Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-03-11
Momth's Column,
Our Big Slide.

he DItScuU hlllo INV WN@oAN
recalls to mind a brilliant moonlight
night of a similar season, long years
ago. the experience of which | should
not care to repeat, with the hope of
improving the result.
There had been a long thaw, which
verv nearly took all the snow off, and
then it grew suddenly colder, and
every inch of ground wore a covering
Of solid ice.
The boys skated to school, and the
coasting was perfect.
ssGoin' ter nave a big time tonight,
Frank. Comm? ?" asked Will Rounds,
as we were going home from school.
ssP'raps. Where top [ answered
cautiously, rather doubtful. of gaining
the needful home permission, for
such swift coasting, although excit-
ing, was somewhat dangerous.
academy hill, | s'pose. Better
come. You never saw such a big
time as we'll have" he replied, care
lessly and [ was almost sure that L
could go there, for we lived close by
the hill.
After supper I sat by the window
awhile, and watched the others as
they slid by, making as much noise
as is possible for only boys to make.
Then / asked
.sCan 1 90 out and slide awhile,
too?'
eff you know enough to keep quiet
you can; otherwise you can stay
where you are" grumbled father.
81 wouldn't go clear up the HILL"
added mother, watching the boys as
they flashed by. "Your sled will go
far enough if you only go half way
up"
I did not answer, but Of course L
scorned the idea of losing half Of
such glorious slides.
The hill was as straight as an ar
row, and we could go nearly to the
stream every time but boys, as well
as men are hard to satisfy.
After coasting an hour or more,
some daring fellow suggested that we
should try Nubin's hill, and the mag
nitude of the scheme nearly took our
breaths at first.
But Nubin's hill was only-a contin-
uation of the one we were on, after
all, with a slight descent between
them which would not count much
when we were once under way. So
we reasoned! 1t is so very easy to
find excuses for wrong doing, when
one has decided upon doing wrong.
"sWe can slide more'n a mile said
George Watson, t~emptingly. "We
can take the thills from Uncle Jerry's
one-horse sled, and tie my highfiyer
on to steer with then you fellows
pile on, and I'll take you down just
flying. P'raps we'll 60 clear over the
bridge. I most know we will
ssBut-what if we meet a team"
another asked shudderingly.
"There Amt no team stirring" he
answered contemptuously. elf you're
scarf, you needn't 60"
That settled it and our coasters
were piled outside of the road, while
we fixed the old one-horse sled, and
started up the hill, Juggling and slip
ping up the icy mile, for the sake of
sliding down! A strong excitement
urged us Oh but | know that more
than one of us thought of what might
happen if we met a team on the
bridge.
The mills stood just below this
bridge, and the river was spanned by
a high dam, over the edge of which
the cold, black water was plunging
with a continual roar.
Above this dam, to within fifty or
sixty feet of the bridge, the pond was
not frozen over, and the bank upon
the side toward the hill was high and
very steep. / am particular in the
description, that you may better I'M
derstand the peril which we escaped.
When we reached the top of Nubin's
hill we sat down to rest a minute,
and then, with many silent misgiv-
ings, we took our places.
"All ready ?" asked George, from
his proud place upon the ''highf1yer."
CALL readily" we all echoed,
and l know that more than one boyish
voice trembled, and the next instant
we seemed darting through a fairy
land adorned with sparkling dia-
monds, as we flashed by the icy fields
in the brilliant moonlight.
Such a slide as that wasl Why, a
lightning-express train that only
scores a mile a minute, is tame in
comparison. l know we were not
thirty seconds in reaching the bridge,
which we crossed in safety, and
swept on, nearly q quarter of a mile
beyond.
"Hip, hip, hurrah-h-h!" we shout
ed in noisy triumph, all of our fears
overcome by our pride in having &C
complished such a feat.
"What'd [ tell YEP demanded
George. "Now let's have another"
Up the long, icy hill we tugged the
heavy sled again, and this time piled
on without stopping to rest, and then
shot like an arrow down the spark
ling road. But we were tired; the
:, 6rc+ IaripO excitement was wearing