Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 June 1894 — Will Have His Way. [ARTICLE]

Will Have His Way.

You can’t get the best of a sho« clerk. He knows more about shoei than a small boy knows about the exact day school closes. A woman hates a shoe clerk, and to all outward appearance the shoe clerk feels the same sprt of sentiment toward the woman. There is one habit that a shoe clerk has that is exasperating beyond everything. He always insists upon holding up the old shoe that he has Just removed, and, after taking in all its rips and rags and patches, he flings it on the floor as if it were infested with small-pox microbes. That one little incident is quite enough to make the woman shut her teeth together and mentally declare war. “What size, madam?” says he. “Four B,” she replies. “Well, I think you need a 51 triple ‘A,’ ” he suggests. Then if the woman is a real brave, courageous bit of femininity, she straightens up and says: “I will not wear a ss. If you can’t give me what I ask for I shall go elsewhere.” It all depends upon the makeup of the shoe clerk whether or not he gets angry at this point. Sometimes he goes away and presently comes back with a shoe several sizes too small for the woman's foot. Then he proceeds to try to jam the unhappy foot into it, after which he smiles blandly and remarks sweetly: “You see, madam?”

But, anyway, whatever plan he follows and whatever demands she makes, the woman invariably trots off with her No. 4 “B” foot incased in a No. 5£ triple “A” shoe. If the cle' k is clever she isn’t aware of the de< eit until she gets home and looks at i.ue box. Then she thinks of how she said to him sharply: “You needn’t bring on your s£’s. I won't wear them!” And then she sits down and has a good laugh. That's why I say that you can't get the best of a shoe clerk. Or course, women realize that they are unreasonable at times and t“hat buying shoes is a trying business any way, but it seems rather hard to think that we can’t have the shoes we ask for just ouce in a while.—Chicago Record. The struggle going-on in New York for the equal rights of women recalls to the Sun the case of a Buffalo man who loaded two shot-guns, and, handing one to his wife, requested her to fight a duel with him. The duel ended in the precipitate flight of the woman through a window, carrying the sash with her, and the man, of course, was held for assault with intent to kill. His conviction was regarded as certain, and it was held that his proposition to fight a duel, and placing the Mfornan upon practically equally terms with him, would not excite anything except laughter before a jury, whereas, if it had been the case of one man fighting another, it would be exceedingly difficult ta secure a conviction.