It was odd to see a boy his own age showing off a shoe to tourists disembarking an ocean liner.  And then a tourist suddenly dropped coins into that shoe.  The boy kept his head down, and even lowered it slightly.  Was the boy actually panhandling?  The shoe was held out in both palms, as an offering.  From behind, two security officials called out and approached, but the boy kept his head down.  He wanted the boy to quickly pocket the coins before security got to him, but, just as they did get to him, the boy dashed off with shoe in both hands.  He didn’t go far.  Just farther down the dock, he held up again the shoe in his palms, his head in its perpetual bow.  The same tourists passed him by.  One of them dropped coins into the shoe.  He, watching from a bench at water’s edge, felt sure it was the same tourist.  He got off the bench and followed, as the boy was shooed farther off down the dock — and that same tourist gave a third time.  This time the tourist also patted the boy on the back — as might have a father, he felt, and as the boy may have felt as well, for he had already raised his head up from its bow.