He tried his luck as a beggar and found that he had none. It was a rare person indeed who condescended to drop a dime into his hat. One day he hit upon a new idea. He found that while hardly anyone wanted to give him money, they were quite willing to give him their socks. They gave him old socks, new socks, white socks, dark socks, darned socks, designer socks, striped socks, monogrammed socks, socks with holes, socks without a mate, and even a few new types he had never seen before. Socks, socks, socks. Some were dirty, some were unravelling, a few were even his size. He kept the socks in plastic bags, wondering what to do with them. What he really needed most was the money to buy a new pair of shoes.

Story #13