The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-03-11
A Skating Incident.
Il Young Lady Rescues her Lor


Lake Champlain is one of the most belu,
tiful sheets of water probably in America,
and Cumberland Bay, near PIattsburg,where
one of the mos brilliant naqal engagements
Of the war of 1912 was fought and wen bv
Commodore McDonough, of the American
fleet, gainst the 81 itish, under Commodore
Downie, furnishes one of the grandest skat-
ing park or ponds one could wish to see. 1t
is the favOrite resort Of the young ladies and
gentlemen of that vicinity on moonlight
evenings. One evening a short time since
young lady and gentlemen who had fire.
quently been skating there before, went out
upon the bay, but believing in the old axiom
that 1.-TWO is company" went to an unfre
qucnted spot, where they could enjoy the
skating in each others society unmolested.
After skating for some little time near
the shore, the gentleman proposed that they
should go further out where the ice was
smoothe, to which she consented, and they
accordingly ventured out about two miles.
Here they found the ice in beautiful condi
tion and the gentleman was proceeding to
do the grapevine, forward and backward
roll, together with many other fancy figures
only known to accomplished skaters, when
suddenly the ice gave way beneath him, and
in moment he found himself struggling in
the water and unable to extricate himself,
the ice breaking as fast as he attempted to
raise himself on its edge The young lady,
true to her womanly instincts, began to
scream at the top of her voice, but the priga-
cy they had sought had taken them beyond
the hearing of all who could have been of
any service to them. He besought her to 90
to the shore and endeavor to procure assist
ancs; but she we'll knew he N ust perish be-
fore she could get back, even if she found
no difficulty in procuring assistance Then
an idea came into her head, and she imme-
diately put it into execution.
She first took off her jacket and dress, and
tying them together, undertook to reach him
with one end but it was too short, as the
yielding ice warned her when she moved to-
ward him and endeavored to throw him one
end. What more could she dc? She hest.
tated moment; then slipping off her gait
ers, both stockings were soon tied to the end
of the dress and jacket, and yet it was too
short. Meantime the young man was rap
idly becoming exhausted, and if she was to
save him no time was to be lost For mo-
ment her hands disappeared in the drapery
about her waist, and then something fell on
the ice about her feet. 1t was her hoop
skirt. This was quickly severed into half
dozen pieces, and added to the jacket, dress,
and stockings, and, to her great delight, this
made the line long enough to reach him.
Bravely she tugged at one end of it, while
he clutched the other end with the grip of
man who knew that that was all which stood
between him and eternity. In few minutes
she landed him safely on the solid ice, and
then the red jacket and dress were wrapped
about her as best they could be, and the two
started for home, where they arrived without
being noticed by any one. Few were the
words spoken on the journey home, but hey
must have been to the purpose, as the wed
ding suits are ordered, and before the ice
shall disappear from the beautiful lake, this
spring, they viii be married