i. the worn shoes

“where now, wallace?” asked mr. duwell as he met his son one bright afternoon.

the boy was carrying a bundle under his arm.

“mother sent me over to the shoemaker’s,” replied the boy.

“i am glad i ran across you,” said mr. duwell; “i have an errand over in that direction; i’ll walk along with you.”

“oh, all right, father. mother said she wished she could ask you about my shoes. we could not make up our minds whether they were worth half-soling or not.”

“why not talk the matter over with the shoemaker?” said mr. duwell.

“i suppose i shouldn’t have let them get so worn before taking them to mr. shoemaker’s,” remarked wallace.

“as mother says, ‘a stitch in time saves nine,’” remarked mr. duwell.

“by the way, father,” continued wallace, “isn’t mr. shoemaker’s name a good one for a cobbler?”

mr. duwell smiled. “very good, indeed; but really it isn’t so strange as it seems. many years[146] ago, when people did not have two names, they became known by the names of the trades they followed. for instance, john the baker became john baker, and later mr. baker; so also the tailor became mr. taylor; the mason, mr. mason; the carpenter, mr. carpenter.”

“and the blacksmith, mr. smith; and the cook, mr. cook,” added wallace.

“yes,” said his father, “and we could think of many more such names; but here we are at mr. shoemaker’s. suppose you attend to this little matter of business by yourself, while i do my errand.”

this made wallace look pleased and important as he stepped into the shop.

“good afternoon, mr. shoemaker,” he said.

“good afternoon,” replied the shoemaker; “what can i do for you to-day?”

wallace handed him the parcel, which he opened.

“do you think it would pay to put half-soles and new heels on these shoes?” asked the boy.

“pretty good uppers,” replied the shoemaker, examining them carefully. “i think it would almost double the length of life of these shoes to mend them, but i would not wear the next pair quite so long before having them mended.”

[147]

“i think you are right,” said wallace. “how much will you charge?”

“a dollar and a quarter for soles and heels,” replied the man.

“isn’t that a good deal?” asked wallace.

“not too much if we use the best quality of leather, and it doesn’t pay to use any other.”

“all right, mr. shoemaker,” agreed wallace. “when shall i call for them?”

“on saturday,” he replied, writing wallace’s name on a tag.

“very well, good afternoon.”

“good-by,” said the shoemaker.

outside the door wallace was joined by his father.

“i do not know whether i did right to leave my shoes, father,” said wallace. “mr. shoemaker said the charge would be a dollar and a quarter. doesn’t that seem a big price?”

“it does,” replied mr. duwell, “but i think you did right. a new pair of such shoes would cost three dollars and seventy-five cents.”

“and three dollars and seventy-five cents, less one dollar and a quarter, equals two dollars and a half saved,” finished wallace.

“that is true, my boy,” said mr. duwell, “if they last as long as a new pair.”

[148]

boy showing shoe to shoemaker

tell the story of this picture.

[149]

shoe sole outline with photos inside

can you tell something about tanning and finishing leather? have you ever visited a shoe factory?

it seems strange to think that the leather in our shoes was once worn by animals, doesn’t it?

[150]

“i suppose we ought to be very much obliged to the shoemaker, even though we do pay him for his work,” mused the boy aloud.

“so we should,” said his father. “everyone who does good work helps the world along, whether he is paid for it or not.”

“but i shouldn’t want to be a shoemaker,” went on wallace.

“why not, wallace?”

“oh, i hardly know, father.”

“shoemaking is very interesting, and it requires skill, my boy. of course, the making of new shoes does not require the skill it did years ago because so much of the work is done by machines.”

“did you ever hear of a shoemaker who became a great man?” asked wallace.

“oh, that is the question, is it?” said mr. duwell with a smile. “i have heard of several, and this evening i shall be glad to talk about them.”

ii. shoemakers who became famous

that evening, when the family was seated around the library table, mr. duwell brought out a book and took up wallace’s question.

“here is a book,” he said, “that tells many[151] facts about shoemakers who became noted men. let me read about some of them.

“‘one of our most famous american poets, john greenleaf whittier, in early life, was a shoemaker. whittier never forgot the lessons he learned while working at the shoemaker’s bench. his book of poems, called songs of labor, printed in 1850, contains a stirring poem about shoemakers.’

“here are two other famous men,” said mr. duwell, turning the page he was reading.

“‘among noted americans who were shoemakers was roger sherman, of con-nec-ti-cut. he was a member of the congress of 1774. sherman was one of the brave men who signed the dec-lar-a-tion of in-de-pen-dence.

“‘at least one vice-president of the united states was a shoemaker—henry wilson, who was made vice-president when general grant became president in 1872. he was often called “the na-tick cobbler,” because he was once a shoemaker in the town of natick.’

“so you see, wallace,” mr. duwell went on after a little pause, “the kind of work you do[152] doesn’t matter so much. it is how well you do it that makes the difference.”

“i think i do see, father,” said wallace. “maybe, after all, i’ll be a shoemaker. then, perhaps, i’ll become a poet or vice-president of the united states.”

everybody laughed.

“wouldn’t you rather be a tailor?” asked ruth.

“i don’t believe i should stand as good a chance then,” replied wallace.

“i am not so sure,” said mr. duwell laughing. “andrew johnson was a tailor, and he became president of the united states; but all mother and i hope for, son, is that you will become a useful, well-educated man.”

iii. at the shoemaker’s shop

when he called for his shoes on saturday, wallace looked at the shoemaker with new respect.

“good morning, mr. shoemaker,” said wallace. “are my shoes ready?”

“good morning,” replied the shoemaker. “yes, here they are.”

“they look fine!” exclaimed the boy. “thank you for doing such a good job. here is the money—a dollar and a quarter—is that right?”

[153]

“yes, thank you,” replied the shoemaker. “it isn’t every day that a customer thanks me for doing a good job. most people don’t give a thought to anything but finding fault if the work isn’t right—especially boys.”

questions

is there a shoemaker’s shop near your home?

did the shoemaker ever save you or your family any money?

can you tell about him and his shop?

what kind of customers do you think he likes?

see if you can make a list of the people whom you have to thank for a new pair of shoes.

rap-tap! rap-tap-tap!

rings the shoemaker’s hammer;

he’s making old shoes look quite new

with swift and merry clamor.

rap-tap! rap-tap-tap!

list to the shoemaker’s song;

by mending shoes he does his part

to help the world along.