The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-04-25
CHARLEY's ICE-FLoE.

II was really beg2Rr- hOwsad! q gl.sss,g
Did yon guess all the time it was me Z"
/ Joy Aiisoa, in Youtt's Con,pdniou.
I - -, = - -s-----------
| CHARLEY'S ICE-FLOE.
THE "river,'' as the children called
it, had been frozen over. 1t was not
much more than an overgrown brook,
and usually stupid and slow-going, as
overgrown creatures are apt to be. But a
warm spell had come on, and brought
with it two days rain; and in the
night the river had grown restless and
unruly, and had thrown off the ice that
had been keeping it under, carrying
most of it away to the sea, but leaving
some of it in large cakes upon either
bank. ~ ~
And there it was when the children
got up in the morning, mad with its
liberty and tearing down toward the
sound as if fearful lest it might be
caught and again imprisoned
What shout Charley raised as he
drew aside the shade and peepcd out!
That was always the first thing he did
in the morning; no one could imagine
why, for not a half dozen times in his
life had he discovered anything re-
markable. There was always the same
meadow, the same creek, the same rail
track winding along beyond, and in the
distance the little stone church. Hattie
said she could see it quite as well in
bed with her eyes shut, as to get up
and stand shiyering on one foot look
ing at it. gsgs
I But on this particular morning Char
ley was able to make an announcement
that put an end to all mapping ON the part
of the little girls. 4as8a
"GoOdness me, amt the river raised,
though! Look on the banks, too! six
months on an ice-foer What q chance
for a fellowr' l4s ~
Hattie bundled out of bed and
rushed to the window, and little Sue
followed, straining her eyes in vain to
discover, up stream or down, any signs
of the wonderful party of voyagers she
had SO often heard her brother tell
about. rsgvsr -r5
Charley had been much interested in
Capt. Tyson's account of that journey
on which the explorers most dreaded
enemy had furnished them a safe con-
veyance, without engine, mast or rud-
der, for SO many months and miles;
and he had often longed for chance
to know by experience the sensation of
floating on an ice-raft. Here, he
thought, was the opportunity. But he
would be prudent and say nothing
abe about a i for TBS trid, 1T ,eashf he M5 d5
planned to himself. She never was
boy, and somehow he couldn't convince
her that boys could be trusted to take
care of themselves. "rll go out and
look around,' he thought. 1.-The
river looks pretty lively from here. If
it doesn't run very swift, and think
she won't object, I'll ask her; but if l
think she WILL why, I'll go it on the
sly fs5.
Charley was dressed and out to re-
connoiter in no time, and the little
girls we've not much behind him; but
they were shortly recalled by their
mamma, whom they found in street
dress and with bonnet and cloak at
hand.
g Hurry in, children, I've decided to
90 into town, and we must make
haste with breakfast. trust they will
keep out of danger to-day added Mrs.
Rae to her husband. "There's no
skating now, SO shall not worry about
Charley"
Charley's face was so red about this
time that his mother noticed it and
thought he was fcverish; and when he
| asked to be excused she began to be
! anxious, and looked at his tongue and
his throat, and half doubted whether
she had better go.
But there really seemed no cause for
alarm. and again expressing her relief
that the skating was over, Mrs. Rae
put on her hat and cloak. As for the
creek, it never once entered her mind
to consider that as an agent for danger
or mischief any more than she would
one of the little black turtles that had
their home somewhere between its
banks.
.Now Norah,' said she to the good
natured girl, '.try and keep IN eye on
Sue till Mr.. Rae comes back. She can
play outdoors; don't see anything
that she can get into, and | shall be
home to dinner"
| The little ones were kissed and the
wagon drove off Norah sat down to
her breakfast and in chat with Mike
thought.no more of the children, who,
after few minutes, ran into the
meadow where they could see Charley
and Will Cummins, the boy next door,
pushing small ice-cakes off into the
river.
Charley seemed to be coaxing Will
into something to which he objected,
but as his sisters came up he stopped
and all Hattie heard, though her ears
were wide open as usual, was, = Keel
dark!''
"What is it?'' asked she; g what art
you going to dop'
"Nothing,, said Charley; g just yor
look up there on st. Helena and sex
what pile she's caught" ..gss
st. Helena was tiny island. Mrs
Rae was an object teacher, and thu
children had taken q good many geo
graphy lessons on the banks of thu
creek. The shores looked as if they
had been cut out by ''a big jiggerins
iron,' Hattie said; and nearly ever.
irregularity was dignified as cape o.
bay, isthmus or harbor.
It did not matter in the least tha
Baffin's Bay was in close neighborho0t
to Florida, or that West Point with 1T
J brick fort, which had fortunately es
capped destruction, was just opposite
Cape Horn. Even little Sue could DE
J fine all the '.natural divisions OF land,
as the geography says.
II Charley had hoped to get rid OF tn
J GIRLS after a time: but, as is generall'