearing wonderful packages
that may contain nothing but things for the Kitchen
but that once in a while hold red and white candies
called "pepnit."
So Toddlekins looks out of the window for mama
until he tired and then he lies down the sitting
room floor and goes into dreamess sleep from which
the rattle of wheels awakens him. and he to the
front window and there is mama with her basket
full of bundles
'What for Teddy, mama? What for Toddy2"
'Oh, I've brought some tea and some oatmeal
and some onions. Want themi'
He is reaching up nquisitve hands to poke
hole in package in order to find out whether it is
only tea and oatmeal whether it is beloved "pep-
nits"
Don't touch, Toddlekins. Come out into the
kitchen and if you're good boy mama will give
you something very nice"
"Pepnits, mamaw
Better than pepnts," says mama, who has two
older children and who knows what is better than
pepnits
Out into the kitchen trots Toddlekns, wondering
what there is this great earth that stretches way
down to Tottiton better than pepnits.
The prosaic oatmeal and tea and onions and
many other packages laid upon the kitchen table,
and but one package remains in the basket, and it
does not look to Toddlekins like pepnts The color
of the paper is different.
1t is summertime and Toddlekins has been going
barefoot since he remember-ever since
April in fact. Before that he wore little homemade
Shoes but he does not remember those
oIn fhn ofrinn md
opens the paper, and there two shoes like sister
Alices only smaller.
"ShOes for you Toddlekins."
Flop the floor he goes If he had slipped
ice, and tries to put the shoes on backward, up
side down, any way but the right way.
'Here, DEAR mama will put them on"
'Dey has buttons, mama," says Toddlekins, his
eyes wnking with excitement He struggles to get up
and walk in them before the shoes fairly on, let
alone being buttoned.
Stockingsf Not today. Mama knows his impa-
tience This is just for delight, and II he had not
another stitch on him he would be fully clothed
and willing To 90 anywhere with ANYBODY His