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A Pair of Silk Stockings
by
Kate Chopin (1851-1904)
Bibliographic Notes: First published in the early 1890s, andcollected in Bayou Folk in 1894.
Little Mrs Sommers one day found herself the unexpectedpossessor of fifteen dollars. It seemed to her a verylarge amount of money, and the way in which it stuffed andbulged her worn old porte-monnaie gave hera feeling of importance such as she had not enjoyed for years.
The question of investment was one that occupied hergreatly. For a day or two she walked about apparently in adreamy state, but really absorbed in speculation andcalculation. She did not wish to act hastily, to doanything she might afterward regret. But it wasduring the still hours of the night when she lay awake revolvingplans in her mind that she seemed to see her way clearly toward aproper and judicious use of the money.
A dollar or two should be added to the price usually paid forJanie's shoes, which would insure their lasting anappreciable time longer than they usually did. She wouldbuy so and so many yards of percale for new shirtwaists for the boys and Janie and Mag. She had intended to make theold ones do by skilful patching. Mag should haveanother gown. She had seen some beautiful patterns,veritable bargains in the shop windows. And stillthere would be left enough for new stockings – two pairsapiece – and what darning that would savefor a while! She would get caps for the boys and sailor-hats forthe girls. The vision of her little brood looking fresh and daintyand new for once in their lives excited her and made her restlessand wakeful with anticipation.
percale[英][pəˈkeil] [美][pɚˈkel]
n.高级密织棉布；细布
veritable[英][ˈverɪtəbəl] [美][ˈvɛrɪtəbəl]
adj.名副其实的；真正的
darning n.
缝补；缝补物
The neighbors sometimes talked of certain ‘better days’ thatlittle Mrs Sommers had known before she had ever thought of beingMrs Sommers. She herself indulged in no such morbidretrospection. She had no time – no second of time todevote to the past. The needs of the present absorbed her everyfaculty. A vision of the future like some dim, gauntmonster sometimes appalled her, but luckily to-morrownever comes.
Mrs Sommers was one who knew the value of bargains; who couldstand for hours making her way inch by inch toward the desiredobject that was selling below cost. She could elbow her way if needbe; she had learned to clutch a piece of goods andhold it and stick to it with persistence and determination till herturn came to be served, no matter when it came.
But that day she was a little faint and tired. She hadswallowed a light luncheon – no! when she came tothink of it, between getting the children fed and the placerighted, and preparing herself for the shoppingbout, she had actually forgotten to eat any luncheon atall!
bout[英][baut] [美][baʊt]
n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作
复数：bouts；
She sat herself upon a revolving stool before acounter that was comparatively deserted, trying togather strength and courage to charge through an eagermultitude that was besieging breastworks ofshirting and figured lawn. An all-gone limpfeeling had come over her and she rested her handaimlessly upon the counter. She wore no gloves. By degrees she grewaware that her hand had encountered something very soothing, verypleasant to touch. She looked down to see that her hand lay upon apile of silk stockings. A placard near byannounced that they had been reduced in price from two dollars andfifty cents to one dollar and ninety-eight cents; and a young girlwho stood behind the counter asked her if she wished to examinetheir line of silk hosiery. She smiled, just as ifshe had been asked to inspect a tiara of diamondswith the ultimate view of purchasing it. But shewent on feeling the soft, sheeny luxurious things– with both hands now, holding them up to see them glisten, and tofeel them glide serpent-like through her fingers.
limp[英][limp] [美][lɪmp]
n.跛行；挣扎着慢慢前进；（诗的）韵律紊乱
vi.一瘸一拐地走；困难地航行
adj.无力的；无生气的；易弯的；松软的
现在分词：limping；过去式：limped；第三人称单数：limps；过去分词：limped；
Two hectic blotches came suddenly into her pale cheeks. Shelooked up at thegirl.
hosiery[英][ˈhəʊʒəri:] [美][ˈhoʒəri]
n.袜类；<英>针织内衣
tiara[英][tiˈɑ:rə] [美][tiˈærə, -ˈɛrə, -ˈɑrə]
n.罗马教皇的三重冠，冠状头饰
复数：tiaras；
sheeny[英][ˈʃi:ni] [美][ˈʃini]
adj.光亮的，有光泽的
n.<俚><贬>犹太人
复数：sheenies；
“Do you think there are any eights-and-a-half among these?”
There were any number of eights-and-a-half. In fact,there were more of that size than any other. Here was alight-blue pair; there were some lavender, someall black and various shades of tan and gray. MrsSommers selected a black pair and looked at them very long andclosely. She pretended to be examining theirtexture, which the clerk assured her was excellent.
lavender[英][ˈlævəndə] [美][ˈlævəndɚ]
n.熏衣草；淡紫色
adj.淡紫色的；
vt.用熏衣草熏
复数：lavenders；
texture[英][ˈtekstʃə] [美][ˈtɛkstʃɚ]
n.质地；结构；本质
v.使具有某种结构
现在分词：texturing；过去式：textured；第三人称单数：textures；过去分词：textured；...
“A dollar and ninety-eight cents,” she mused aloud. “Well, I'lltake this pair.” She handed the girl a five-dollar bill and waitedfor her change and for her parcel. What a very small parcel it was!It seemed lost in the depths of her shabby old shopping-bag.
Mrs Sommers after that did not move in the direction of thebargain counter. She took the elevator, which carried her to anupper floor into the region of the ladies' waiting-rooms. Here, ina retired corner, she exchanged her cotton stockings for the newsilk ones which she had just bought. She was not goingthrough any acute mental process or reasoning withherself, nor was she striving to explain to her satisfaction themotive of her action. She was not thinking at all. She seemed forthe time to be taking a rest from that laborious andfatiguing function and to have abandoned herselfto some mechanical impulse that directed her actions andfreed her of responsibility.
How good was the touch of the raw silk to her flesh! She feltlike lying back in the cushioned chair andreveling for a while in the luxury of it. She didfor a little while. Then she replaced her shoes, rolled the cottonstockings together and thrust them into her bag. After doing thisshe crossed straight over to the shoe department and took her seatto be fitted.
revel[英][ˈrevəl] [美][ˈrɛvəl]
vi.陶醉；狂欢作乐；扬扬得意
n.狂欢，作乐；喧闹的宴会或庆典
She was fastidious. The clerk could not makeher out; he could not reconcile her shoes with her stockings, andshe was not too easily pleased. She held back her skirts and turnedher feet one way and her head another way as she glanced down atthe polished, pointed-tipped boots. Her foot and ankle looked verypretty. She could not realize that they belonged to her and were apart of herself. She wanted an excellent and stylishfit, she told the young fellow who served her, and she didnot mind the difference of a dollar or two more in the price solong as she got what she desired.
fastidious[英][fæˈstɪdi:əs,fə-] [美][fæˈstɪdiəs, fə-]
adj.挑剔的；讲究的；苛求的；（微生物等）需要复杂营养的
现在分词：revelling；过去式：revelled；第三人称单数：revels；过去分词：revelled；...
It was a long time since Mrs Sommers had been fitted withgloves. On rare occasions when she had bought apair they were always ‘bargains’, so cheap that it would have beenpreposterous and unreasonable to have expectedthem to be fitted to the hand.
Now she rested her elbow on the cushion of the glove counter,and a pretty, pleasant young creature, delicate and deft oftouch, drew a long-wristed ‘kid’ over Mrs Sommers's hand.She smoothed it down over the wrist and buttoned it neatly, andboth lost themselves for a second or two in admiringcontemplation of the little symmetrical gloved hand. Butthere were other places where money might be spent.
There were books and magazines piled up in the window of a stalla few paces down the street. Mrs Sommers bought twohigh-priced magazines such as she had beenaccustomed to read in the days when she had been accustomed toother pleasant things. She carried them without wrapping. As wellas she could she lifted her skirts at the crossings. Her stockingsand boots and well fitting gloves had worked marvelsin her bearing – had given her a feeling of assurance, asense of belonging to the well-dressedmultitude.
She was very hungry. Another time she would have stilledthe cravings for food until reaching her own home, whereshe would have brewed herself a cup of tea andtaken a snack of anything that was available. Butthe impulse that was guiding her would not sufferher to entertain any such thought.
There was a restaurant at the corner. She had never entered itsdoors; from the outside she had sometimes caught glimpsesof spotless damask and shining crystal, andsoft-stepping waiters serving people offashion.
damask[英][ˈdæməsk] [美][ˈdæməsk]
n.缎子，锦缎
复数：damasks；
When she entered her appearance created no surprise,no consternation, as she had half fearedit might. She seated herself at a small table alone, and anattentive waiter at once approached to take her order. Shedid not want a profusion; she craved anice and tasty bite – a half dozen blue-points, a plumpchop with cress, a something sweet – acrème-frappée, for instance; a glass of Rhinewine, and after all a small cup of black coffee.
profusion[英][prəˈfju:ʒən,prəʊ-][美][prəˈfjuʒən,pro-]
n.丰富，充沛；慷慨，大方；浪费，挥霍
cress[英][kres] [美][krɛs]
n.水芹；水葑菜
Crème<wbr>brulée <wbr>-<wbr>法式焦糖布丁的做法 说道Crème brulée可能没有太多人知道它,大多数中文材料中音译为“烤布雷”,它应该是小餐馆、咖啡厅...
While waiting to be served she removed her gloves very leisurelyand laid them beside her. Then she picked up a magazine and glancedthrough it, cutting the pages with a blunt edge of her knife. Itwas all very agreeable. The damask was even more spotless than ithad seemed through the window, and the crystal more sparkling.There were quiet ladies and gentlemen, who did not notice her,lunching at the small tables like her own. A soft, pleasing strainof music could be heard, and a gentle breeze, was blowing throughthe window. She tasted a bite, and she read a word or two, and shesipped the amber wine and wiggled her toes in the silkstockings. The price of it made no difference. She countedthe money out to the waiter and left an extra coin on his tray,whereupon he bowed before her as before a princessof royal blood.
There was still money in her purse, and her nexttemptation presented itself in the shape of amatinée poster.
It was a little later when she entered the theatre, the play hadbegun and the house seemed to her to be packed.But there were vacant seats here and there, and into one of themshe was ushered, between brilliantly dressed women who had gonethere to kill time and eat candy and display their gaudyattire. There were many others who were there solely forthe play and acting. It is safe to say there was no one present whobore quite the attitude which Mrs Sommers did toher surroundings. She gathered in the whole – stage and players andpeople in one wide impression, and absorbed it and enjoyed it. Shelaughed at the comedy and wept – she and the gaudy woman next toher wept over the tragedy. And they talked a little together overit. And the gaudy woman wiped her eyes and sniffled on atiny square of filmy, perfumed lace and passed little MrsSommers her box of candy.
The play was over, the music ceased, the crowd filed out. It waslike a dream ended. People scattered in all directions. Mrs Sommerswent to the corner and waited for the cable car.
A man with keen eyes, who sat opposite to her, seemed to likethe study of her small, pale face. It puzzled him todecipher what he saw there. In truth, he sawnothing – unless he were wizard enough to detect a poignantwish, a powerful longing that the cable car would neverstop anywhere, but go on and on with her forever.
poignant[英][ˈpɔinənt] [美][ˈpɔɪnjənt]
adj.尖锐的；辛酸的；深刻的；（记忆）活鲜鲜的
Kate Chopin "A Pair of Silk Stockings"
From the short story: "She was not going through any acutemental process or reasoning with herself, nor was she striving toexplain to her satisfaction the motive of her action. She was notthinking at all. She seemed for the time to be taking a rest fromthat laborious and fatiguing function and to have abandoned herselfto some mechanical impulse that directed her actions and freed herof responsibility."
If you're not yet fluent in English, you can hear a version of this story read in"Special English," used by the Voice of America to "communicateby radio in clear and simple English with people whose nativelanguage is not English."
ReadingKate Chopin's "A Pair of Silk Stockings" online and inprint
"A Pair of Silk Stockings" characters
"APair of Silk Stockings" time and place
"APair of Silk Stockings" themes
When "A Pair of Silk Stockings" was written and published
Questions and answers about "A Pair of Silk Stockings"
Accuratetexts of "A Pair of Silk Stockings"
Articles and book chapters about "A Pair of SilkStockings"
Selectedbooks that discuss Kate Chopin's short stories
Reading Kate Chopin's"A Pair of Silk Stockings" online and in print
You can read the story online, althoughif you're citing a passage for research purposes, you should checkyour citation against one of theseaccurate printed texts.
"A Pair of SilkStockings" characters
"A Pair of SilkStockings" time and place
The story takes place in an unnamed city--a city large enough tohave a department store, a fashionable restaurant, a theatre, and acable car--probably in the early 1890s.
"A Pair of SilkStockings" themes
You can read about finding themes in Kate Chopin's stories andnovels on the Themes page of thissite.
When KateChopin's "A Pair of Silk Stockings" was written andpublished
The story was written in April, 1896, and published inVogueon September 16, 1897, one ofnineteen Kate Chopin stories that Voguepublished.
You can find complete composition dates and publication datesfor Chopin's works on pages 1003 to 1032 of The Complete Worksof Kate Chopin, edited by Per Seyersted (Baton Rouge:Louisiana State University Press, 1969, 2006).
Questions andanswers about "A Pair of Silk Stockings"
Q: Something about Mrs. Sommers reminds me of Edna Pontellier inTheAwakening. But what is it? Edna is certainly not poor. Anadditional fifteen dollars would not seem like "a very large amountof money" for her as it does for Mrs. Sommers.
A: There may be many resemblances between Mrs. Sommers and EdnaPontellier, but one is especially noticeable. Kate Chopin writesthat "impulse" is guiding Mrs. Sommers, and in Chapter XII ofThe Awakening she describes Edna as "blindly followingwhatever impulse moved her, as if she had placed herself in alienhands for direction, and freed her soul of responsibility," apassage that calls to mind the sentences from "A Pair of SilkStockings" at the top of this page.
Q: Mrs. Sommers also reminds me of people I know, peoplestruggling to pay their bills but tempted by clever marketing tospend the little money they have on things they can't afford. Wastoday's consumer society already in place in Kate Chopin'stime?
A: It was emerging, and it included what Robert Arner in theessay collection Awakenings: The Story of the Kate ChopinRevival calls "the appropriation and manipulation of femaledesire by an increasingly aggressive and male-managed capitalistculture in an attempt to create and sustain an inexhaustible marketfor services and goods, especially for luxury goods." It includedalso, Arner argues, "a new sense of self based upon lower- andmiddle-class imitation of the wealthy through the agencies offashion and taste."
What happens to Mrs. Sommers, Arner adds, "is exactly what themale managerial system had intended should happen, not particularlyto her as an individual but to her as a member of an invented classof people, female shoppers, within the world that May and Macy andWannamaker [department store owners] were in the process ofcreating."
Q: People seem to assume that Mrs. Sommers is a widow or asingle mother. But could she be a woman married to a man who haslost his fortune and fallen on hard times?
A: There's no evidence in the story to rule out the possibilitythat Mrs. Sommers' husband is alive but that the couple ispoor.
In many of the stories that Kate Chopin included in her twobooks of short stories, Bayou Folk and A Night inAcadie, we can tell a good deal about some characters becausethey live at a specific place in rural Louisiana, or they appear inseveral stories, or characters in other stories talk about them.But Mrs. Sommers does not appear in any other Chopin story andnobody in any other story speaks of her. We do not even know whatcity or state her story takes place in. All we can tell about heris what we have in those words in "A Pair of Silk Stockings."
Apparently Chopin did not consider Mrs. Sommers' marital statusof importance to the story. She keeps her focus on Mrs. Sommers'actions in a center city over a period of several hours, and shedoes not show us this character's life at home--with or without ahusband.
You can read morequestions and answers about Kate Chopin and her work, and youcan email us yourquestions.
For students and scholars
Accurate texts of "A Pairof Silk Stockings"
The Complete Works of Kate Chopin. Edited by PerSeyersted. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1969,2006.
Kate Chopin: Complete Novels and Stories. Edited bySandra Gilbert. New York: Library of America, 2002.
Articles and bookchapters about "A Pair of Silk Stockings"
Some of the items listed here may be available online through university or public libraries.
Arner, Robert D. "On First Looking (and LookingOnce Again) into Chopin's Fiction: Kate and Ernest and 'A Pair ofSilk Stockings.' " Awakenings: The Story of the Kate ChopinRevival. Ed. Bernard Koloski. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP,2009. 112–30.
Giorcelli, Cristina. "Sheer Luxury: Kate Chopin's 'A Pair of SilkStockings'." Abito e Identità: Ricerche di storia letteraria eculturale, VI. 55-73. Palma, Spain: Ila Palma, 2006.
Stein, Allen. "Kate Chopin's 'A Pair of Silk Stockings': TheMarital Burden and the Lure of Consumerism." MississippiQuarterly 57 (2004): 357-368.
Selected books thatdiscuss Chopin's short stories
Koloski, Bernard, ed. Awakenings: The Story of the KateChopin Revival Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press,2009.
Beer, Janet. The Cambridge Companion to Kate ChopinCambridge, England: Cambridge UP, 2008.
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Ostman, Heather. Kate Chopin in the Twenty-First Century:New Critical Essays Newcastle upon Tyne, England: CambridgeScholars, 2008.
Arima, Hiroko. Beyond and Alone!: The Theme of Isolation inSelected Short Fiction of Kate Chopin, Katherine Anne Porter, andEudora Welty Lanham, MD: UP of America, 2006.
Beer, Janet. Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton and CharlottePerkins Gilman: Studies in Short Fiction New York: PalgraveMacmillan, 2005.
Stein, Allen F. Women and Autonomy in Kate Chopin's ShortFiction New York: Peter Lang, 2005.
Walker, Nancy A. Kate Chopin: A Literary LifeBasingstoke, England: Palgrave, 2001.
Toth, Emily. Unveiling Kate Chopin Jackson: UP ofMississippi, 1999.
Koloski, Bernard. Kate Chopin: A Study of the ShortFiction New York: Twayne, 1996.
Petry, Alice Hall (ed.), Critical Essays on Kate ChopinNew York: G. K. Hall, 1996.
Boren, Lynda S. and Sara deSaussure Davis (eds.), KateChopin Reconsidered: Beyond the Bayou Baton Rouge: LouisianaState UP, 1992.
Perspectives on KateChopin: Proceedings from the Kate ChopinInternational Conference, April 6, 7, 8, 1989 Natchitoches,LA: Northwestern State UP, 1992.
Papke, Mary E. Verging on the Abyss: The Social Fiction ofKate Chopin and Edith Wharton New York: Greenwood, 1990.
Toth, Emily. Kate Chopin. New York: Morrow, 1990.
Elfenbein , Anna Shannon. Women on the Color Line: EvolvingStereotypes and the Writings of George Washington Cable, GraceKing, Kate Chopin Charlottesville: UP of Virginia, 1989.
Taylor, Helen. Gender, Race, and Region in the Writings ofGrace King, Ruth McEnery Stuart, and Kate Chopin Baton Rouge:Louisiana State UP, 1989.
Bonner, Thomas Jr., The Kate Chopin Companion New York:Greenwood, 1988.
Bloom, Harold (ed.), Kate Chopin New York: Chelsea,1987.
Ewell, Barbara C. Kate Chopin New York: Ungar,1986.
Skaggs, Peggy. Kate Chopin Boston: Twayne, 1985.
Seyersted, Per. Kate Chopin: A Critical Biography BatonRouge: Louisiana State UP, 1969.
Rankin, Daniel, Kate Chopin and Her Creole StoriesPhiladelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 1932.
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"A Pair of Silk Stockings" was written by KateChopin in April of 1896 and later published in 1897. Knownfor including in her stories local color from the Louisianaarea, Chopin is also celebrated for exploringthemes that reflect the role of women in society. In "APair of Silk Stockings," she portrays the quiet struggle of a womansearching for a balance between family life and personalsatisfaction.
The story's main character is Mrs. Sommers, a wife and mother.Her family is very poor, and she is trying to pick up a few itemsof clothing for her children. On this particular day, she is tiredand worn out as she goes about her errands. Sheis an expert at finding bargains and saving money,always looking for a good sale, but she finds apair of silk stockings that she desires for herself. They feel niceagainst her skin, and the store has several in her size and invarious colors. She buys them and immediately puts them on. Insteadof continuing with her errands and headingtoward the bargain bins as she normally does, Mrs. Sommersgets fitted for gloves, something she has not done for some time.After getting gloves, she is hungry, and treats herself to lunch ata nearby restaurant. Later she goes to the theater, sitting amongthe elegantly dressed women and men crowding the theater. Each timeshe does something for herself, she becomes more comfortable withherself. Consequently, she dreads going home moreand more with each activity. The story ends withMrs. Sommers sitting in a cable car, wishing that it would continuetraveling forever.
Throughout "A Pair of Silk Stockings," Chopinbeautifully portrays a woman caught between differentroles. Mrs. Sommers does not want to abandon her family,but she also does not want to abandon her personal identity whilefulfilling the role of wife and mother. The story'sambiguous ending suggests that the struggle is onethat continues to be encountered by women.
Source: eNotes Publishing, ©2013 eNotes.com, Inc..All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
JIM TEDDER: Now, the VOA Special English program AMERICANSTORIES.
(MUSIC)
Our story today is called "A Pair of Silk Stockings." It waswritten by Kate Chopin. Here is Barbara Klein with the story.
(MUSIC)
BARBARA KLEIN: Little Missus Sommers one day found herself theunexpected owner of fifteen dollars. It seemed to her a very largeamount of money. The way it filled up her worn money holder gaveher a feeling of importance that she had not enjoyed for years.
The question of investment was one she considered carefully. Fora day or two she walked around in a dreamy stateas she thought about her choices. She did not wish to act quicklyand do anything she might regret. During the quiet hours of thenight she lay awake considering ideas.
A dollar or two could be added to the price she usually paid forher daughter Janie's shoes. This would guarantee they would last agreat deal longer than usual. She would buy cloth for new shirtsfor the boys. Her daughter Mag should have another dress. And stillthere would be enough left for new stockings - two pairs per child.What time that would save her in always repairing old stockings!The idea of her little family looking fresh and new for once intheir lives made her restless with excitement.
The neighbors sometimes talked of the "better days" that littleMissus Sommers had known before she had ever thought of beingMissus Sommers. She herself never looked back to her younger days.She had no time to think about the past. The needs of the presenttook all her energy.
(MUSIC)
Missus Sommers knew the value of finding things for sale atreduced prices. She could stand for hours making her way little bylittle toward the desired object that was selling below cost. Shecould push her way if need be.
But that day she was tired and a little bit weak. She hadeaten a light meal-no! She thought about her day.Between getting the children fed and the house cleaned, andpreparing herself to go shopping, she had forgotten to eat atall!
When she arrived at the large department store, she sat in frontof an empty counter. She was trying to gather strength and courageto push through a mass of busy shoppers. Sherested her hand upon the counter.
She wore no gloves. She slowly grew aware that her hand had feltsomething very pleasant to touch. She looked down to see that herhand lay upon a pile of silk stockings. A sign nearby announcedthat they had been reduced in price. A young girl who stood behindthe counter asked her if she wished to examine the silkyleg coverings.
She smiled as if she had been asked to inspect diamond jewelrywith the aim of purchasing it. But she went on feeling thesoft, costly items. Now she used both hands, holding thestockings up to see the light shine through them.
Two red marks suddenly showed on her pale face. She looked up atthe shop girl.
"Do you think there are any sizeeights-and-a-half among these?"
There were a great number of stockings in her size. MissusSommers chose a black pair and looked at them closely.
"A dollar and ninety-eight cents," she said aloud. "Well, I willbuy this pair."
She handed the girl a five dollar bill and waited for her changeand the wrapped box with the stockings. What a very small box itwas! It seemed lost in her worn old shopping bag.
Missus Sommers then took the elevator which carried her toan upper floor into the ladies' rest area. In anempty corner, she replaced her cotton stockings for the new silkones.
For the first time she seemed to be taking a rest fromthe tiring act of thought. She had let herself becontrolled by some machine-like force thatdirected her actions and freed her ofresponsibility.
How good was the touch of the silk on her skin! She felt likelying back in the soft chair and enjoying the richness ofit. She did for a little while. Then she put her shoesback on and put her old stockings into her bag. Next, she went tothe shoe department, sat down and waited to be fitted.
The young shoe salesman was unable to guess about herbackground. He could not resolve her worn, old shoes withher beautiful, new stockings. She tried on a pair of newboots.
She held back her skirts and turned her feet one way and herhead another way as she looked down at the shiny, pointed boots.Her foot and ankle looked very lovely. She could not believe thatthey were a part of herself. She told the young salesman that shewanted an excellent and stylish fit. She said shedid not mind paying extra as long as she got what she desired.
After buying the new boots, she went to the glove department. Itwas a long time since Missus Sommers had been fitted with gloves.When she had bought a pair they were always "bargains," so cheapthat it would have been unreasonable to have expected them to befitted to her hand.
Now she rested her arm on the counter where gloves were forsale. A young shop girl drew a soft, leather glove over MissusSommers's hand. She smoothed it down over the wrist and buttoned itneatly. Both women lost themselves for a second or two as theyquietly praised the little gloved hand.
(MUSIC)
There were other places where money might be spent. A store downthe street sold books and magazines. Missus Sommers bought twocostly magazines that she used to read back whenshe had been able to enjoy other pleasant things.
She lifted her skirts as she crossed the street. Her newstockings and boots and gloves had worked wonders for herappearance. They had given her a feeling of satisfaction,a sense of belonging to the well-dressedcrowds.
She was very hungry. Another time she would have ignored thedesire for food until reaching her own home. But the force that wasguiding her would not permit her to act on such athought.
There was a restaurant at the corner. She had never entered itsdoors. She had sometimes looked through the windows. She had notedthe white table cloths, shining glasses and waiters serving wealthypeople.
When she entered, her appearance created no surprise or concern,as she had half feared it might.
She seated herself at a small table. A waiter came at once totake her order. She ordered six oysters, a chop,something sweet, a glass of wine and a cup of coffee. While waitingto be served she removed her gloves very slowly and set them besideher. Then she picked up her magazine and looked through it.
It was all very agreeable. The table cloths were even more cleanand white than they had seemed through the window. And the crystaldrinking glasses shined even more brightly. There were ladies andgentlemen, who did not notice her, lunching at the small tableslike her own.
A pleasing piece of music could be heard, and agentle wind was blowing through the window. She tasted a bite, andshe read a word or two and she slowly drank the wine. She moved hertoes around in the silk stockings. The price of it all made nodifference.
When she was finished, she counted the money out to the waiterand left an extra coin on his tray. He bowed to her as if she werea princess of royal blood.
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There was still money in her purse, and her next gift to herselfpresented itself as a theater advertisement. When she entered thetheater, the play had already begun. She sat between richly dressedwomen who were there to spend the day eating sweets andshowing off their costly clothing. There were manyothers who were there only to watch the play.
It is safe to say there was no one there who had the samerespect that Missus Sommers did for her surroundings. She gatheredin everything -stage and players and people -- in one widesensation. She laughed and cried at the play. She eventalked a little with the women. One woman wiped her eyes witha small square of lace and passed Missus Sommersher box of candy.
The play was over, the music stopped, the crowd flowed outside.It was like a dream ended. Missus Sommers went to wait for thecable car.
A man with sharp eyes sat opposite her. It was hard for him tofully understand what he saw in her expression. In truth, he sawnothing -- unless he was a magician. Then he would senseher heartbreaking wish that the cable car would never stopanywhere, but go on and on with her forever.
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JIM TEDDER: You have heard the story "A Pair of Silk Stockings"by Kate Chopin. Your storyteller was Barbara Klein. This story wasadapted and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Jim Tedder. Listen againnext week for another American Story in VOA Special English.
