File:The pot of gold, and other stories (1892) (14770611354).jpg

Identifier: potofgoldotherst0freem (find matches)
Title: The pot of gold, and other stories
Year: 1892 (1890s)
Authors: Freeman, Mary Eleanor Wilkins, 1852-1930
Subjects:
Publisher: Boston, D. Lothrop company
Contributing Library: Information and Library Science Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Digitizing Sponsor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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ans make no mentionof its ever being light in Pokonoket. The cause of the darkness has never been exactlyunderstood. Philosophers and men of science haveworked very hard over it, but all the conclusion theyhave been able to arrive at is, it must be due to fog,or smoke, or atmospheric phenomena. The most cele-brated of them are in favor of atmospheric phenomena,and they are probably correct. The houses are always furnished with lamps, ofcourse, and everybody carries a lantern. No onedreams of stirring- out in Pokonoket without a lantern.The men go to their work with lanterns, the ladiestake theirs when they go out shopping, and all thechildren have their little lanterns to carry to school. On account of the darkness, there are some verycurious customs in Pokonoket. One is, all the inhabi-tants are required by law to wear squeaky shoes.Whenever anybodys shoes dont squeak according tothe prescribed standard he is fined, and sometimeseven imprisoned, if he persists in his offense. A great
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TOBY. 183 many sad accidents are prevented by this custom.People hear each others shoes squeaking in the dark-ness at quite a distance, and dont run into each other.Pokonoket shoemakers make a specialty of squeakyshoes, and the squeakier they are, the higher pricesthey bring ; they can even put in new squeaks whenthe old ones are worn out. It is a very common thingto see a Pokonoket man with his little boys shoesunder his arm, carrying them to a shoemaker to getthem re-squeaked. Another funny custom is the wearing of phospho-rescent buttons. Everybody, men, women and chil-dren, are required to wear phosphorescent buttons ontheir outside garments. They are quite large — aboutthe size of an old-fashioned cent — and there are,generally, two rows of them down the front of a gar-ment. It is rather a frightful sight to see a personwith phosphorescent buttons on his coat advancingtoward one in the dark, till you are accustomed to it;he looks as if he had two rows of enormous eyes. Then,

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