Evening star., 1942-04-20

kdntlCt OI Lioi@
Henry McLemeFe. rors.
Last Tuesday. the head buyer in
our house felt that she must have
new pair of shoes and decided
I had better grab the opportunity
TO go along, because, while she may
not know It. Ii may be the last pair
she'll get for a long time-March
Is, June IS, September Is, Decem-
Der Is. whewl But, why do ! need
to remind you of these dates,
Brother7
We started shopping Just after
lunch and at o'clock she finally
bought a pair OF shoes which, shs
assured me all the way home on the
bus, she didn't like at all and was
going to return the frst thing in
the morning.
How II All started7
The gruesome afternoon started
this way:
We stood for fun 10 minutes In
front of q shoe store studying the
shoes In the window.
Look at that-isnt that cute
shoe? Oh. look at that one, It's even
cutter. Hey, there Is a darling pair,
and I've paid twice as much for
ones not half as good looking. Let's
go in"
This Is going TO be q cinch, I
thought to myself She likes every
thing in the window. Wen be In
and out of here in Ave minutes,
The store was crowded, but
clerk detached himself from Gus
toner and ran over and took of
one of my shopping companions
shoes, thrust 1t in his pocket and
ran like q rabbit.
Where the devils he gone tor"
I asked
"oh, he's gone 10 wait on . lot
Of other people tirst," she answered.
You see. he has my shoe and he
knows I can't get out"
She wasn't at all upset by the
absconding clerk, but began hmping
around the store with one shoe on
and one shoe of, looking In cases.
and peering intently at the shoes
other women were buying.
Argument Over sise 7.
Finally. the three OF us got to-
gether-the clerk, she and I. II
struck me that my companion,
having had the same feet for more
years than she'll admit. would
have some idea of what size they
were. but no. she and the clerk got
into q big argument, and he only
won 10 by yanking out the rneasur-
Ing board, He won by . size and a
half.
She informed him that she want
ed some brown walking shoes.
When he came back she looked at
what he had brought and In great
surprise said;
why, I wouldn't wear those for
anything. They're horrible. They
look Just like walking shoes"
I doubled up my fist, ready 10
pop the clerk If he whacked her
with one of the shoes, but, instead.
he was very pleasant, and before
left that store became con-
yinced that shoe salesmen are
among the greatest diplomats In the
world. and should be used more by
the Government in touchy posts.
II gather, Madam, that what you
want is a high-heeled, dressy, short
vamped walking shoe"
"Just What / Want"
"Of course. That's just what I
want. Like those cute ones In the
window"
Where in the window, Madam"
"Why, kinda near the middle
edge. You know. those cute ones"
I'm afraid you'll have TO show
me, Madam
She went shoe stocking foot,
shoe stocking foot out TO the street
to point at the window. She came
back crestfallen.
That's the only pair they have
and they're not my size, but I'll
look at the rest of their brown
shoes"
When she said the rest of their
brown shoes" she meant II. She
looked at ones with no toes, ones
with reinforced toes. She tried on
backless ones, strapless ones-in
fact everything but congress CATERS.
More Stores Visited.
She wound up by not buying any
thing in this store, confiding to me
that they had no selection and that
we would now 90 TO the store she
should have gone TO In the first
place.
They'll know Just what I want
there"
They did, but she didn't.
So we went to two more stores,
leaving all the brown shoes and q
few blacks and blues and whites
scattered all over the place.
At the fourth store, after sending
the clerk on more errands than a
telegraph messenger boy makes In
year, she found the pair that
you already know about--the pair
she isn't going TO return until to-