Where Are My Shoes ? 



Pardner had changed shoes to go out on the flats, 

 and left his Sunday-go-to-meetin' ones on the running 

 board. His dollar had paid for the boat, and in that 

 blighting grief he failed to take the shoes aboard when 

 we left the point. About half way to the city he re- 

 membered them and looked over the side, but no shoes. 

 For the second time that day we reversed the course, 

 and found one of them a mile or so behind and the 

 other lying on the beach where we had turned around. 

 This was my chance to bawl him out for a witless 

 numskull. " Where are my shoes ? " I sang, echoing 

 his cry of dismay when he missed them. 



A half -smile struggled up and crept out from under 

 the corner of his nose, and suddenly he turned and 

 barked : " Bail the boat, you woodenhead ! " 



The ice was broken, and ffom that day to this, 

 whenever either of us makes a particularly thick-witted 

 blunder, bystanders are mystified by the wail : " Where 

 are my shoes ? " answered by the cryptic command : 

 "Bail the boat!" 



213 



