Thursday, March 7, 2024

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A Shoes Story

Mr. Morton needed a new pair of shoes. Mrs. Morton has new shoes. Morton the Cobbler’s children have no shoes. No one is sure why Mr. called his wife Mrs., nor is anyone sure why she called him Mr. They did have given names. His was Milo, hers was Mavis. Their twins were Manny and Marva.

“Mrs.,” Mr. said, “I have used the last of the leather scraps from the children’s old shoes for the uppers of yours, so again they have no shoes. The soles are from what I planned to use for mine. But I still have my hole-in-the-sole pair. You need good shoes to walk through the marketplace peddling the eggs. Egg money will buy more leather for shoes.”

“And I know, Mr.,” she said, “you have said, profit from shoe sales and shoe repair is necessary to buy feed for the chickens to produce the eggs.”

During late spring through early fall, the cobbler’s children not having shoes didn’t set them apart from others in the village. Most of the children wore no shoes except in the foulest of winter weather. There was no shame in that. In fact, only the village manager’s daughter, Missy Mayor, wore shoes for every event. Mr. Morton had made her a pair of dancing slippers the spring before, but Manager Mayor had not paid for them.

Expecting to be paid for the previous week’s egg delivery, Mrs. went to the manager’s home on the first Monday she had the new shoes.

Mrs. Mayor orally admired Mrs. Morton’s new shoes then said, “Our daughter Missy has outgrown her dancing slippers. Please tell your husband to call in person after she returns from her trip so I can have him measure her delicate feet for a new pair.”

“Can you please Mrs. Mayor,” Mrs. Morton said, “see fit to also pay me for the eggs I delivered last week and the last pair of slippers my husband made for your Missy.”

Mrs. Mayor said, “I will talk to my husband so when your husband comes to measure Missy’s feet, I will have all that we owe him. But all I have of my household allowance today is enough to pay for half of today’s eggs. And I do need them all. Military Magistrate Morewit and his family of six will be visiting mid-week and Mrs. Morewit will expect soft boiled eggs served in the traditional style in my best egg cups with their breakfast.”

Mrs. Morton thought Mr. will not be happy, but six coppers for eighteen owed is better than no coppers. But twelve or eighteen coppers from street sales would temper his unhappiness.

The next Monday was the same, but the visitors Mrs. Mayor proclaimed would be Monsignor Maxum and his five attendants. “But I’ll need an extra dozen,” she said. “I can pay for one dozen. Last week Magistrate Morewit said his boots were too tight and left them behind. My husband cannot wear them because they are far too large.” Mrs. Mayor handed the boots to Mrs. Morton and continued, “Perhaps your husband can resell them and apply what he makes to our bill.”

Mrs. Morton didn’t comment, but as she started to leave, Mrs. Mayor handed her a pair of shoes saying, “I almost forgot. My husband needs new soles on these before his official audience with Monsignor Maxum.”

Mrs. Morton left for the marketplace with the boots, shoes, and the rest of the eggs. She sold a dozen eggs and went home with the boots, the shoes, and twenty-four coppers. The boots were too small for Mr. He measured Manny’s feet, and discovered their son’s feet were already too big for what would be his boots.

Mr. Morton met Mr. Mayor outside the church before the special Mass to be given by the monsignor. “My wife,” Mr. Morton said, “told me you needed these quickly.”

The manager examined the shoes. “Excellent work Morton. I expected good work, but the soles are thicker than one usually sees.” Mr. Morton didn’t tell Mr. Mayor he had used the soles from the magistrate’s boots to do the repair.

The manager continued, “I expected my wife would have paid in advance and that she would have already paid for the slippers you made for our daughter. When Missy gets back from Kaivalya, I’d like her to have another pair from you. Here’s a silver for her last pair, a silver for this repair, and another for your promptness. My Mrs. has also confessed to not fully paying your Mrs. for the egg deliveries. So here is another silver for that. In her defense, she just wanted to entertain our recent visitors in the style they probably expected.”

Before the men went their separate ways, Mr. Mayor said to Mr. Morton, “You, Mr. Morton are the salt of the earth and don’t forget the election is nigh.”

Mr. Morton had started to make soft shoes for his daughter Marva from the uppers from one of the magistrate’s boots, but he resized what he had started to make new slippers for the manager’s daughter.

The next week, Mrs. Mayor shirked her egg and new slipper payments to Mrs. Morton and Mr. Mayor won the election without votes from the Mortons.

After a short period of time, an aid to Monsignor Maxum visited the village manager. “Mr. Mayor,” he said, “the monsignor was gifted the boots left at your home by Military Magistrate Morewit. I’ve been sent to get them from you. I will be staying in the village and can get them when I leave in the morning.

Mrs. Mayor told Mrs. Morton. Mr. Morton used the last of his supplies and good memory to duplicate the boots overnight.

Mr. Morton still needed a new pair of shoes. Mrs. would get new shoes from the next supply, but the cobbler’s children will still have no shoes.

Saturday, May 1, 2021

The first line of this story was provided by thefirstline A Shoes Story Mr. Morton needed a new pair of shoes. Mrs. Morton has new shoes....