The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-02-04
THE SKATING PARTY.
(Our Young Folks Magazlne)

last year 1 remember we began skating
only two days after the frost set in"
Now Mr.. Grant had three fine boys, and
& 1t would have been sad loss to him to have
mad any of them drowned; 30, DOtwithstand-
ing his constant wish to crafty them in all
that was lawful in the way of amusement
for he knew that the secret of health of mind
and body was plenty OF exercise, and a
Light heart--he reflected on the danger, and
therefore said:
:" / don't know what to say, Charlie. 1t
is quite true it has been freezing, but not
nearly so sharply as last Year."
oh, but then, Father" broke in all the
L boys at once, the Reypoldses were skat.
ing all day yesterday on Marsh's Pool, and
to-day there is to be large party on the
supper pond at the Brake"
Well" said Mr.. Grant, " will let you
go II you Will promise me faithfully that
you will keep well at this end of the pond;"
for there the anxious father knew that the
Tater was not only very shallow but free
rom the under current of several stream
lets, that entered the pond higher up.
IN You must promise me-" he concluded,
not to go beyond the boat house, and
Z fhat-"
Thank goa, papa thank you :" broke
In the three voices, before Mr.. Grant could
finish, and without one word of promise,
Ahongh with the understanding of the limit
&of their skating ground, away they ran out
OF the house, and were soon out on the
road, now crisp with bright sparkling frost,
Y all OF G lee that they were able to join their
AeompaniOns ON the ice.
~ " How hard the road is" remarked Fran
els, who was the eldest of the three; cit
has been freezing very hard last night
much harder than papa thought. There is
10 fear to-day. 1 wish papa had only
known how hard the frost is. Why, look
little pool, even though I jump on it with
all my might" =
CHOW jolly /" said Kirwin Grant, e and
mot bit of snow ; won't the ice be plo-
rious on the upper pondw And away they
ail hurried, shouting and sliding wherever
it was only the length of a foot. How ex-
vibrating is the sharp frosty air on a win
ter's morning, when the branches and
leaves and blades of grass are all covered
with the feathery frost of the past night
And SO our party found it,, and were in the
nes6 possible spirits when they arrived at
the pond, where already twenty of their
friends were gliding like fairies over the ice. |
what ice! how smooth, how bright and
BLACK What glee the skaters were in
what curves and figures they made-what
racing and delight they had and SO the |
hour passed away. Time after time Kir-
WIN and Francis nearly passed the limit of
the boat house, but by a sudden and graceful |
curvereturned within the lawful extent of |
their amusement. Charlie, who was q |
Kept well within the bounds, and was win
nlng golden honors in a variety of fine turns |
ana curves. Several times he skated back
wards, pursued by others, and had ESCAPED,
getting only one fall from piece of broken
faii - WHEN t; trlPpso MIN up; but what is a
was redeemipg his slip by D magnificent
outer edge stroke, when at once eVery bow
OF the party came burrying down, CRYING
out A race, race; thrice round the
pond !" Captain Cornthwaite was there,
ana mad offered five dollars to the winner
Captain Cornthwaite, you know,n said
hirWln to Charlie, is a friend of papa's
SO there can be no harm in this once pass.
ing the boundary-you see how we'll tie ice
bears everywhere, and you are sure to wiz;
Come, come along! There's no time to lose i
But Charlie still hesitated.
"Weit," said Francis, 81 think you ought
to accept Captain Cornthwaite's invitation,
and not keep us all freezing here in the
eold. Come, now, Charlie, It's only for the {
ece, you know, and we can come back {
ABAin 10 this side of the boat. house." And l
40s before Charlie almost knew what he was {
tpouG, Ghey were all flying around the i'm [
aense pond. Twice they had passed the d
warning point, and the Grants were ali a
lnead- whether 1t was the fear that the V
GO might break under their guilty feet. or a '
iervOus excitement that spurred then, m .
cannot tell, but away they went ahead nj r
ne rest with Charlie twenty ards in front {
fall. Suddenly there was a crash, and g
way went the ice just where Brooks Mill b
tream entered the pond, and in an instant n
he three foremost boys were plunged into tt
he water. The rest of the party wheeled e
ound just in time to escape burying their IL
beneath them. The good cap 7
ain, who had been enjoying the fun j
With some of his old college chums, was D
Don on the spot, and with the help of his "
Eiends fshed ont the Grants, whose only q
ety consisted in getting home as fast as q
legs could carry them, to keep them az
from catching cold and 30 they pl
like three dripping water-rats, b,
the cold, frosty air, which soon RI
D their clothes, and covered them p
eold Father Christmas with icicIes but I'll
till on they went, running and walking, to al
each home as soon as possible. ct
And now we come to the instructive part its
our story. The three boys began to in
iiscuss the consequences of their disobe- ila
ience. AR
-" am SO cold" exclaimed Kirwin, his CT