| Show History of a Boot II To To be sure I 1 am nothing but an old cast cast- off castoff off boot and perhaps cannot blame you for being so contemptuous mp of me yet I beg bey of you you to to remember ber that though I lie here torn and neglected and my very strings heart broken still stillI I I have havea a sole Perhaps if the history of my people and me was was known to you I would not be subjected to your disdain In ancient times I am told we that is our race were in a somewhat uncivilized state I am ashamed to tell you that not the least knowledge of right was left leftus us by our ancestors In the times of the Greeks and Romans such was our tendency to become easily worn out and to forsake our masters upon their journeys journeys jour jour- that we were held by straps and thongs That was our our ur lot It is far fard d different nt now We have been advancing in the world world and i and there are those among us nowadays who shine as I It it were in inthe inthe inthe the very best of human society There You know the general history of my people Haven't we done well Remarkably well II sneered red the vase whose fa face e had long ago lost all its col color r quite remarkably well Is it not so friend This question was addressed to an old chair whose fore legs had been broken leaving it to lean forward at such a dangerous dangerous dangerous dan dan- angle that all hope of restoring it to its proper position had been given up by its powerless neighbors Well Im I'm sure I should never have submitted to such treatment as our friend tells us of I should have risen in arms The china dog looked rather doubtfully at t the chair How could you he said when your arms are broken The chair said nothing in reply and andas as no one else seemed to have any remarks remarks remarks re- re marks to offer the boot fell into a rev- rev ery Ah those days will never return I have been so long old that I can scarcely convince myself that I was ever young I It t is a sad truth that we do accustom ourselves ursel ves to certain condi conditions and come cometo cometo to believe those positions are the only only f ones left for us Thus do we become narrow minded and unprogressive Then as if someone had asked for a narrative of its life the boot continued What hat I first remember r was of finding myself on the foot foot of a tall straight handsome man He e was a good man It was a beautiful morning moaning when he walked up and down viewing himself in the glass Then he strode away in his dignified dignified dignified dig dig- fashion mounted his horse and rode out That night he put me and Biddy she was my partner in the closet remarking upon our fine quality and appearance appearance appearance ap ap- and went to bed The next day saw a change in our lives Early in inthe inthe inthe the morning he again mounted his horse and we all went galloping away to to Bos Bos- ton where a large crowd of people we were 1 assembled some with uniforms more morea a without some with muskets some with swords some with drums altogether rather a crowd but all with determination determination determination de de- termination on the their ther r faces My master ha had evidently been expected as they cheered and fired a few salutes not many presumably on account of the scarcity of powder as soon as we came in sight It was not long before I heard words sounding like red coats tyrants tyrants tyrants tyr tyr- ants and other such names all said in intones intones intones tones of hatred These red red coats coats pressed us so closely that we fled ta taking ing our way through New 1 Jersey ersey N Not ot al all had such able protection for their feet as my master Blood from wounded feet bare to the snow and ice left the close- close pursuing red coats intimations of the amount of our resources Then followed battle after battle Trenton battle Trenton Princeton Brandy Brandywine wine Ger Germantown Germantown after after after which eh ehI I was destined to to see no more of war Biddy and I had become so torn and scratched and thin that we had to be thrown away by our master who I know was sorry to part wi with th us for did he not have tears in his eyes eyes as he looked upon us for the last time and said These were worthy soldiers in iri the strife Biddy Biddy Biddy Bid Bid- dy and I were cruelly separated the goat got Biddy and I was thrown in inhere inhere inhere here among these thes tempered ill-tempered people Look at them sleepy crusty unsociable ble I cannot help but long for war again Vf The Thedoor door was wa opened and a man and nd woman stepped in and a a voice is heard heards s speaking peaking Deed Masse Lafyette dis am de deberry deberry deberry berry room wha po Masse Washington done trow all de old tings tings old old brums cheers boots Thank you Chloe the gentleman answered He was a kind-appearing kind man and his voice had a certain sadness in it which seemed to have come from grief At length after looking about the dusty place he picked up a b boot ot II Perhaps the General himself once wore this boot Yes sah sab yes sah sab the old woman said II I I knows it I kin mem bah dit boot jes ez well ez I kin my name when he tuck it off just after battle er Dat am de one sho sah It must be Chloe it must be the gentleman continues II I I shall take it back to France with ith me as a relic and andas as a reminder of succeeding g generations of that there was once a Washington and that his memory was most dear to a Lafayette t 1 J i I i y |
