The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-04-03
Saved from Drowning.

quite an extraordinary exhlbltlon OF
true courage and rare presence of mind
on the part of a boy Of thirteen years.
I have V seen it equaled and l
.doubt whether it has ever been excelled
by one so young.
1t was On a Saturday morning in the
early part of winter. School didn't
keep" on Saturdays, it was our play
day. The mill-pond was frozen over
strong enough to bear about the bor-
.ders, but in the middle the ice was thin
and weak. 4 dozen or more of is went
down to the pond to skate. The day
was fine and bright, butcold and bracing;
the air bit shrewdly it was a nipping
and an eager air, and We coursed around
the pond in lively, exciting chase, until
the blood was well warmed up and our
faces glowed with excitement and pleas
ure. Some of the more daring youths,
when under high speed and coming
down with the wind, allowed themselves
to glide swiftly as an arrow yer some
of the weak places in the ice, where had
they rested only for a moment they
would have broken IN; but, under the
velocity with which they simply shot
across, the ice merely bent and rolled
beneath them like a wave, but did not
break. This was dangerous play in
deed, and, fortunately for their safety,
r.he boys did not persist in doing it.
As the morning wore along there were
occasional accessions to our number,
which aroused new ardor as they &C.
CURED from time to time, and trials of
speed and feats of skill kept up the n
thusiasm to the highest point so that
with forward skating, backward skating,
cutting the ring, attempts at spread
eagle and outside edge chase the fox,
follow my leader, tag, and other diver
>sions, we were in O constant whirl all
around the circuit of the pond, and up
and down it from one end to the other,
save only in those places where the ice
seemed to be weak. At length the
tracks made by our skates upon the
solid ice became 10 distinctly marked
that it had very much the appearance
of a race our around the pond. At
this time We were joined by some young-
sr lads living less remote than most of
Us, and who, from witnessing our hilar-
ity from the shore, became infected
Herewith, came upon the pond, and
participated in the sports by running
about in the tag and chase upon their
seet, for they were without skates.
After awhile the skating slowed up,
and presently, in obedience to that in
applicable law of attraction, which OPP
crates SO irresistibly when there are any
Juveniles around, we began to assemble
in a body, and then while at rest con.
gratulations were exchanged between US
on the forenoon's sport, criticisms were
offered on each others skates, condo
lence rendered to those who couldn't
skate, or who had no skates to learn
upon the boy with one skate still
keeping up with irrepressible p~ersever-
.ance his W aesthetic left foot contribu-
ton to the performances of the day, re-
Tceived yeciferous applause; there was
tweaking of tippets, sudden disappear
ances Of mittens and handkerchiefs, and
tossing OF each others caps possibly
there may have been an inquiry made
for matches, and I dare say the build.
ing OF a fire was propounded and acted
upon, and I suppose the fetching in of
divers crooked sticks to add to the
flames may have suggested a game of
ashinney /; at all events, shinney was
proposed, and back we went upon the
ice again, and with our sticks were soon
driving before us the ball improvised
for the occasion out of q small cubic
block of wood. The younger lads joined
US in this game also, running after the
Dali IN quite as merry glee as any OF the
rest.
One Of those lads, whom I will call
Frank lockwood, was altogether too
venturesome, and he was frequently
cautioned by the older boys when he
approached too near the thin ice and
even upon it, as he was seer to do, in
pursuit of the ball. But the sport was
exciting, and he became altogether heed
less, and by and by, running in reckless
chase after the ball too far upon the
thin ice, it broke with his weight. and