
The story revolves around a young man who inherits two pairs of shoes from his uncle's estate. One pair is old and worn out, while the other is new and expensive-looking. The protagonist decides to sell the old pair for a small sum of money, but then has second thoughts and returns it to its rightful owner.
By Joseph C. Lincoln · First published 1906 · Genre: Humor, Fiction, Social Commentary · 6,903 words
I don't exactly know why Cap'n Jonadab and me went to the post-office that night; we wa'n't expecting any mail, that's sartin. I guess likely we done it for the reason the feller that tumbled overboard went to the bottom -- 'twas the handiest place TO go.
Anyway we was there, and I was propping up the stove with my feet and holding down a chair with the rest of me, when Jonadab heaves alongside flying distress signals. He had an envelope in his starboard mitten, and, coming to anchor with a flop in the next chair, sets shifting the thing from one hand to the other as if it 'twas red hot.
Two Pairs of Shoes is listed on Textopian as a short story by Joseph C. Lincoln, dated 1906 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
Classic American Literature · Short Story Collection · Humorous Fiction · Satire · Social Commentary · Marriage · Family Life · Small Town America · Regionalism · Folk Humor · Wit · Irony