, 1922-09-02
Enter, the Bootsky

I'VE HAVE REFRANED from comment. Have,
w so to speak held our breath until the outcome
could be known. Whether it was simply a short
lived fad or would prove a popular style. Mean
while the vogue has spread and from one or two
of the more daring ones, wearers have multiplied,
until the general public has ceased to shy at the
sight Of them in the streets and public places.
Reference in this case could be TO only one thing,
or two rather, for they come in pairs. II is the
aBootsky" that our fair but bobbed haired daush-
ters. have adopted for footwear.
We hasten TO approve, for we have learned wis
dom in the late bobbed hair and short skirt cam
paigns, and have no taste for further defeat in at
tempting to dictate styles to Happenings who show
only disregard and contempt for the views OF wis
dom and conservatism in matters OF dress.
Having thoroughly impressed their Independence
upon us and made us like it, they have gone q
step farther and taken up a masculine style long
DISCARDED, except on the range, and have crossed
it with a Russian fashion and, 10, We have the
"Bootsky.'
1t is of no consequence now, to learn that a Rus
sian cobbler, having escaped from his native land
and the tyranny of Trotsky and his gang who had
compelled him to make boots without pay or other
reward under the Communistic system, landed in
Massachusetts and applied for work at one of the
shoe foundries with which that state abounds. The
poor cobbler knew naught else but the making Of
boots. He was about TO be turned away by the
cruel and inhumn foreman when the beautiful
daughter of the millionaire owner of the ~footgear
factory interceded for him and imperiously Or
dered the ferocious foreman back to his forman-
izing job and took things into her own hands. She
led the poor Russian cobbler to a bench in her
fathers factory and babe him 60 to work and earn
a living. To show his gratitude to his fair protec-
tor, he designed and executed a pair of elaborate
bootskies, the like of which had never been seen in
that large and growing factory devoted to the
making of department store and mail order house
stocks.
With his OWE hands he bore the precious gift to
the aristocratic homo of the fair maid who had be-
friended him. It was upon the very night Of Dame
Billionbuck's dancing party and the unfortunate
daughter of the millionaire shoe builder had moth
ing fit to wear upon her feet, which does nothing
more than prove that old adage than a shoemaker's
children are compelled to go barefooted.
The daughter of the house received the gift of the
humble immigrant with Joy in her heart and graf
itude beaming like searchlight rays from her soul.
full blue eyes. She thanked him effusively and
donned the bootskies and was whisked away TO the
ball in the family Limousine.
At the party she was the cynosure of all eyes. The
~eligibleS all sought her for a dancing partner and
the women with satin slippers were all left to or
nament the walls of the spacious ballroom. Our
heroine, the while gided swiftly and smoothly over
the polished floor with her choice of accomplished
fox trotters and expert one ~steppers.
When daughters success was approaching the
apcE father and mother arrived to .regale them
selves with nabiscos and dehorned punch. One
glance and father saw the point, also the posi-.
bilities.
With frantic haste he seized his hat and hasten.
ed 10 the factory as rapidly as his sk1lful chauffeur
could pilot the Rolls-Royce through the streets re.
g~ardless of speed ordinances and the cries of the
motorcycle cops. Ono there, he blew the whistle
for his faithful workmen to assemble. In the
t~winkling of an eye old machinery was thrown out
and new installed. Three shifts were organised and
the humble Russian boot artist made general sup
intendent of the works, with instructions TO speed
production of bootskies.
Returning from a hastily snatched meal of ham
and, the owner of the factory was e1ated to find
felegraphic orders for gross after gross Of boot
skies. News travels fast but shoe statesmen and
retailers keep abreast of the times and were on the
long distance vieing with one another to get in
their orders for early shipments by express.
A great din Of female voices arose all over the
land for b~ootskies, more bootskies. The valiant
Russian %cobbler, however, was equal to the oc
casion, and spurred by the interest the beautiful
daughter had shown in him the chute from the
upper floors of the factory was clogged with cases
filled with assorted -bootskies ON their way to thu
shippingroom, and truckmen were busy loading car
lots for distribution to all parts of the world.
The business p~rospered and the factory owner
rTazed wealthy. In due time the humble cobblel
shaved his whiskers and became rich and import
ant and sought the hand of the daughter of til,
plutocratic bootsly baron in marriage and was re