American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-06-06
Love In the
Cobbler Shop

By JANE Osborn


There are advantages in having but
S0ae pair of shoes. for when you go to
have them mended you can swing along
to the cObbler shop with the debonair
air of one unburdened by the bundle
containing the other pair-if you had
one.
For it is only when you are Town TO
one pair that you will wear the worn
pair TO the shop and sit there in the
old rocker In front of the cobbler's
bench reading a much begrimed copy of
the Saturday Evening Post" for some
time in July, 1915, and wearing-that
is the rather dreadful part of 1.-THE
carpet slippers provided for such as
you.
So Nathaniel in his well-brushed
though somewhat shiny serge suit, his
carefully tied though mayhap thread
bare cravat, and last years hat well
posed on irreproachably arranged
locks, stepped rather %jauntily into the
-cobbler's shop, bent on concealing frO-n
the world any resentment that he en-
%tertained toward fortune for not having
made him a millionaire or toward his
superiors Mt the "plant" for not having
increased his salary more rapidly.
For Nathaniel had a mother and
some sisters down state" somewhere
who had to be provided for. and living
was very high in Burtontown, where
his plant was located. You surely
never would have guessed had you seen
him that he was a man with one pair
of shoes. a man crossed in love and
fully determined since the one girl in
the world could never be his that he
would remain a bachelor for life.
When Nathaniel put OF those old
slippers he tnrned the rocking chair
so that those who passed the cobbler
shop might not see his face and recog-
ME him. Not that it mattered much,
but he would rather not have had his
associates at the plant know this de-
tail of his poverty. And then-did not
she, the Incompatible she, live in a
country place not far distant from
Burtontown. and might she not pass
in her limousine and see him sitting
there?
He was just bordering the a~rtless-
ness of a highly colored Autograph
calendar. an advertisement for shoe
polish, that graced the cobbler's wall
when he heard a footstep on the cob
hler's floor that somehow thrilled him.
The door closed behind someone, and
then:
A4I want to get - shoe
sS-1igs, please" 1t was the incompar-
able voice. 1t must be Ruth BlitherS.
Nathaniel seized the out-of-date week
Iy and began reading an advertisement
for the 1916 model Of a well-known
automobile as if it were of absorbing
interest. He felt that she was look
ing toward him. He could see the
cobbler get the strings.
1t would be a short transaction, he
thought, and she would soon be out,
Could anything be worse than to have
Ruth Blithers see him sitting there,
with his toes thrust in he worn car.
pet slippers, waiting for his one pair
of shoes? Somehow he felt over
Whelmingly ashamed of those bare
stocking feet of his, yet there was
nowhere to tuck them. 1t was an
agonizing moment, but it would soor
be over, and then:
"COme to think of it," said Ruth
"IH have my shoes repaired. Can
sit here? It's so convenient having
them done while you wait"
Somewhat surprised, the cobblel
pointed to II pair of carpet slippers
that lay on the floor and to a little
bench, and then cast dark glance!
from his Italian eyes at Nathaniel foI
not profrering his more comfortable
rocking chair to so charming a lady.
But Nathaniel appeared to be deeI
in perusal of the magazine. He als'
appeared to be nearsighted, for he helt
It remarkably close to his face.
Thanks to the industry of that SAM
cobbler the repairs We're completed OF
Nathaniers shoes in - minutes, hu
1t was the longest, most agonizing /
minutes that Nathaniel had ever spent
Meantime the cobbler's assistant too
the heels from Ruth's shoes and re
placed them with some made of rut
Der. OF course Nathaniel realized tina
he would a v to speak TO her. S
he looked up, but by that time Rut
was deep in the perusal of a shee
that had fallen from the 1915 periot
zeal. Then occurred to Nathaniel IN
reassurinG thought.
When he had met Ruth the summe
before when on one "extravagant tw
weeks vacation at a fashionable waite
ing place-hefore he had ever gOn
to Burtoutown-he had not told he
at first Of his poverty. 1t was tn
oti story.
He wanted TO "mSSe believe f
the space Of the vacation. But RutI
whom he danced with at the hote
walked with and swan with on II
beach and in the surf, loitered with
the boardwalk and f1irted with in II
moonlight, had shown herself to be
much more generously provided wit
this worlds wealth than he tina
though he felt that she returned