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Show ' WHILE YOU WAIT By Rex H. Lampman The other day when I was squandering squan-dering along wondering how much ' more some of these candidates were I spending than the law allows I saw , a sign on a window. And it said "Shoes Repaired While I You Wait." And I had seen the sign before. and wanted to go in and see what would happen. but I never could remember whether my guaranteed socks were keeping their guarantee or not. But this time there didn't seem to be anybody in the place. and I thought I'd take a chance. And I went in and sat down. and took off my shoes. And I felt all right after I took off the right one. because all my toes on that foot were concealed modestly. And a man grabbed the first shoe as I took it off. And handed it to another man. who looked at it unsympathetical-iy. unsympathetical-iy. and then attacked it. And when I got the other shoe off and handed it over xne counter I saw my big toe sticking out. and sort of smiling at me. And I sat down and picked up a I copy of The Journal. and went to reading Jim Sayer's financial column, because I don't know anything more about finance than some financiers do. and they only know how to get the money. And the machinery wihirred and-1 kept on reading. And they finished the half sole on one shoe. And I began to think maybe that I could get back on tun street. before anyone else came into the shop. But a newsboy came in and saw my toe. I I .JiLJ - and grinned. and tried to sell me another Journal. Jour-nal. And an old lady came in looking at the floor as thought she had lost something. And she saw my toe. ' and smiled as though it was what she was looking for. And she sat down .where she could keep it in sight. And it seemed to me as though I could feel her looking at it. And my toe began to Itch. and Iwanted to scratch it. and I didn't know what to do. so I started to read the society news. And my toe began to twitch or I thought it did. And I glanced at the old lady and she was putting on ner glasses. so as to get a better look at it. And by this time it was really hurting. And I watched the man and when he made the last touch on my second shoe I stepped over and took It out of his hands. and put it on the wrong foot. And I tried to get away without my change but the old lady tapped me on the arm. And she looked over her glasses at me very kindly. and said she hoped I would 'pardon a total stranger but she was a lot older than I was. and she had raised a large family of boys. And then she whispered so that It drowned out the noise almost of the shoe repairing machinery: "Listen Young man you wouldn't wear such holes in your socks if you'd keep your toe nails trimmed closer." (From the Oregon Journal's "Once Over" column. |
