Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-03
PETE MAGUFF ON SKATES.
He Narrates to Brother Shinbones Smith
His Experience.
NeaC York Times


1t was night. The soft flicker of a tai
low dip threw a dim, religious light upon
the walls and ceiling of the rude but COM
Portable room. Outside the big yellow
stars were twinkling in heaven of black
blueness, and their mellow radiance
spread faint glimmer over the snow
ffecked landscape. Ever and anon the
ring of skates upon the ice and the melo-
heard. Anon the deep bass Voice OF the
nocturnal feline broke forth into glad
some carol that echoed and re-ecbOed
among the dIsintegrated boulders until it
died away in tremulous series OF golden
cadences far out in the cold, cold west.
The wind blew in fitful gusts and mOaned
and sighed among the bare boughs of the
semi-WhiteWaShed naples. The night was
crisp, cold, and bracing.
Inside the room the atmosphere was
warm aud heavy. Smoke of a grayish-
blue tint circled about in stratified and
cumulus clouds. On the table stood a
tankard, made of good iron china, and
containing a drink that was neither crisp
nor cold, but extremely bracing. Around
that table, holding it in close and loving
embrace, sat Brother Shinbones Smith
and Brother Peter Maguff. They were en-
gagged in the proper method of passing a
winter evening. They were talking about
the good old times. People always talk
about the good old times in the winter.
Brother Peter Maguff was full of anec-
dOte. Brother ShinbOnes Smith was full
of toddy. Both were happy.
"Brudder ShinbOnes," said Peter, "did
l ebber tell yo' bout my great skeetin'
act?'
"No, yo' hain't nebber said muffin bout
dat, Brudder Pete.''
oval, now, l jess tole yer how twas.
DiC bvar horAnonf I 81 in
Princeton COlidge."
GA wotY'
ga STUDENT"
"G'way, now, chile, yo' hain't a-goin'
fur ter say yO' e5ber was a stujentw
oval, used ter wait onter de stujents,
an dat's putty neah de same. Wal, /
started oncet ter skeet down ter Trent'n
on de canawl. Wal, it's a burned good
ten miles. l had gone bout five miles,
when durn me eff one o. my skeets didn't
ketch inter crack an come off. Wal,
sab, was a-goin' toe fast ter stop short,
so jess riz up de fut wOt hedn't no skeet
on an held It in my ham waitin' fur my
speed ter run down SOS l could git back
ter de crack. Wot yo' tink happened%'
"Gway, niggah, how de debble 1
knOw?"
oval, chile, now yO' heah me singin'.
4 nCDbCA obOppNO tCAA 4 gu bCl A1Cnb IL Oh
grabbed holt o. de bridge. Wot yo' tink
o. dat?'
''Brudder Pete. OATS putty long skeet-
i'm"
"Betcher life, Brudder Shinbones, but
dat haint de wust ob't."
''GOshamighty! Les heah de restp'
"Wen l let 90 oh dat bridge and tried
ter git ashoah dar war so much speed left
inter dis hyar ole left fut dat sailed right
Oft agin an nebbah stopped till / struck
BordentOwn. Oar 1 KEN up agin de side
OBJ boat wOt was triZ up in de ice, an
pulled myself up onter her by a rope an
hollered fur de Cap'n ter come an hole
me-"
''Brudder Pete, yo' mus be bout de best
skeeter in de wuld."
II reckon is, but yo' bet don't trus'
myself out on de ice alone no noah. Jess
tink, eff I'd a had on boff skeets when /
got ter goin', whar de debble d. We tink I'd
"a stOpped"
EBrudder Pete" said Shinbones, rising
to 90, ''ef yo'd had on boff o. dem daT
skeets, l don't reckon dat you'd "a stopped
till yO' struck dat ar place war skeetin am
jess bout as skeerce as niggahs wot neb-
bah lies. Goodnight