The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-03

Have you heard Of the man Who
 makes a living by telling peoples for
 tunes by their cast-off shoes?" asked
 Peggy the other day as she and Nancy
 sat on the veranda of the Twenteth street home of the latter where sfoughs of
 people pass and repass every day.
 "Does he live in Birmingham asked
 Nancy interestedly.
 That doesn't matter" said Peggy. The
 point is, that he recognizes the fact that persons character may be read by
 their old shoes"
 "No' exclaimed Nancy as she gath cred the skeins of soft pink embroidery silk in her hands.
 .I know there is something In the way people wear their shoes" answered Peg gy flor I've been studying the sltua- tion."
 .eWell. what's my character" asked Nan cy poking out two little high heeled shoes
 from beneath a frou-frou of dainty white | petticoats.
 "Oh, I know you too we'll" said Peg gy, ''but let's stop work for a while and look at the people who pass and read
 their characters from their shoes.' l Good" said Nancy, eager for diver | sion. Look at that person passing now aren't her feet too funny? Her shoes LOOK l like baby collins, or the old woman who I lived in the shoe"
 "All of us live in our shoes, said Peg
 ev emphatically. '.That's the reason we imprint on them peculiarities by which discriminating ones may read Jour charac- l ter"
 Look" shouted Nancy. That Is a. preacher"
 "No." said Peggy, taking a pair of
 onera glasses out of her work bag, which l she had purposely brought along. He
 merely a resigned married man. He S
 hoped for the best all his life, and the
 worst has always happened. | And hers?" shouted Nancy as a pret- ty. saucy looking girl passed l ''Why, you can tell by the way she l holds her skirts up, that she's a flirt,
 can't vou?" said Peggy positively. | ..what about hers?" asked Nancy as she noipted to a woman alighting from
 big yellow touring car at the corner drug
 store.
 "She is silent and scornful,' said Peg gy, "economizes on parasois ana sioVes and buys-automobiles.' | "Those three men-look-here they come-tell me about them." asked Nan cy as the trio appeared on the scene. l ..,rhe one on the inside" Peggy lm- l mediately answered, " has amiable feet. He Is very easy going. The one in the middle is-er--ershould say apologet- | ic."
 "If his big boots and my little shoes went tramping over the heather, quoted Nancy, 'I suppose he'd always pc apolo- sizingg, and the third one just ann bles. "Follows his feet" Peggy interrupted, | "which means he is shiftless and his family never knows wheee the rent IS
 coming from"
 l .It is wonderful said Nancy, since
 you've brought up this subject how all l the 300 or more superstitlous aoout shoes come to my mnd.'
 1 "Certainly.'' said Peggy. "A lot of wo-
 mne I know begin to pack their trunks lthe moment they see the top button of their boots missing. It's the sure sign
 of a trip.
 .J don't believe In all signs said l Nancy but I am coward when u comes to walking across room wltn only one shoe on. It's the sign Of most
 dreadful i'll luck-that somebody's goins l to tell story on you 1 "And my old nanny used to tell me when I finished dressing only one foot l at a time'' said Peggy, that all sorts
 of disaster and inconvenience would fol- | low me. enduring of the day. as she expressed it."
 q do believe firmly that when ones shoe comes united 1t is a sign that your l sweetheart IS tHiihihS ol yo" s~''' l Nancy.
 And when it trips you Peggy in- formed. ..it is sign that he hasn't told lyou the truth"
 1 Nancy arose from her chair.
 Come quick" she mentioned to Peg
 gy. and read these shoes"
 "A silly goose. said Peggy of the first. You can tell that before you ever look
 at hA shoes. though. she has no more
 ina gination than a catbird and never
 dreamed dream in her whole life.' | And that one,'' said Nancy. gazing at la woman whose shoes looked like they | were luted up the sides-just every other button being buttoned. | Comes to break fast in crumpled
 Mother Hubbard and her hair done up in curl papers, said Peggy, knowingly. ''She looks like she might be the mother
 of the little boy who told me that the only birthday cake he yer had was a
 soft boiled egg
 Don't lose the next one," said Nancy.
 "Her feet looked crushed, crowded.
 cramped up.
 "I should say that she's married to
 fault finding, finicky husband,' said
 Peggy Poor thing. ! don't blame her for the way her feet look under those
 circums stances-do your! l 'Isnt this one coming now joy?"
 said Nancy, complacently she re-
 minds me of that hymn they sing in Sunday school about the waves of balm Her shoes are so evenly worm | (Which shows she's well balanced woman She sheds trouble as duck
 does water. Insn't she the breathing | image of cream puff?" Peggy said.