Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-16
HIGHJINKs ON SKATES.

Everywhere, in all sorts of newspa-
pers. / had read of glorious skating |
fupLCentral Park kating--Schuylklll
and Schuylkill Park-Diamond ditto
private ditto-the grand fun-men
on skates, boys ON skates splendid
sylphides in scant skirts, steel-shod,
and skirring away over the ice-the--
thunder! the very reading gave me
the ice-feyer, and, in the delirium con-
sequent upon the sudden attack, L re-
solved upon taking an ice-cruse my
self. u
Why not? What was to hinder +?
/ had never navigated that sort OF
craft. It's true. But then I'd been on
the water and under the water all my
life. and on ice, too, some. Hadn't
killed seals and chased white bears for
weeks together on ice?
Women could skate-so the papers
said. So did everybody else, when L
inquired of 'em. Icould skate What
was the reason / couldn't? The only
things I'd ever seen woman do that
| couldn't was to hook her own dress
aft, and, carrying six feet breadth OF
crinoline, sail through twenty-inch
doorway. Yes, Sir-I could skate;
and was bound on ice cruise.
There was nothing to prevent the
expedition from being fitted out at
once. was louDging about the Navy
Yard. detached from everything
acouaintances Misunderstanding or
ders. Disguised with bar-rooms, de-
testing theatres, what was to do for
amusement? Why, skate, of course
All, yes! All, yes the very, thing, by
Jovel Why hadn't | thought OF that
before? I'd have cruise directly /;
or sooner if possible. NO-I must
have the tools first-and L started of
up to town to find EN-.
| brought up in front of big win
dow ON the starboard side of Chest
mt street. going toward Schuylklll,
where they had more different rigs of
sliding machines than you can see ma
tional flags in Gibralter: Knowing
about as much of the qualifications OF
the different patterns as cow does OF
chronometer time, l went inside and
asked for pair of skates.
"What kind do you prefer, sir?'
80. | have no preference. Give me
the best article you've got.
"Yes, Sir" and the clerk passed out
for inspection a pair OF brass-clad,
steel clippers, with more gllgles and
running rigging to 'em than there is to
a French sloop-of war.
"These are the best, are they?"
"Yes. Sir-decidedly! just get on
to them, sir, and you'll 60 everywhere
and anywhere, like patent lightning /!
If YOU don't find it so, bring EN- back
sir. and I'll return your money.
whats the price p
Fourteen doLLdrsl Very cheap,
Sir"
Didn't believe that, of course, but
invested the amount, and made all sail
for Paramount. :,
Found superb skating. Everybody
said so-only those who called it ele-
CANT splendid! magnificent! There
was a regiment of men. battalion of
dimity, and whole brigade of small
craft. ON skates-shivering, scoOting
and cutting all sorts of fancies on the
ice; everybody laughing, chatterlng,
whooping, skylarking, and skitterlng
in all directions and l didn't wonder
newspapers, and everybody else, called
skating glorious fun. -,
Have yer skates strapped, sirY'
said an itinerant boot black about the
height of walking-stick., -
do you understand it, hub
80, yes, sir / strap all the ladies
skates for 'em."
"Ah, ha! Do, EN- Must have a
Jolly time of i'll Would like the birth
myself. There you are. Go ahead,
bow and sat down on Blackie's box,
about a. couple of fathoms out on the
ice.
Whiz like a rocket, went by a
great Swapping, long chap, with
a cigar flying jibboom, and swinging
his arms like frigate's headyards In
hurricane, with the braces all adrlft.
"Oh, hol So they can smoke on
skates-eh, boy?"
Lord Yes, sir. Everybody smokes
on the ice"
Exactly" So / fired up on Prin-
cipe, and shipped it for the cruise.
Urchin announced skates all atauntO
and took a fifty cent fractional fee.
Here boy heres another fifty
Just allow me to sit on your box a
few minutes till | get the run Of the
navigation" -,
Eyes, sir-you can set there till L
get somebody else to strap.
So | sat there studying ice navlga-
ton by dead reckoning, till directly a
little petticoat craft, in yellow trows-
ers. skirts to her knees, red belt, Rus
sian cap, and arms akimbo, swooped
down, and checked up right in front
of me. There she hung for minute,
ouivering like, and balancing, just as a
fish hawk does over his prey; and all
the time cycling me with jolly twinkle
in her dancing black eyes.
"A challenge for race, sir? Catch
me if you cam!
Little Dimity lifted her left foot a
trife. bent right knee slightly, and
made a graceful curve, the bottom of
her skirt Just brushing my nose; and
off she went like flying fish-ze-ee-
e-e-st-zitl-swinging from side to side
her tartan skirt swaying hither and
thither, like the folds of spanker
brailed in with the ship-head to wind.
soho! That's challenge, is it +?
And that's the way to skate? Thun-
der!-I can skate Anybody can
skatep
But I couldn't, though, whatever
anybody else could do l accepted
Dimity's challenge, however, and her
practice on ice. So bounced up from
that blacking-box, lifted left foot a
little, bent right knee, and stuck my
arms akimbo. But | didn't cut a
curve. / did the next best thing,
however, and cut spread eagle. -
Port foot slid due south east, and star
board one norwest, till | realized those
spreadout pictorial impossibilities on
circus bills. | wondered if my boots
and skates would ever become ship
mates again.
"Hullo! mister, you, musta' try to
skate all over both sides of this ere
pond at oncer growled an old com
mercial-looking chap, as he checked
up long enough to put in the remon-
STRANGE against my ice-monOpOly.
Il say, Mister Saltwater, couldn't
yer lift yerself amidship a bit, so we
can sail tween yer legS? piped a young
scamp. file-leader to a string of twenty
juvenile skaters.
Don't try to skate on both feet at
once. my dear sir = advised a sensible,