Smyrna times., 1926-10-06
The Borrowed
Shoes
= -
By MARTHA M. WILLIAMS

ing to do with the case" Sandy retort-
Ell, her nose very high. 81 would have
been invited but for your Iie-you
told the Clarks I didn't dance"
II didn't! Who told you? They
lied, Felicia cried weakly, her voice
betray1ng terror. "AlI 1 said was
your mother never wanted you to
dance"
But not word that she died five
years back-and told me at the very
last how sorry she was she'd been so
hard and narrow Poor dear. She
couldn't help It. an orphan ward In
your family that thought wtckedness
into every pleasant thing, and ate up,
half she had, after eating up all their
own. Finding them out do believe
hurt her worse than being so plum
dered-" Sandy burst out, sparks in
her eyes. But we're wastin' breath
that can be better spent. Mine In
saying you shan't wear my black satin
pumps-now nor eyer-burn 'em up
first" .rr--' ..%e ,s...s,ss,..4-..-s,,..z,..
Sandy-properly Alexandria Semmes
was semi-private secretary to Bank
- SOA1S LII anu Out eight
miles daily by help of the trolley. She
loved to dance, better than to dream
of possible Prince Charming. And
she did often alone, timed by neigh
boris radio, In the dusk of her big
room with all the windows wide. If
she had said so, folks would have
looked askance-even without that
they were given to saying behind the
hand how queer she was How very
queer. Yet, oddly, she was better
liked than Felicia, who by influences
not generally named out loud-being
ecclesiastical or political-fed In pub
lie pastures, seeking always the most
money for the least work
In their small-girlhood Sandy had
disliked her tepidly. Now that they
were rising twenty, dislike had
changed into blazing contempt. The
affair Of the dance and the shoes was
typical-she determined to wear the
pumps to rags, as soon as she knew
Of Sandy's misftting gift. 1t might
better have come to her. The send
er, an old teacher gone higher In the
school machine, had written with the
parcel: Too long, l know, dear San
dy-but SO slim and soft, they deserve
to be seen on your beautiful feet"
Felicia went to the party-in bor-
rowed shoes, rather than miss 1t. Too
narrow, too long, her heels were bIis-
tered by their slipping up. But that
didn't hurt half so much as the fact
that they split up and down the mid
dle-which meant putting a new pair
In place Of them. Fifteen dollars
was an awful price to pay. even for
dancing with all the best partners.
Sandy should pay much more than
that-else Felicia would know the rea-
son why. She began sedulously to
cultivate Mrs. Lawrence. who was as
good as she was beautiful, and guile
less to the edge of imbecility. Pres
emily she was hearing-of course told
regretfully-the tale Of Sandy's wick |
edness. Did Mrs. Lawrence feel it
right to have her husband subjected |
70 such influences? Mrs. Lawrence |
sighed deeply, blushed and said vague
~ she trusted EIbridge as she did her
God. But next week, Felicia danced |
for joy@for Sandy's desk In the bank |
had new occupant-and Sandy her |
self had vanished.
Also and further Mrs. Lawrence
had been more than klnd-taking |
Felicia In her car all about the coun- |
ty, on her speaking tours. Sandy |
wasn't mentioned.
So time. ambling withal. brought
another holiday imminent. Felicia |
somehow felt that the feast would |
mark a climax In her affairs. Banker |
Lawrence had said rather pointedly |
county affairs. She had never man
aged to get really acquainted with him
but his wife's kindness more than
made up for that. OF course they
might ask her to the holiday dinner
Mrs. Lawrence had spoken vaguely of |
possible absence. But nothing was
Settled-it was a happy hopeful
Felicia that breezed into the county
offices bright but not too early the
Monday morning of that week. She
found the men there twittering, the
women gasping. The friendliest of
them fought with the unfriendliest to
tell the news. Willard Lawrence. sole
heir to the banker, was fetching home
wife-and who should that wife be
but Sandy Semmes
Luck Pure. blind. bull luckl Moth
ing else. Son Willard had a scientific
compIex-a very robust one-he had
taxed his eyes till blindness threat
ened just when there was required,
Af,a 1fa3ot1IN Aha l
the most tedious calculation-for
which his father had chosen Sandy,
sending them away to a seaside home
where. in a darkened room, young
Willard could listen to the results
Sandy read him. Outside, a noted
mathematician checked them and
found never flaw. She had made
the tedious Job a labor of love-in re-