Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-01-21

regulated by the size of the owners
family, pocket book and other consider
atoms. Then there is rudder, masts,
sails, yards, rigging, jib bocms, &c. !;
and they tack veer, larboard, star
board, port the helm, make knots an
hour, and-and-I don't know any
more nautical terms. DO youp Well,
then, throw them in, for they do, all of
them, just as sailors do. o, yes, they
have decks, too, lower and upper ones
The upper ones are sometimes also
called "packs'' and consist of So boards
(paste boardD. They may be Old and
greasy and are generally carried in the
pocket, when it is too cold and windy
to play with them. 0, it must be fine
to ride on one of those sleds; the ice is
so glairy and they glide along so fast
and smoothly. would try it once if
they would bring one on shore, but I
am afraid there may be water under the
ice on the lake. | know there isn't on
the shore, for sampled it by sitting
down on it right quick. No, | didn't
particularly want to sit down, but then
| sampled the ice all the asme, and |
know there isn't any water under it. 1t
is solid clear through to China, and
piled up on the other side. I'll never
believe that yarn any more about the
center of the earth being ball of fire,
for | know that ice goes clear through
They utilize this side of it here. They
are all on the lake but about z 900 BOYS
and girls of assorted sizes, They go to
school, and each one takes hand-sled
| and coasts on the sidewalks. They 90
at the rate of 1900 miles a minute.
Now you may think this is exaggerated
but it isn't, for [ know the boy who
passed under me just before | sat down
on the ice was going that fast. for was
there. But he wasn't He must have
been several thousand miles from me
when got up, if he kept on, and hope
he did now. did feel kind of sorry
when | got up that he hadn't stopped
He might have let that confounded sled
20 on, for he would have never needed
it any more. In just three seconds
would have had him fully prepared to
soar on golden wings to that land that
lis fairer than day" Still, the other
boys and girls who stood around there
thought it was funny because l sat down
there on the sidewalk; but | didn't.
They all laughed, but 1 couldn't see
anything that would even provoke a
smile. o, but what skating ii is! Did
you ever skate? | don't mean
tumblng around over the floor of a rink
with miniature four-wheeled wagon
strapped to each foot. but the good old
way like our forefathers did. No? Well
then, just try 1T once. Your experience
will be the experience of most men who
have tried it before you. You select a
smooth strip of ice, and by the edge Of
it you sit down and firmly strap the
skates to your feet, After long strug.
gle you get up, and feel that you are at
least three times as high as you was be
fore you put them on. 1t seems so far
down to the ice that you bend forward
to get nearer to it. But you are there
to skate, and you will skate, so you give
yourself push with your off hind leg,
and then you suddenly come to the con.
clusion that you will sit down. But
then you are sorry that you did so, TO,
the act was quicker than the conclu
sion-so quick in fact that you at once
realize that either you or the ice is pref
ty badly hurt by the contact. You think
you will investigate, and find the ice i:
uninjured, so conclude all the abrasion
must be on yourself. Then you wish
the ice could be hard enough to skate
on and at the same time safe enough tC
sit down on without discomfort, when {
man sits down right quickly. But yot
are not discouraged, and think the ex
: perience gained is valuable Next tim,
you will lean back instead of forward
and won't SIT down at all. As you re
gain your equilibrium, your confidenc,
returns and you strike out again. You
skate has scarcely touched the ice wher
you see four million stars rush togethe
and form one immense star whose ligh
is at once extinguished Kind friend
put you on an irlprovised stretcher ano
carefully carry you home and put yoI
in your little bed; speaking in soft ant
mournful tones of the few good quail
tiles you possessed when alive. Age
roll by, and you awake with that peace
on-earth-g GOODWILL Kind of feel
ing that makes you think you are in th
happy hunting grounds. You think 0
the wicked earth as it was when yo,
left it, and then you wonder how 1t wa
that you went down so hard and wen
up so easy. You will have but one re
greet, kind of wish now that it is al
over, that you could have had time I
interject just one little cuss word be
tween the time your skates left the ic
and the time the back of your hea
. struck it, and you was so suddenl
E killed. OF course you are not profaut
:, but then it must have looked SO aws
d ward to have been killed in that wa,
# Then you wonder if the customs hay
+ changed much on earth during til
e thousand years since you left it
= mortals are still fools enough to pt
n skates on their feet, and then try /
: skate on the back of their heads, or som
/ other prominent portion of their anat,
: my. And then you wondermhat the la!
II returns are from earth-how many
o your old friends have got through. 70
think you will go out and Investigate