Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1874-04-21

man looked somewhat discouraged as he eyed
Smikes' understandings, which are about the
size of small coffin.
mister" said the skate man, "I'd advise
you to put two pair of skates on each foot"
Smikes said something about putting q
"head" on the skate man, which menace
caused the fuming fellow to lay on the coun>
ter pair of skates of extraordinary length.
In the meantime 1 took stroll over the
pond, aud dotted down the following items
for the Spirit:
Young ladies-aristocratic young ladies
with sealskin sacks, ladies of a ''certain age"
with short crispy hair. young men with large
seal finger rings. bummers with red noses
and black eyes, French nurses with children,
negroes with cigar stumps in their mouths,
and Chinese without anything in particular,
were either learning to skate or falling in
promiscuous groups on the slippery ice.
Every laddy had his lassie," )" or somebody
else's lassie am not sure which. The aris-
tocratic young ladies had footmen or female
servants with them, but their beaux had the
pleasure of adjusting their skates, which
thought needed fixing" rather often. II
has always been a mystery to me, why young
men are so anxious to fool around a lady's
skates. Now. if were to ask young man
to put my skates on. why, he wouldn't do It,
that's all. / stood looking at lady from
Canada. who was the finest skater ever saw,
when felt something like a sled striking
against my heels, and in two seconds found
the ice striking against the back of my head.
Did I see stars? saw whole consultations,
though [ didn't examine them much. On
looking around to perceive the cause of this
mishap. there stood Broadway sport holding
to the back of push chair, on which sat his
charming ''Arabel," laughing excessively at
my awkwardness. The dear creatures, who
have not learned to skate, are drawn on those
chairs by their beaux.
went to the other pond to witness the
curling matches. No one curls but the
Scotch. I would like to describe the game,
as it is necessary to play it on ice, but when
the readers of. the Spirit come to New York
on the Fourth of July, they can see how
curling is done that is, if We have ice on
the Fourth.
Having become weary listening to curriers',
I sought my friend Smikes, who was trying
his best to avoid splitting the ice by falling
on it. He tried to do the pigeon wing, but
failed, for was obliged to look many min.
utes before l found his loose change, PEN
knife, cane, lead pencil and other trifes
which left his person while struggling to
show me the pigeon wing. never in my
life saw such maneuvres as some of the mem.
bers of the New York Skating Club cut on
the ice. Some of them can spin on the toe
of the skate so rapidly that their form is
scarcely disccrned. Even the ladies do this,
who on an average. exceed the men in artis-
tic man@uvres. About four or five years
ago, we boys used to skate on the Government
Canal at Harper's Ferry. and thought myself
pretty good skater then. but all Smikes' en-
treaties for me to try my hnnd-I mean foot
were in vain. believe in fun. but never
will I become a laughing.st stock for these
Yanks SO long as my name is
GALE HARRINGTON,
A1:oo GEEv To..;o~