They were a pair of Tapanene made shoes. tht rome Anpthinge dorment fal'to their reputation, we can only mate shoes. ar feom intending fiaert that they were in all ways They were made of real reptile, quarantoed hard-wearing and water: proof. But even in the first flush of enthusiasm which began to wane we regarded with suspicion the "turned-upness" about the toes, an ancient cynicism asserted itself. We wondered why it was especially essential that they should outlive their wearer and survive Shanghai rainy season. But spleen gave way before the next Fomarkable quality of the reptile They had a real arch support. The Japanese shoemaker mention-loquacious terms. Here, indeed, we admitted, was something not often encountered, and. there floated before us visions of all the comforts to be derived from a Visible moans of arch support. Then, disillusionment lifted up its ixy head.
Resulted a mild remonstrance on our part that the arch support could hardly be said to cojneid exactly with the longitude of the wearer's arch, but that suggestion swas forthwith quashed by a sweep-gesture of the Japanese shoemaker's trade, was a proper arch support xight enough, it seemed. Even we Thad eventually to admit it. And much as the politeness of the Tapanese voce regretted having to mention the fact, the only rational Fenton was to be found in that freak of nature that one hesitating ly attempted to call an arch. Any ing less of a monstrosity would wwe coincided with the Japanese fhoemaker's arch-support. He said 50 himself, and' fear of other Anatontical ' revelations prevented our reply. Still, we had rather expected that our own peculiar might have been observed in. the making of our shoes.
But the strap. It did seem to be little on the tight side. The Japanese shoemaker on the verge of losing his patience, his sense of humour long since having dissolved, resigned himself to an ingrate customer. As a concession, the button was moved. The story of the reptile shoes, however, was to be continued in another hysterical Their soles set up their unseemly echo on the way home. confidence, and that jauntiness characteristic of a spring day and something new to match the day, dwindled with each carefully laid foot-step. The arch-support _prevailed not at all in the awful rumpus. Not a spot of leather to step upon could we find without a squeak. Passers-by gradually put pennament flush upon our fai Urbanity slipped away as fast as foot set itself down upon the pavement after foot.
Thereafter the shoes remained upon the shelf, and the Japanese shoemaker was banned with a shuddering distaste. But the end of the story came eventually. There were the spring rains, two days of them, in which nobody had a good word to say for torrential skice How could we explain the deep-rooted satisfaction which took possession of us during that trying time? We sauntered forth in the reptile shoes." "Rubbers" were never of the slightest use' to the owners of -hard-wearing, water proof, squeaking: shoes.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.