The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-07-10

but all the fun was evidently regard
ed as merely preliminary or intro
ductory to something better in store.
Occasionally, l caught q phrase,
which pointed to something which
every body looked forward to, but
was entirely ignorant Of its nature,
and presumed it to be tableaux or
theatricals. Finally, at about 10 o.
clock, a general call for furs and
wrappings arose, and in a few min
utes the whole company had passed
into the garden. The moon had just
risen, and its pale beams revealed
the unshapely forms of snow covered
trees and shrubs the tops only of the
latter p%rotruding over the thick bed
of snow, with its glittering crust. In
the centre of the garden l soon dis
covered the attraction which had
caused US to forsake the warm and
lighted rooms-two kotoks of moder-
ate height doomed up before US, and
a number of sleds were strewn
about, ready for use. A general
pairing took place Immediately, and
in a few moments the sport was in
full blast, The two platforms faced
each other, and the tracks ran side
by side, so that the parties could
dash past each other amid laughing,
screaming and shouting. | looked
around for a vacant sled in order to
try my hand at the game, but just
as | was climbing the steps to one of
the platforms | was informed that no
gentleman could be permitted to ride
alone on such an occasion, and |
was quickly provided with a passen-
ger--a young lady from the country
endowed with considerable embon-
point. Without possessing the least
confidence in my skill as q steers.
mai / was somewhat comforted by
the thought that the well-rounded
form Of my passenger, made still
rounder by an. ample fox-skin robe,
would not be liable to suffer any Sc
rious damage in case of mishaps.
With the utmost nonchalance | az.
justed nv sled to the very edge o.
the dazzling, shining and glittering
incline. 1t is necessary that The
steersman should seat himself FIRST
etiquette being entirely waived OF
the katok, but when the fair Anns
Ivanovna dropped down in front o
me with the grace and ease OF {
snowflake, though a triile heavier
and, to use a slang phrase, ''cuddl'
up" to my manly breast with
glance full of charming confidence
my innate modesty and dillidenc'
caused me to recede O little, and a
| was already seated on toe extreme
edge, there was a fall, a scream an
a laugh, and the whole delightful
f performance had to be gone through
with again. At last we were botl
, seated, and the sled adjusted, as ]
. imagined, with the utmost mathe
, matical precision, as to run a stralgh
course to the end of the track. Ful
of confidence, | gave the start, AM
with an impetus that almost took ny
/, breath away, we dashed ahead-t'
land in the snow bank on one side
only half way down the incline. Th'
, force with which The sled struck th'
snow caused it TO overturn, and m,
fare and | rolled down the snow
bank to the level. My profuse apol
ogies seemed to be altogether super
auous; the partner of my dIsastel
was none the worse of it, and onll
remarked that it was very naughty
of me to play that trick the hrs
time. The innocent little bundle o
fur thought 1 had upset her On pur
pose.
With somo misgivings on my par
the experiment was repeated, will
nearly the same result, and by thai
time | dawned upon the other par
Elephants in the fun that they had 9
"greenhorn" among them, and plans
of mischief were concocted accord
ingly. One of the gentlemen ap
preached me and observed that
seemed to be bewildered by tbs
crowd dashipg down before me and
beside me, and that they wonid give
me q chance of descending alone
ahead Of them all. The company
accordingly assembled on n OF the
platforms and | took my place once
more on the brink with my fearless
passenger before NE. The suppress
ed laughter and the mischief spark.
ling in everybody's eye Eight have
gsrned me that some plot was afoot.
but pnsuspscticgly and carefully !
launched my sled.
Exactly what followed cannot
tell, and you'd not care 10 enlarge
upon it if I did. IN less than o sec.
ond we had reached the level, but
there my sled struck q broom fana!e
or something of the kind, and with q
lump seemed to fly from under US,
Fwhile we glided a piece down the
track on opr own responsibility, my
companion clinging to ne for dear
life, and then there came Q shoct
end then a9other, and ! don't know
how many more Hntil the whole
scene become exceedingly shocking,
for as each succeeding sled dumped
it's load over Us, the confused mass
of laughing and squirting bodies be-
came more bewildering, and tbs
placid moon grinned down upon 9
sight it is to be hoped not often an
lioyed by the chaste Diana's symbol
TAT last everybody succeeded in ex
Treating his Or be: oyn robes and
furs and overshoes and iimas l2c
something like order and proprie'y
vas onee more restored; bu; The
mere conscicps4sss OF my spotless
innocence did not sage pc frow be
jag accused by all parties as the az
thor Of wbat they pleased to call ;
shocking mishap.F Though very
much bewildered and confused,
had in my MAD one clear idea-tha'
| was not destined 10 sbipa in thaI
peculiar institution Of Russia society
the "katok."