Dodge City times., 1888-07-05


town, built in colonial days, and which
contained few inhabitants who were
not descended from the earl y Puritan
| settlers. 1t was situated as most New
England towns are. among the hills,
and was on the eastern side of lake
some two miles long and about mile
wide. That lake-or pond, as we
called it-furnished most of the pleas
ure for the people in the village.
There We swan, fished and bOated in
the summer, and, when the cold OF
winter had made solid the surface OF
its pure water, there we skated till the
fall of the unwelcome snow. On the
east side there was succession OF
green fields and orchards, while most
of the western shore was lined by a
primevai forest of pine trees. Only
one clearing had been made among
those old cone-bearing trees, and that
was recent one and embraced but a
few acres. The great trunks OF the
trees had been hauled to ship-build-
ing town on the Kennebec for spars
for vessels, while the branches had
been piled in heaps among the huge
rocks that occupied most OF the
ground.
1t was the day before Thanksgiving.
the only holiday that New England
knows much about, and about which
the rest of the world knows SO very lit
tie. For three nights before the cold
had been very severe for the time OF
year, and the newly-formed ice was as
smooth and clear AS a looking-glass.
The Portland stage and the extra car
riagcs that accompanied it had brought
IN most of the persons who were eX-
pected to join in the family reunions.
Brave boys came from the stores of
Boston and the saw-mills of Oldtown.
Brave girls, beautiful in the devotion
they showed to the families they were
supporting at home, came from the
cotton-mills at Lowell and Manchester.
Houses where plain food had been
served for many a week were now
stocked with luXuries, for tomorrow
was Thanksgiving, 1.-the gladdest, mer-
riest day of all the year.
What were we to do on that day be-
sides 90 to church and eat the feast
that had been so long in preparation?
Such was the question asked by my
strong, earnest, older friend, who had
come down from Boston to spend
Thanksgiving. "Skate, of course" l
answered. "But why not try the ice
to-night?' he asked. l could see no
reason, and so we went down to the
shore of the pond, fastened on our
skates, and flew, as it were, over the
CLASSY surface to the cove, where the
piles of resinous boughs stood. Once
there, we conceived the idea of skating
back to the village, collecting the
young men and women, boys and girls,
taking suitable provisions for picnic,
placing them all in sleighs and on
sleds, drawing them over to this place,
and eating Il supper on the rocks,
amid the glare of the burning tree
tops.
We were not long in carrying out
our plans, for almost every house had
its sleigh and skaters, and the persons
who were destitute of either were
taken care of by their neighbors. In
an hour the little lake was in posses
sion of the merriest skating party it had
ever known. And then the supper, the
bonfires. the songs and the merry
making. Even now shudder to think
of such boistcrous sport with impend-
ing death SO very near. The sport
was over at length, the apples and
mince pies eaten, the cider drank,
the songs sung, the stories told, and
the once great flames among the resin
Gus pine needles were now smoldering
among the larger limbs or lingering in
the stumps and roots. 1t was clearly
time to go, and the company was ar
ranging itself in little groups as it had
done when it came over.
:.Tie all the sleighs and sleds to-
gether," my strong friend shouted, as
he stood upon rock among the
lingering flames. The order from the
leader was soon obeyed. The little
vehicles were arranged from ten to
twenty feet apart, according to the
length of the ropes or leading lines
that we had, and three or four skaters
were stationed between them. Then
two much longer ropes were stretched
on either side, of which some twenty
skaters took hold. With shout and
whoop, such as Indians give when
rushing into battle, we started on the
ice. The line, first straight, or waver-
ing where the poorest skaters were,
soon took the form of crescent, and
with the clamor of voices and the graf
ing of the skates we proceeded right
joyfully.
My strong friend and l were on the
same side, and held the place nearest
the sleighs. We had not proceeded far
before l perceived that the ice was
bending in front of us, and l could
clearly hear it crack, amid the noise of
the skaters. l spoke not a word.
but looked intently into my com.
panion's face, l only thought that so
long as we kept in motion as we were
then doing. we might pass the terrible
danger. But l knew very well if the
true state of affairs became known
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