St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-03-18
SNOWSHOES AND TOBOGGANS.

The snOwshOe is to the Canadian
lightsOmeness, and to all the rest OF
the world a stumbling block. A man
who has tried snOWshOes for the first
time is disqualified from writing about
them for six months afterward. He
might say something he would not
only regret, but which he could not
prove, and for which his church would
subject him to severest discipline. The
best way for beginner to wear snow
shoes is to initiate the Indian who sells
them. He carries them on his should
er. | am now carrying mine in the
baggage car. l will continue to carry
them there until we reach the Custom
house. Then don't know where the
inspector will carry them. [ don't
want to pay duty on pair of vile con-
spiratOrs that have held me up to rid
icule, thrown me down in the snow,
torn my clothes, and ruffled my tenn
per. But | would like to get them
home. | tried to slip them inside my
trousers legs, but if you ever saw a
snOwshoe you will readily understand
how, with the present style of panta-
looms, that scheme would be colossal
failure.
The tOboggan is sled with a single
runner, which spreads clear across the
bottom of the sled. The top of the
tObOggan is just like the bottom. 1t is
somewhat thicker than sheet of
writing paper and about as long as an
after dinner speech. Its seating ca
pacity is limited only by the number
of persons who can get OH it. The ur-
bane and gentlemanly cOnduceOr sits
att and uses one of his 1.-THE and will
lOwly legs fer steering apparatus by
which he guides the tObOggan some
way or other. 1t is easy to slide down
hill on tObOggan. In fact after you
start down, You can't do anything else.
True, you could fall off. That is easily
done. The flying machine is not high,
so you haven't very far to fall. Still,
if you have to fall from tObOggan
half way down the slide, or else fall
down stairs with a kitchen stove, you
take the stove and the stairs every
time. 1t isn't so exciting and it isn't
so soon. The prince and walked up
the stairway for the purpose of sliding
down the banister on tObOggan.
The president Of the club took his
place aft /; somebody said, "let her CO."
Then he stopped, and the president
said, Chow did we like it 2" [ left my
breath at the top of the slide and we
had to go up and get it. There it
was, gasp three and half inches |
long, sticking in the air like an icicle
Just where gasped it when we started,
took it down, stuck it in my left |
Jung, and began to breathe again with |
great freedom. The tObOggan is to
any other way of getting down hill !
what living is to going to sleep. If [ |
was in a hurry and it was down hill all |
she way | would rather have "a tobog-
gan than pair of wings any day.
p. S.-There is usually an angel on
he toboggan with you, which has a
to confirm the impression
hat you are going down with wings.
N. B.-A young Canadian of broad
assures me that Toronto
angels really and truly have wings,
nsOmuclI that often he has to drive
With one hand, using his other arm to
lold the angel from flying away.
Addenda i have known the same
hing to happen in this United States.
Il X. j. Burdette.
Onr Green Mountain state is not
'eeping mp, much less keeping to the
ront in, the matter of education of the
lasses. The district schools are not
Gliding their own, much less improv-
lg. This is notifying fact, but it
as got to be acknowledged 1
ngton Free Press. q