Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-02-09
A Day on skees (NOrwegian SNOW
kb0eaO

Caroline Mason in February Lippincotts.
A Day on Skees Norwegian SNOW
ShOes)
from 'New Winter Sport, by H II. Boyesen, in
st. Nicholas for Februaryl
"Oa, my lad" cried Morse father to his
young son, one crisp, cold winter morning,
''fetch the AK from the wood shed and bring
me my gun from the corner behind the clock,
and we will see what luck we had with the
fox-traps and the snares up in the birch glen"
And Ola has no need of being asked twice
to attend to such duties. His mother, in the
meanwhile, has put up a luncheon, consist
ing of cold smoked ham and bread and but
ter, in gayly painted wooden box, which
Ola slings across his shoulder, while Nils, his
father, sticks the ak into his girdle, and with
his gun in one hand and his skee-staff in the
other, emerges into the bright winter morn
ing. They then climb up the steep snow
banks, place their SkeeS upon the level sur
face, and put their feet into the bands. Nils
gives tremendous push with his staff and
away he flies down the steep hillside, while
his little son, following close behind him,
gives an Indian war-whoop, and swings mis-
staff about his head to show how little he
needs it,
Whew, how fast he goes
In few seconds father and son have
reached the bottom of the valley, and before
them is steep incline, overgrown with leaf
less birch and elder forests. 1t is there where
they have their snares, made of braided
horse hair; and as bait, they use the red
berries of the mountain ash, of which ptar-
migan and thrushes are very fond. Now
comes the test of their strength but the
snow is too deep and loose to wade through,
and to climb a declivity on skees is by no
r,aanu nc aacv oc II ic IN clida doup sunootb
hillside. Half su hours climb brings them
to the trapping grounds. But there, indeed,
their efforts are well rewarded.
"Oh, look, look father :" cries the boy, &C.
ststcally. "Oh, what a lot we have caught
Why there are three dozen birds, as sure as
there il one."
''There is enough to buy you a new coat
for Christmas. lad" he says chuckling; "and
if we make many more such hauls we may
get enough to buy mother a silver brooch,
too, to wear at church on Sundays"
mo, buy mothers brooch first, father"
protests the lad little hesitatingly (for 1t
costs many boys en- effort to be generous y
"my coat will come along soon enough, Al
though, to be sure, my old one is pretty shah
by" he adds with glance at his patched
sleeves.
'Now, quick, laddie," his father called
out "Stir your stumps and bring me your
bag of bait. Get the snRres to rights and fix
the berries as you have seen me doing"
Ola was very fond of this kind of work,
and he pushed himself with his staff from
tree to tree, and hung the tempting red ber-
ries in the little hoops and arches which were
attached to the bark of the trees. He was in
the midst of this labor, when suddenly he
heard the report of his fathers gun, and,
looking up, saw fox making great leap,
then plunging headlong into the snow.
Hello, Mr.. Reynard," remarked Nils, as
he slid over towards the dead animal "You
oversight yourself this morning. You have
stolen my game SO long, now, that it was
time SHOULD get even with you. Now, sir,
we are quits"
When the task of setting the snares in or
der had been completed, father and son glid-
ed lightly away under the huge, snow-laden
trees to visit their traps, which were set fur
ther up the mountain.
And when they turned their faces home
ward, they had, besides the ptarmgan and
the fox, a big capercailzie Cor grouse) cock
and two hares The twilight was already
falling, for in the Norway winter it grows
dark early in the afternoon.
"Now, let US see lad" said Ola's father
regarding his son with strange, dubious
glance, 'if you have got Morse blood in your
veins. We don't want to go home the way
we came, or we should scarcely reach the
house before midnight. But if you dare risk
your neck with your father, we will take the
western track down the bare mountain-side.
1t takes brisk and stout legs to stand in that
track, my lad, and l wont urge you, if you
are afraid"
II guess can 60 where you can, father,
retorted the boy, proudly. Anyway, my
neck isn't half SO valuable as yours"
Spoken like a man !" said the father, in
a voice of deep satisfaction. 'Now for it,
lad Make yourself ready. Strap the hunt
ing bag close under your glrdle, or you will
lose it, Test your staff to make sure that it
will hold, for if it breaks you are gone. Be
sure you don't take my track. You are fine
chap and brave one"
Ola followed his fathers directions closely,
and stood with loudly palpitatiug heart ready
for the start. Before him lay the long,
smooth slope of the mountain II it had not
been his father who challenged him, he
would have much preferred to take the cir
cutous route down into the valley.
"Ready !" shouted Nils, advancing toward
the edge of the slope "Ono, two, three !"
Aud like an arrow he shot down over the
steep track, guiding his course steadily with
his staff but it was scarcely five seconds be-
fore he was lost to sight, looking more like
whirling snow drift than a man. With
strained eyes and bsted breath, Ola stood
looking after him. Then, nerying himself
| for the feat, he glanced at his SkeeS TO see
that they were parallel, and glided out over
the terrible declvity. His first feeling was
that he had slid right out into the air-that
he was rushing with seven league boots over
forest and mountain tops. For all that he
did not lose hold of his staff which he
pressed with all his might into the snow be-
hind him thus slightly retarding his furious
| speed. Now the pine-trees seemed to be
running past him in mad race up the noun
| tain side, and the snowy slope seemed to be
rsing TO meet him, or moving in billowy
| lines under his feet. Gradually he gathered
confidence in himself a sort OF fierce cour-
age awoke within him, and wild exultation
surged through his veins and swept him on.
| The wind whistled about him and stung his
face like little sharp needles Now he darted
away over a snowed-up fence or wood-Pile,
| shooting out into the air, but always coming
down firmly on his feet, and keeping his
mind on his sbeeS, so as to prevent them di-
verging or crossing He had feeling of
| grandeur and triumphant achievement which
! he had never experienced before. The
world lay at his feet, and he seemed to be
striding over it in a march of conquest. 1t
was glorious But all such sensations are un-
happily brief. Ola soon knew by his slack
ening speed that he had reached the level
ground yet so great was the impetus he had
received that he flew up the opposite slope
toward his fathers farm, and only stopped
some fifty feet below the barn. His limbs
ached, and the arm which had held the stat