Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-01-14
on SKATES.
BY II. QUAD.

foot and came circling around on the
other -''you see, it is an exercise which
=; brings all the muscles into play, and
must be healthy. In fact, Dio Lewis
says it is shelter than riding on horses
! back"
1t looked so easy and so nice that I
wirkcd al the boy who had skates to
| lend and he came over
That's right, old boy!" called Reg
let as he sailed around with d hand
some girl on each arm, and lovely
! blonde hanging to his coat -tails,- Ill
bet hundred dollars you'll lie arm ali
the fourishes within an hour
I was highly gratiGed at this express :
sion of confidence in my ability. and I
kept hurrying mp the boy as he fastened
on The skates. The impudent sauce
box said ia better strap pillow on
the back of my head before I started
out, but Ipasaed the insisnuation with
silent contempt.
"Aow then" said Reglet, circling up
with dozen French fiourishes, ''the
main thing is 10 have confidence in
yourrelf. Strike right out like pion-
eer getting away from a troop Of
wolves. and I'll bet hundred TO one
you'll make skater"
I struck out. struck in several di-
recious besides out On foot went
10 the left, the other TO the right, and
| whirled around and sat down. The
blonde young lady came up and said
thst had made capital hit, and the
other two said that l was certain. to
combine grace with muscular effort
when got fairly started.
| didn't feel much like starting out
again, but l had to do it. Reglet
helped me up, said that h. could al
ready see al improvement in my health
and he warned me to shove my feet IS
| saw him DO. / oGeyed. The left
foot shot ont, leaving the right some
rods in the rear, and trying to even up
tie lace little. something struck the
ice. It was myself The back of my
head strtick first, and there were FIVE
distinct shocks before the hole OF my
body got down.
Reglet sailed up and said he never
saw that beaten, and the blonde de-
c'a:ed her belief that | was an old skat
er, AMI was just PLAYING off on them
The rink danced round and round as
sat up, and the small boy who was
grinning at me appeared to my vision
like eight Or nine small boys and eight
or nine gsi!!s.
"Come, old boy, this exercise will
brighten your cheek until your own
wife wont know You" called Reglet,
offering to nelp me up.
waited to go home and sit down
behind the coal stove and ponder and
reflect, but he dragged me to my feet,
aud The blonde wanted to know if
wouldn't please give them ''the Prince
Of " ales flourish" | glanced at her
and tried to smile, and they edged off
to give me a fair show.
'.Come, Cart right Off yelled Reg
let, aud carefully started my feet out
to an exploring voyage. They hadn't
travelled over six inches before they
got ahead Of my body. ! reached out
tor something to support me, clawed
around, and the back of my head dug
a hole in the ice. thought the roof
of the rink had fallen in, and that
twenty eight tons Of boards and Shin
giles bad struck me in heap, but was
deceived.
''Iou struck an air bubble or you'd
have made splendid show" said Reg
let, as he pulled at me.
The bl;,hie said that | had come
within hairs breadth Of cutting one
OF the grandest tiourishes known on
ice, and they wanted me to try once
more. told EN- | had to 90 to a
funeral, ard that would be back in
half an hour, but it was no use.
''See how easy 1t is, exclaimed Reg
let, as he pushed out and swung one
leg around,
pushed out, swung one leg. |
couldn't pull it back | tried to,
yelled to Reglet that Id give him fifty
dollars to grab me. He was too late.
| clawed and waved and tottered and
fell, and when came to my senses
again Regiet said that if | would go
through the same performance every
day for two months, he'd warrant me
that | could eat hundred hot biscuits
per day and never have a touch OF the
dyspepsia.
All III bed YET and friend has
written this from dictation. The doc
tor says that two ribs on the left side
Are fractured, the collar bone is broken,
the BONES of one elbow mashed and the
spinal column is three inches out of
true, but he is laboring away in hopes
Of mending me up by spring.
Since the days Of the Ohio crusade,
New Years callers will have to eat