The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-02-03
NUMBER 2.
SPORT ON THE ECE.
BY sNooKEs, JR.

The morning was clear and frosty
very frosty, indeed-when solitary cuss
Was observed vending his way toward
skating pond with pair of skates under
his arm, tear on the end of his nose,
and clay pipe between his lips. That
cuss was l, you bet?
The skates that carried under my
arm were high Dutch, very high Dutch.
They had a yard of iron turned up IN
front, and looked like sleigh runners. My
great grand father brought Them over with
him from The home of his childhood. He
was great skater. He could cut a bai-
rel Of sauraraut with those skates 50 nat
ural that the by ISLANDERS were forced 10
hold their noses! My grandfather tried
to cut the same and cut his head. He
then put the skates in the hcn~housa loft,
and wiiIed them 70 my father. My faith
er was Pennsylvania farmer. He owned
twenty acres of stony land, two big hor-
ses. five-story barn and one-story house.
That's the way with all the Pennsy ylyania
farmers. BIy father had never seen any
ice in his life, only what formed in his
pig trough during The winter, therefore
skates were Of very little use TO him, and
he gave them 10 me.
and that's their pedigree.
As l was vending my way to the pond.
with said skates under my arm, numerous
liIl: boys, As passed them yelled as
follows:
"Ialloo, skates! where are you going
with that man 2"
didn't mind those little boys, but
walked on TO the pond where / found nu-
erous chaps and feminine females cutting
duplex circles and a rnerican eagles. Some.
were also cutting their heads.
l put on my high Dutch skates, and
resolved to show the chaps how to do the
thing up brown. Arose TO my feet and
found the ice rather slippery-one foot
wanted to 90 north and the other south.
Made a grand strike out with both feet,
and Gu, a beautiful circIe-on the back Of
my head. Some chap picked me up, and
I feil better, and struck out again struck
out very fast, couldn't stop myself, but
kept straight ahead. II was ''skates.
where are you going with that mani" sure
enough and there was festive female
in Iigh heeed boots coming straight to-
Nards me IN Il chain lightning manner
Unless she got out Of my road a collision
must surely take place. She didn't get
cut of my road, and, oh, what a smash !
We were both going under a full head Of
steam when we came together, and when
we were picked up we were forty FIVE
yards apart.
When I was a little fellow. and wen.
10 schoo!, aud slid down hIll on 4 board,
read some piece, in some little book with
yellow cover, about n chap who tried
TO do something six times, and didn't do
something six times. Then he saw a spi-
der try TO do something seven times, and
! he, the chap, concluded he d Try once more.
He tried and succeeded.
The book didn't say what the chap was
trying TO do, but it said when ''got to
be big man Ii find out"
I've got to be a big man, and | amt
! found out yet. But Eve made up my
mind that he, the chap, not the spider, was
| trying TO skate, and cut his head SIX times
| before be learned.
When l was picked up, after my colli
sion with the festive female in hi2h-heeled
! boots, | remembered this book, and this
man, and this spider and | said to my
I u
and ''try again -
Tried again and got along 6rst~rate
was about coming to the conclusion that
l was a better skater than my great grand
father had been, or any other man. In
dertook to cut an American eagle and was
forced to sit down on the ice, aad l sat
down very hard.
I've had chairs pulled from under me
by festive cusses when | was about to take
Il seat; I've sat down IN low chairs when
thought they were high ones and I've
sat dCwn in many other ways; but none
of those sit downs were anything to that
sit down on The ice, when was trying to
cut an American eagle.
In fact, it was the hardest sit down l
ever had in my life.
Concluded TO be like man and spider
and try once more. Struck out with my
high Dutch skates in beautiful manner;
struck to the right, struck to the left, and
felt huukey, you bet.
felt as proud as little boy when an
sdniring neighbor tells him he'll be
man before his mother.
Thought I'd cut life like picture OF
my Susan Jane; vas confident that | could
do it, and commenced it accomplished
everything but her nose couldn cut that
no how, but cut my own nose in beau~
tiful way while trying TO cot hers.
TRY again was my motto, and L
tried again made a desperate attempt 10
cut the probocis of my S. J. and cut a holo'
in the ice with my head and went into l..
Yes, l went in-I went heavy Iwent IN
dry and came out wet.
was pulled oct after floundering there
about twenty minutes. and had no detire
to go in again. l had desire to 60 home
and see my molher-s very strong Ges1Fs
and | went.
] have thirty-second cousin Id Ike
TO see break his neck, and m going TO