The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-01-02
A Broken
Shoeshing
BY MARTHA v. MONROE

While making q short stay in a city
that was not my home q friend. who
wished to show me some attention. but
wa obliged to be absent during my
so!tourn. gave me an Invitation card to
n Of the meetings Of a dancing club
OF which he was a member. To kill
time concluded to go. but l knew
o n of the ladies who would be there.
nor was there any person to introduce
me. Had my friend who gave me the
invitation been there l would undoubt-
eddy have enjoyed the evening. As 1t
was / had q very slow time.
saw there a young lady who was
evidently similarly situated as l was.
She vas very attractive looking, but
was nevertheless u w~alllower. l would
have been glad to know her. but
could only do sc by addressing her
without an introduction. which l had
not the assurance to do. She saw me
looking ut her wistfully. and | saw an
amused smile IN her face In conse
quence. This should have encouraged
me to speak to her. but l was fearful
Of a rebuff. Ten years later l would
not have been 40 backward.
But the wall1ower. A few days
after the dance while passing along
the street ! saw a young lady with her
foot on a step trying to tie her shoe.
It is not an easy matter for a woman
on the street carrying a parasol and a
reticule to do this, 50 I volunteered to
do it for her. Without looking at her
I bent over her foot. and while pulling
on the string 1t broke. l Immediately
took of n of my w shoes, placed
it where she could rest a foot on 1t.
removed the shoe with the broken
string and substituted my own shoe
string. Then. the shoe business set
tied. l turned and looked at her.
She was the walllower I had seen
a few evenings before.
Her smile indicated that she recog-
nized me. Indeed. It was the same
amused smile | had seen on those
same lips. However. she treated me
as a stranger to her. but asked me for
my pocketknife and. cutting OF q bit
Of loose trimming from her dress.
handed it to rue, with the words:
1.-The only return I ran make for
your shoestring."
She passed OH, and I stood gaping
after her. cursing myself for a fool
that l had not had the courage to ask
an acquaintance. for by her gift she
certainly conveyed what constituted
permission for me to address her.
My courage. came. but too late. !
started after her. but she went up
steps leading to q front door. The
mink saw me coming and doubtless
knew what I was about to do. With
the same amused smile she entered the
house and closed the door behind her.
It was in part that amused smile
which showed me how backw l had
been. and | was now brave enough in
all conscience. But what could I do?
Suppose l should follow her into the
house. Even II such an act were not
q breach of propriety It might serious
~ compromise her before others and
would surely be embarrassing for me
I couldn't ioiter about the door waiting
for her to come out. All I could do
was to give the matter up. trusting
that she lived in the house she entered,
and II she did ] might by passing it
frequently catch sight Of her again.
But my stay in the city came to an
end. and. though | spent hours watch
ing the house from u distance. did
not see her. l went home. wearing the
bit Of cord she had given me in my
buttonhole. and continued to e it
indefinitely. One day some months
after my return. when driving an auto
on the street. I passed another a
driven by q chauffeur. and on the rear
seat was my girl Of the %shOestring. l
saw her eyes fixed on her gift in my
t,uttOnhole. and On her face was the
same amused smile.
What confounded luck! Had I met
her on the ground I could have done
something to end these happenings.
but in q car going at the rate Of twelve
miles an hour. while she was In another
moving at the same rate. there was no
hope. Nevertheless l slowed up and
turned. But the street was not wide
enough tO turn without backing. M"
By the time ! got around I saw the
other auto quite a distance ahead. l
put on power to take me at Q rate OF
forty miles mn hour. A policeman ON
4 motorcycle ordered me to stop. /
drove on without paying any attention
to him. He gave chase. Just az I over
took the auto ! FOLLOWED q pistol shot
cracked. and the rear wheel Of my aut"
collapsed. The policeman had put y
bullet into It.
The chauffeur Of the other auto, hear
Ing q noise behind him. pulled to the
curb and stopped. The young lady on
the e seat looked hack and took in
the situation.
II q man Il going to have courage be
should have It at once. My putting
% taking the risk Of . snub placed me
n. 1 very ridiculous and trying posi-
ton.