Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-02-20
From the Cleveland liera Id.
sliding Down Hill.

What lovely night, the round red moon
Sails high in the air like a great balloon,
While the stars shine bright, like many rockets,
Or diamonds imbedded in topaz sockets;
Here's the top of the hill--now down we go,
sailt as the shaft from the twanging bow,
Oar breath is gone, like his who was tied
On the wild stccds back for the dreadful ride.
That is sliding down hi or rs the moderns
--coasting We notice that the denizcns of
New London, Conn, are. one and all, turning
their attention to this invgnrating and hcathful
pastime, appears by an exchange, which
saws
The New Londoners are doing up the hill
SIDE cOastinG business in large style. Their
hill is half mile long, and thore, from sunset to
one o'clock in the morning, company varying
from 2hl to 500 persons, occupy themselves in
sliding down hill Everybody, men, women and
children, has been out, and had ride. About
500 bows sicds are collected at n time, with
LARGE sleghs, having man on each side to
guide them and female ircights inside. At the
foot there are number ottcams ready to take
the ladies' by another road, back--for consid-
Grafton Sheds are all exhausted, and distant
markets drawn upon Tor more,
There are crs--thrce nj lenst--in the slid
ng.down.hill age FirS,, the kilt age, ere panta-
looms have usnrped the province OF miniature
petticoats The sliding place is out in the back
yard, by the well, where the accumulated drip
pings from the moss covered bucket has reared
an icy mound. and the make-blicve sled is a
board with string in it. Seated upon the board,
envcioped in tppet and mittcnS, the hopeful
heir, by dint of many hiichings Accomplished
slide of AT least two feet; the impromptu sled
strikes frozen rock, and sonny finishes his
slide by sliding of the board, and then sets up a
squall' This era closes by mother picking out
the sliycrs and mcnding the seat in the kits.
Era number two is in those proud days when
the boy is permitted to play out doors until the
nine o'clock bell rings and sports seel-shod
sled with sleigh runners The question of steer
Ing Is nice point. There is straddle-tashion
in which YOU steer by the heels, but voc to the
boy who does not keep the snow from flying up
his legs, by tying his pantaloons tight over his
boots, Tor lcgachc after bed time will drive sleep
nom his eyes and sumher from his eyc-lids
and however gratifying TO be told that such is
The penalty Tor growing so fast, it will not
scolhc the pain. Then there is the hip fashion,
With right foot steering behind like boat rud-
Ger, destructive OF upper leather, but no doubt
the scientific way when speed is the object
Finally, there is the stomaeh-tashon-boys call
BY more homely name-lying down fiat on
the face and steering by sticking in the toes
This era closes with n smashed sled, a ciHftr-Set
into snow drift, bad attack OF snufcs and chill
bans.
The third era is away into the teens, and one
CT two winters before the slcish.rde era. A
sweetheart is in the case, and she is the passcn-
ger
They may talk of sly Irritation,
by The light of the chandelier,
Aud such like dissipation
When nobody's very near;
bat then they never tried,
IN a star-l,t night and clear,
Down the steep hillside, a slide
With precious freight to steer
The passenger is seated with her feet planted
IralF against the round; and the pilot, snugly
Neaiad, peeps over her shoulder to see if she is
",e 's""i frightened, and urging upon he the inn
tS''@Nee aud safety of leaning well back, for
'''''e s lois OF room, and away they 60
They may praise the polka's round,
VI tne Naltzs giddy whirl--
10 hlasics melting sound,
As apand down they whirl.
/ Tor theash We may lack the chandelier,
.he 'ishi OF the moon is passing clear
ahdthoogh we have not soft musc's SWELL
iaeros a Avery voice love as well.
tais era ends in loye.sick lit which threat.
sas ue death OF the patient, but passes off on
'"s~ ehanSe OF air and scene