Daily national Democrat., 1861-01-17
1alIp AtlotMl Qcmufrat
SnOM-Shnns.


A correspondent of the Plumas Standard
writing from Richmond Hill, says he pur-
chased pair of snow-shoes about ten feet
in length 10y four INCHES wide-had gwooye
in the bot;om-turned up at the toesA.had
straps on them very similar to those on pair
of skates, and started ySllh> them, from RielaA
mond ~ for Onion NalhE, whel asnk.ere
was going o be a shows roe Aee, :,
and half SStant lie m t he S, S.
and found tlht he could Mn Aacr, 81.
room about as safely as a ten YfelAlls st
There was a small pole, a bout six feet
wilma small stationary wheel al ! ~ \
which, @s was told belonged VIII theAshJes.
and whichshe accepted though, aAhat timeS
he could think of no earthly use to which it
could be applied; excWt, perhaps, to make
kindling wood for fire. lle aeyep.felt half
so proud before in his life.e aside In
that he had done custom-hot sipea
sure enough, when he paid his ID , j,
started. His instructions from TN #I.G
manly vendor of snow-shoes were to 1..z&
fui, and TO not raise his feet too higl.(
had Travelled but few hundred yards, hoN4
ever, before his mind had become so deeplN
absorbed in the study of how to travel at all
that he entirely forgot his instructions, caught
the toe of one shoe under that of the other,
md, as a consequence, found his head buried
deep in the soft snow & his heels the reverse
of where he intended they should be. But
we will let him finish his story for himself
had nearly gained the summit of hill
when, what was my terror and CONSERVATION
30. find myself going backward at a fearful
FVfek Not being very thoroughly acquainted
wa the art of snow-shoe navigation. this
uneNHeeted turn in my course took me en-
tirely BS surprise, and, as | knew of no reme-
dy, save y throw myself down into the snow
as gracefully as possible, ! adopted fall as
my only remedy
The next thing in order was to get up
"now came the tug Of war;" for, | had no
sooner gained my feet than away | went the
second time, backwards, of course, and down
L came again to stop my retrograde move
ment. Here, | said to myself is a pretty
kettle of fish, surely to lie here and freeze
TO Sleath, or get up and butt my brains out
&ganst tree,a mile or two below here,
makes layout that beats monte on the
square. A
After long time succeeded in disencum-
bering myself from one of my runaway shoes.
and thus was enabled toholJ tue other.
then bound my handkerchief aroAd one un-
ruly shoe and again started off, going "A long
way around. this time, which, as you remem-
Der in the old adage, is the surest way home.
Top of the hill-al right now-L took the
handkerchief off the shoe Now shoes, So
liloquized, it viii be very hard indeed if
cant ride as fast as you can run; we will see
about it, anyhow, and have the matter de-
cided. | started aud very soon found that
had worse than John Gilpin race before
me. Thunder and Mars | calculated, how
near came to that Lig pine tree-another
ahead, and | am going straight for it-turn |
the shoes? as well had try to turn the
mountain. | had nothing for it but to take
.snow-only think of that, on a cold day, and
going at the rate that was. Bah. it makes |
me shudder now TO think of it.
| LAUGHED my shoes again, veEy tinidv. |
and with thousand misgjxings as to the |
fate of the voyage-and well might, for
soon found myself sailing at fearful rate
great many points off my course. Every
effort to turn my shoes | found to be un-
awaiting, anda few moments hesitation would |
have taken me into a latitude and longitude |
too far distant to have seen either Onion |
Valley or the races to-day. Itooll snow
again, of course, and if YOU don't believe me
when | tell you it was cold, try the snow
shoes some day, and you will have the means
efjudging Of the truth or felsty of my asser-
tion.
SO many disasters in such quick succession
were too much for poor human nature, and | |
had become perfectly desperate. started |
again, without the most remote idea of how.
when or There | would make lending. but |
fully deterEined to tabs AL the desperate
chances Away ] went, making grand |
sweeping chargNpmong elumps ofsmal trees,
bushes, stumps md projecting limbs from
fallen trees, missing them 10y he merest hairs |
breadth, But on, ON | sailed, determined to |
ride down everything that came in my way !
l passed them all in safety and came to a |
clear place where all the light snow had |
been blown away. leaving nothing but clear
glade of ice. y e gods and little fishes how |
flew across this ice, and when | struck the |
light snow again commenced series of |
somersaults, that, for number and rapi4ity, !
would discount any of Dan Rce's perform
ances on the spring board. ] had tnougi. of
the sport; this last trial was perfectly salts
factory. picked my shoes up, very leisure
ly put them on my shoulder and walowed !
through the deep snow to the foot of the hill. |
Here, tried my shoes again, and went on
my way hnmming as pretty little tune as |
could think of, to make believe that | felt |
perfectly at home though, at the same time
never once forgot that my shoes were up to
all sorts of tricks and would bear watching
| succeed in reaching Onion Valley at two
o'clock; having Travelled the enormous dis
tance of one and a half miles in five hours
and fourteen minutes.
So much for the experience of a new hand |
at wearing snoW-shoos