The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-07-26
A RED NiITTEN.

/.
1t was the afternoon of clear
sharp, January day of 1861, and the
company numbered. fully two hun.
dred: there were men, women, boys
and girls, flying and circling about
in masses, singly, by dozens and by
twos and threes, over the frozen sur
face of the beautiful Silver lake, q
suburb of the hourishing city Of B.
New England is dotted with these
small bodies of water, and it is as
founding to recount what a surpns-
ing number bear the name of Silver
And so, on Silver lake, this goodly
company was disporting itself with
all the gaiety and zest the keen, brac-
ing air and exhilaratlng sport com
bined to produce.
Among the crowd were many lads
and lasses who imagined they were
fond of skating, and came to Silver
lake for no other reason. 1t was
singular. too, to note how much
more gracefully the outward roll
backward or forward could be ac-
complished by Joining hands. or be-
ing linked together by Il walking
stick. These sticks proved, in many
instances, no non-conductors to the
sympathetic thrill that pervaded the
magnets at either end.
The positive and negative condi-
tions were fully realized in the case
of brawny John Horton and rosy
checked Abbie Latham, the daugh-
ter of the Squire. She, with her
plump, comely figure. and fresh,
handsome face, lit up by pair of
laughing blue eyes, could have led
awkward John. on or off skates,
anywhere, with an apron string or a
thread for q conductor. Not 30 with
John. He could lead her nowhere,
and the more the girl could balk and
tantalize him, the more she seemed
to enjoy the skating and his com
pany. Many a ludicrous figure he
cut, and many an awkward fall he
endured by her sudden and unac-
countable turns and shiftings, and
her mirth and glee were at the high
est at Johns repeated failures to fol-
low her difficult and tortuous wind
ings. John was overgrown and
massive, his twenty years OF exist
ence not having yet served to prop
erly knit together and round out the
of his frame. She was
1.-THE and quick. and as graceful
as she was skillful in the use of
skates.
Apart from the throng, this after
noon, John espied a little red mitten
lying on the ice, where it had been
dropped by some one of the numer-
Gus children. Miss Abbie saw it,
too, and as John by one of his grace
full movements, essayed to st0op and
capture the article, she refused to re-
lease his hand; but just as he bent |
forward she gave a wicked pull, and /,
John, unbalanced, was sent sprawl /.
INC rod or two beyond. a peal of
silvery laughter was her sympathet- /
c comment. as with a graceful curve
she turned and caught the tiny thing
IN her hand.
John blushed at his awkwardness, /
md held out his hand to receive the !
nitten.
But the captor only held it before /
1im and gently moved away.
Wont you give it to me?" he .
asked. Il will find the owner"
Il can s,nd the owner more easily (
han you. can't trust you; you
would fall and crush the poor thing
N trying to deliver it." And she
;aucilv laughed again.
You made me fall, said John,
n a grieved tone. "You are always /
ioing these thing. If | skated more
md studied less I'd soon be as much
Of an adept as your friend, Joe Sta
pies, whom yon are always prais-
ng."
"You? Ha, ha, ha! As graceful
is Joe Staples?" And the hilarity
If the young maiden made John
Horizons sluggish blood course
through his veins till his face was as
ed as the scarlet kerchief that en-
,ircled his neck.
All the rest of the afternoon John
vas gloomy and silent. He moved
around mechanically, or rather. au-
omatically, and his companion con-
,luded to serve no more tricks upon
lim.
The sport finished, the two wend-
ID their way to the house OF MIR.
latham, Johns fair companion fail
ng to rally him into anything like
He answered her only i
n monosyllables and seemed mOrose
md preoccupied. i
As he was about to take his leave,
Iohn said, seriously, and little sar-
astically, "Abbie, I'm going back to
ollege tomorrow. and | hope you
gill enjoy the rest of the skating in !
ompanionship more graceful than
nine"
II hope Ishall." replied she in the
anne tone. "You must feel bad ,
bout something; perhaps its the
niiten; you had better take it-no, {
ot now, / won't give it up. If | {
yer think enough Of you to surren- I
er it. I'll send it to YOU by express. \
And then she smiled on John, s
18th rare sweetness. but John had {