Nebraska advertiser., 1865-03-02

of skates.
"What kind do you prefer, sir"
"Oh, l have no preference. Give me
the best article you've got."
"Yes, sir" and the clerk passed for
inspection a pair of brass-clad, steel
clippers, with more gilgiss and running
rigging to 'em than there is TO french
slloop-of war.
These are the best. are they :"
"Yes, SIT. decidedly!s just get on
them, sir. and you'll go everywhere and
any where, like patent lightning! If
you don't find it so, bring 'em back, sir.
and I'll return your money"
What the price 90
"Fourteen dollars! Very cheap, sir. /"
Didn't believe that, of course; but in
vested the amount and made sail for
Paramount.
Found superb skating. Every body
said so, only those that called it elegant
splendid magnificent! There was q
regiment of men, a battalion of dimity,
and a whole brigade of small craft, on
skates-skivering, seootiDg, and cutting
all sorts of fancies on the ice ). every
body laughing, chsttering, wh9Opipg,
skylarking and skirring..ip all directiOns,
and / don't wonder that newspapers and
everybody else, called skating glorious
fun.
Have your skates strapped, sir!"
said an itinerant boolblack about the
height of yalking-stict.
"Do you understand it, bubl"
"Oh. yes, sir. strap al. the ladies
skates for EN-"
',Ah ha Do, Ell Must have jolly
time of it! Would like the birth my
self. There you are. Go ahead boy y
And sat down on Blackie's box. about
a couple of fathoms out on the ice.
| Whiz like a rocket, went by a
great strapping, long.legged chap, with
a cigar flying jibbOom, and swinging bis
arms like a frlgate's head yards in a
hurricane. with the braces all adrift.
"Oh, hO! So they can smokeon skates
-eb, bOy7,'
"Lord. YES, sir. Everybody smokes
on the ice"
Exactly" So l fired up on a Prin-
cipe and shipped it for the cruise.
Urchin announced skates all ataun-
to, and took fifty cent fractional
fee.
"Here, boy, here's another fftY.-
Just allow me to sit on your bog few
minutes, till I get the run of the naviga-
ton"
Eyes, sir-you can set there till ] git
somebody else to strap"
| So sat there studying navigation by
dead reckoning, till directly little pet.
ticoat craft, in yellow trowsers, skirts to
her knees. red belt, Russian cap, and
arms akimbo, swooped down and check
ed up right in front of me. There she
hung for a minute, qpivering like, and
balancing, just as fish-hawk does over
his prey5 and all the time eyeing me
with jolly twinkle in her dancing black
eyes.
"a challenge for race, sir Catch
me if you canr'
Little Dimity lifted her left foot tri.
fle, bent the right knee slightly, made a
graceful curve. the bottom of her skirt
just brushing my nose. and off she went
like a flying fsh-zee-e-st-zit!- =
swinging hither and thither from side TO
side, her tartan skirt sway ying g!hiIher and
thilher, like the folds of spanker
brailed in with the ship-head TO wind
Soho! That's challenge, is it,
And that is the way to skatel ! can
skate! Any body can skate
But couldn't though, whatever any
body else could do. Iaccepted Dimityis
challenge, howeFer, and her practice on
ice. So Immediately bounced from
that backing box, lifted left foot little
bent right knee, and stuck my arms
akimbO. But don'l cut "spread ca.
gls.'' Port foot slid due southeast, and
starboard one nOr'west, still 1 realized
those spread out pictorial impOssibilItie:
on circus bills. wonder if my boot:
and skates would ever become shipmate'
! again.
"Hullo mister, you mustn't Try tc
| skate all over both sides this ere pond
. at once" growled an old commercial
looking chap, as he checked up Ions
d enough 2 put in the remOnssranc,
agains, my ice-mOnoPOly.
' 81 say. Mister, Saltwater, cOuldn'
1 yer lift yerself amidship a bit, 80 W,
e can sail between yer legs9" piped
9 yOuAg scamp, file leader to a string o
5 juvenile skaters.