Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-30

cry The slippers weren't much more
than three or four sizes too diminutlve Tor
her, but even at that, they hurt her rect,
and SO, with such furtfveness as women
shocking themselves of shoes under the
restaurant table know how to use, she
had performed that little act, to her no
doubt profound relief, comfort and as
suagement during the meal
know when she found at the term1na-
ton of the meal that not only could she
not return her footems to the sneiter Oh
the slippers, on account OF their sWoi-
lenness, but that her feet were SO NUMB
and sore that she couldn't even stand up
on them, much less walk, even without
the incasing shoes. And so there was
nothing to be done except for the male or
embonpointish proclivities with her 10
pick her UP In his TAT arms ana tote ner
to the automobile and carry her nome
I had never seen this shoe-remoV1nS
stunt quite reach such a pitch OF Tragedy
before, although everybody who drops
into New York restaurants Oftenishly Is
familiar with the spectacle OF women
trying agonizedly to get their feet back
into their shoes when they're ready 10
leave the restaurant. Once, not long ago,
I saw a woman hobbling out OF res
taurant with her evening slippers in her
hand and the shoes OF one OF the walters
wabbling around her feet; but. as gen
eral rule, the women who remove their
feet from their shoes at the restaura nts
contrive after much torture. to get
them on again; but l always feel sorry
for their escorts for the remainder OF
the evening.
The head waiter of one of the main
restaurants along the garish way tells me
that about nine women out of ten, dining
there of evenings either before or after
the theater, ease on their shoes belote
the meal begins and enjoy. their reflection
i'm their stockinged feet. / can we'll be-
lieye it. for one doesn't have to be a head
waiter TO see good deal of this sort OF
thing In fact, the thing has become
sort of jest at the tables woman with
a pinched, sulky expression sits down al
a table with her escort. and presently.
without any visible reason at all, her
face expands into "A smile and she
breathes sigh of profound relief.
~
Got 'em off, her escort asks her, and
she mods. oh, ever SO brightly. and the
escort feels relieved too, feeling that he'll
have ten or fifteen cents worth of peace
of -his-life until the delightful creature
has to resume her slippers or shoes be-
fore venturing into the open again
Visitors here frequently comment upon
the excessively sullen and world-weary
expression worn by SO many richly be-
diked women in New York have a
theory that the answer is to be found in
the tight shoes of these women. They walk
the world in agony owing to the all but
chinese incasements surrounding their ach-
ing footems, and they can M more be
expected to look cheerful over it than can
a man with toothache. The head waiter
with whom spoke about the matter sug-
gested that II would be good thing If
the restaurants provided headed and
nifty-looking black moccasins to be worn
by women who discovered that they
couldn't get their shoes on after remov-
ing them IN restaurants. 1t would indeed
open to suggestion, why not have them
for street wear, too?
CLARENCE L. CULLEN.