Story: "The Unrepaired Shoe", by Almira; in Robert Merry's Museum. also online .
Information by Pat Pflieger
Almira was a subscriber to the Museum in 1849. She wrote at least one more story for the magazine.
Little Ellen, dies beautifully of her mother's thoughtlessness in 1849
Little Ellen dies of the croup because her mother has neglected to get her shoe repaired: "When the sun arose in the eastern sky, the angel came to convey the spirit of little Ellen to that land where wind and tempest are never known," and her mother repents dutifully, sighing, "'All my sorrow comes from putting off to the future what ought to be attended to today,' ... as she laid her loved one in the cold grave!"
By dying, Ellen makes her mother realize how neglectful she's been.
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Gah! Talk about flawed logic. Last time I checked, croup was not caused by damaged/worn out shoes.
It's like blaming a tornado on your decision to skip a boring office meeting to do something special with the family instead.
This sort of thing is what glurge memes are made of. Ellen is a precursor to the internet meme kid.
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