The Springdale news., 1890-01-24
HIS L0RDSHIP,S LEG.
The Substantial Results of a Prac-
 tical Joke.

IL froze, and it continued to freeze. There WIS laeeworlS on the panes of the most exquisite beauty. and ieicles of crystal dependent from the caves of my house. The trees were 50 covered with fairy frostw9Hk that when the sun shone the eyes were dazeled. while the mind was=ha ought to have been, flied with wonder. say ought to have been, for mine Was hot In fact, was too iIl- tempered at tAat time. and the more it troze the worse my temper gfew. walked up and down my little surgery 10 keep myself warm. and abused every thing and every body myself worst of all.
 l abn5al Long Pogis for being the prettiest and healtAiest place that was ever situated twenty miles from a town and railway station, and called myself an idiot for buying a practice in su oat=ol-the-way Il spot, and thinking that I, q young docter, would be sure to get on.
 But had not 'Eot on. ," for I had been there year, and So far had found that mY practice rcqlfy was to practice patience, Tor no ono woua& -ire me chance in medi- cine. Not but tha1',.- nlenty of people about; the3roablc ~as thaI - they would Rot be III. or, when they were ill they would 20 to old Dr Robson at Funston, twenty miles away, when they might have come to mo and been cured for half the money
 was not what k commonly called hard up, for I had enough money left to last me, with economy, for another year: but was sick and tired of the ter ribie inaction. and of being pitied, or laughed at, or treated with contempt, as the new doctor
 In such frame of mind ought to have sensibly set to work to heal myself by prescribing exercise and fresh air, and forced myself to go out, instead of sitting indoors studying. and fearing to leave homo i'll case that Iong-expeeted patient should com+, as come he would, was sure, directly went out.
 walked to the fire and poSed 1t that frosty day, and then I walked to the window, rubbed away little of the ferny leo pattern, and looked out.
 Two ruddy-facel yoang fellows and three merry-looking girls, evidently their sisters, Were walking sharply by, with tho frozen snow ereaking and crunching under their feet, as each swung pair of gistening skates de. pendent from the wrist
 of skating!s I said, aloud, and a thrill of pleasure shot through me
 We'll, why not? had splendid pair of nearly new skates. which had been ground and oiled before they were put away two seasons before. Tho fec was perfectly safe, the sun shone. the sky was blue. In imagination 1 began to glow and feel the bio | t5r0hbing in my veins as heard the hollow metallic ring of the black ice, and saw the pufs of white dust fly al every stroke of my steel blades as l sped along.
 They're going up to the big sheet of water on the way to the Hall. Lord John Is in town, and the baliiG has given them leave Hnrrah. III be a boy again for day and skate as l used to skate. It'll do me good, and -
 A second thought strue k me, and l 'iiS" ny Sttt III my tHdlf Nilh my lore head all in lines, for I caught glimpse of it in the glass.
 t'Self-denial, John Russell.' said. Master yourself, for so sure as you go skating somebody will come and want you. Stop at home and study np, ready for the patient who will come. Your surgery's weak yet.
 .Of course it is.' I roared, angrily, as If in answer to somebody who had pollen. "so would yours be if you had no practice.'
 jumped up and went to the window again, for a party of young mon were going by, talking and laughing, and all carrying skates but one, who had a gun.
 As I reaehed the window l shrank back, and felt the blood tiugle in my