Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1865-03-08
lksgE.jis.As oil Skates.


kill Park-Dlaluond ditto-gr,IId fun
rntn Oh skates, boys Oh skates splendid
syiphides III scsnt skirts, steel shud, and
sk,rrinr away over the icu-the -rnuu-
der! the very reading gave me the zee
fever. and IN the deiirlum consequeu, upon
the sudden attack, L resolved UPON tak,u,r
an ice cruise myself. Why not! What
vas 10 hinder | had never naliuated
that sort OF craft, lis true but then / Il
been on the water, and under the water
all my lite-itnd on ice, too, some. Hadn't
| Killed seals, and chased white bears, tur
weeks together Oh Ice
Women could skate, So the papers SAID,
ANA 20 did every body else, whrn 1 nqui-
red OF EN- | could skate, What '. ..s
the reason | couldn't The only tulny
that Id ever seen d woman 10 that /
couldn't was TO hook her own dress aft,
and. Carrying six feet III breadth ui crinu-
line, sali through Il twenty inch doorway.
Yes, Si,, gould skate and l was bound
on an ice cruise
There was nothing to prevent the ex-
petition from being fitted ouI at once. L
was lounsing about the navy yard, de-
tachyd tIoin everything, all acquaintance,
included, waiting orders. Dis.usted with
bar rooms, deirsIing theatres, vial was L
to do for amusement! Why skute, of
course! All, yes, tile very thing. " hy
hadn't | thought OF that before! L Il
have a cruise directly, or sooner ii posi-
bic No, must have the tools first, and
started up town TO find 'cm-
| brought up i'll front OF big window
on the starboard side OF Chesnut street,
gong towards ccl,uy lkiil, where they had
more different rigs of sliding machines
than you can see national flags in Gibral-
tar Knowing about as much of the
qualifications of the different patterns as
Il COW does.of chionUmeter time, L went
inside, aud asked Tor Il pair If skates.
"W hat kind do you prefer sir ~
80, | have no preference. Give me
the best article you've got"
.1es, Sir" and the clerk passed for
Il par Of brass clad, steel clip
pers, with more gig9lts and running rig
@ings to en- than there is 10 a French
Sloop of war.
ilfST al L ltlt btSi,
Yes, sir, decidedly just get on to
them, sir, and you will 20 anywhere and
every where. like patent lightning. Ii you
don't fnd i: 50, bring 'em back, sir, and
I'll return your money"
. " hats the prlce -
= Fourteen dollars! Very cheap"
Didn't b,IIeve that OF course bat in
,-n-t.l ba made S.iIt fur
Paramount.
Found superb skating. Everybody said
81, only those that called II elegant! SPLEEN
did, magnificent, There was Il regiment
OF MN, ii battalion ot dlmiiy, AND Il whole
brigade of small craft, on skates, skiver-
inc, scooting, and cutting all sorts of tam
cies on ice ; everybody laughing, chatter
iug in all directions and l didn't wonder
and everybody else called
skating glorious fun.
"Have yer skates strapped, sir?' said
an itinerant boot black, about the heighth
OF a walking stick.
do YOU understand it, Bub p
80, yes, sir: | strap all the ladies'
skates for them
{" All, ha, do, eh +? Must have Jolly
time of it! Would like the berth myself
There you are. Go ahead, boy, and |
sat down on the b!ackie's box, about ii
couple of fathoms out on the ice Whiz!
like rocket, went by great strapping
long-lcgccd chap, with Il cigar flying jib-
boom, and swinging his arms like Il fri
rates hcadvards III a hurricane, with the
braces ali adritt.
80, ho. 50 they can smoke on skates
eh boy p
Lord, yes, SIR, Everybody smokes
on the ice
Exactly" SO fired up on a Prin-
cipe, and shipped it for the cruise.
Urchin announced skates all etaunto,
and took fifty cent ''i;actionai. s.
Here, boy! here's another fifty just
allow me to sit on your box lew min
utes till get the run Of the navigation"
So | sat there studying ice navigation
by dead reckoning, tilt directly "a little
pctticoat 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 minute, quivering like, and
balancing, just like "A fish hawk does over
his prev, and all the time cycling me
with Jolly twinkle in her dancing black
eyes.
{" A challenge for race, sir. Catch
me if you can'"