The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1860-01-19
Skating.


"Brick" Pomeroy, of the Milwaukee
Ne'cs, thus relates his experience in The
skating line =
Fright beneath one of our windows,
from morn till midnight, we see young
sters and oldsters twisting their legs into
all conceivable shapes. We cannot pick
up paper, but an article on 'skating'
meets the eye. Everybody says it's fun,
and that's all everybody knows about it,
for we have tried it. Last night, about
gas light time, after reading a glowing dc
scription of life on skates, we prepared for
our first attempt, and sailed forth to join
the merry crowd. We had on pair Of
stoga boots, trousers legs tucked inside, =
Robert tailed coat and white hat We
went down on thc ice, aud gave boy two
shiIlings in good coin of the realm, for
the use of his-implements. We have con-
! fidence, even as great as Peters faith
We, with the assistance of a friend, fixed
on the skates, and stood erect like bar
ber's pole.
Encouraged at The sight of some ladies
on The bridge looking at the skaters, VIC
struck out. y slaut 10 the right with The
right foot--a slant 10 the left with the
left foot-and just then we saw something
on the ice. and we stopped 10 pick it up !.
On our feet again-two slants TO thc right
and one TO the left, accompanied by loss
of confidence. Another stride with the
right foot, and we sat down with feaI full
rapidity, with very little, if any, elegance.
What Il set down it was, for we made
dent in the ice Ike Connecticut butter
bowl Just then one of the ladies re-
marked-"Oh, look, Mary, that feler
with the white hat amt got his sleets on
the right place '" Ditto, thought We
Just then ragged little devil sang out as
he passed us-"Hellow, old timber legs -
and we rose suddenly and put after him.
Three slides to the riGhi-two to the left,
and away went our legs-one to the east,
and the other west, causing an immense
iissure in our pants, and auO,hor picture
of a butter tray in the cold-oh ho1c cold
ice. Then the lady-wc know she was
one by the remark she made-again spoke
and said-"Oh, look Mary, that chapwith
l,erchief, to keep from taking cold9' We
rose about as graceful as a saw-horse, when
Mary said, ''guess 'taint handkerchief,
Jane, and Mary was right, it wasn't u
handkcrchief-not bit Of it. just then
a friend came along, ADD proffered us his
coat-tail as a ''steadier" We accepted
the continuation of his garment, and up
the river we went about ten rods, when
shy 10 the right by the leader caused us,
the wheel horse, TO scoot off on a tangent,
heels up. But The ice is oeyy cold, this
season!
We tried it again. A glide one way
a glide and half the other, wheu 'lchdck
came our bump of philoprogenitiycness on
the ice, and we saw million of stars dan
cing around our eyes, like ballet girls at
the Bowery theatre. How that shock went
! through our system, and up and down our
spinal column. Lightning couldn't have
corkscrewed it down CREASED sapling
with greater rapidity or more exhilerating
effect. Boarding house butter nor a war
ranty deed could not have stuck stronger
than we did--and dozen ladies looking
at us-and our ''fissured' pants
'Hello, old cock ~ sang out chat ragged
imp again, aud we were helpless. Soon
we got up and made another trial, with
better success. Perhaps we had skated,
in our peculiar style, fifteen feet, when Il
/ blunderiDg ch2p came up behind, and we
sat down with our tired head pillowed in
| his lap-&nd he swearing at us, when il
was all his own fault How cold the ice
was there, TOO! Every spot where we
made our debut on the ice-oh how cold
it was Our ber skin drawers were no
protection at all We tried again, for The
papers all say it's fun, and down came our
/ Roman-Grecia nose on the cold julcp ma
terial, aud the little drops Of crimson ran
down our shirt bosom on the cold ice
Once more we tried skating made for
the shore-sat down and counted DANA
ges.
Two shillings in cash thrown away.
Seven lateral and one "fronterar bumps
on the ice. One immense fissure In as
handsome a pair Of ten dollar cassimercs
as man ever put his legs III. One rup-