Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-25

COUptC DGftItO TIC.
No acrid and hopeless spinster wallo.
ing regretfully on the shadowy side of
maidenhood but straightens her back,
drops her shoulders and smoothes out
her wrinkles as the music of the bells
plays variations on a half forgotten
theme of cozy sleigh and comfortable
wrappers, all winding up with a crash
ing crescendo of hot oysters and merry
reel.
And to those young hearts, suscepti-
BILE to frolic as to sentiment and throb-
bing for ever changing excitement, what
delicious bound it sends!
Oh, the bells, sleighing bells,
What world Of merriment their melody fore
tells.
Yes, sleighing is glorious. 'Tis the
next best thing to flying to sit in the
smooth surface without noise Or jar,
seeming scarce to touch it. Your glossy
black, catching the lively inspiration of
his bells, shakes his head in huge frolic,
stretches out afresh and spurns the snow
in lighter wreaths from his ever quick
ening heels. Now for brush! See that
yellow jumper just ahead. Hu-y-a-ah!
and the reins tighten, the clean head
goes straighter out, the snow wreaths fly
higher still behind the strong hoofs We
are off We close the gap-the yellow
sleigh gains once more-a length, two!
Once more we close and fly along neck
and neck! How the bells peal and
shrek! How the horses race now as if
for their own honor! How the clear,
keen wind whistles past the fur tipped
ears, exhilarating like huge bumpers of
champagne, as we fly along side by side
for three hundred yards! Just ahead
looms huge "pung" loaded down and
creeping over the snow. Now is the
time; now or never! Straighten back,
brace knee! Down comes the 1.-THE lash
over the blacks fanks, and what squirt
we have! The brown mare strains every
muscle; her driver lays fiat back on the
ribbons-now he plies his whip like mad!
He laps us again; for a hundred yards
you could cover them both with blan-
ket! Once more we forge length
ahead. We near the pung-we gain
length-two. Hu-ya-a-ah! and the brown
is in the air! We feel her hot breath on
our necks; we just Craze the pung, fear
fully close, and wind in just before her!
Oh, that was glorious!
And if anything can add to the fun it
is to have particular somebody tucked
in beside one, with pair of bright eyes
that dance to the merry music of the
rich laugh, with tiny hand that rests,
in pretty fright, on the tense arm that
guides the black thought too near the
scrapers of the yellow sleigh. And it is
problem of easy solution-given,
neat cutter and fast horse, to find any
unknown quantity of tender femininity
alongside.
But haven't I forgotten my story?
had just sprung the lock of my valise
and wiped from my brow the drops that
haste brought there even that bitter day,
when Jones tally-ho rang through the
frosty street. Giving a final caress to
the mouche on the wounded chin reflect
ed by my parting glance at the mirror, l
rushed down with my baggage. Tom
sat with the reins twisted round his
heavy gauntlets, beaming and trium-
phant, and his mustache one solid cake
of ice. The horses stood stock still,
covered with rapidly freezing foam, and
blowing out volumes of mist that form
ed in delicate frostwork around their
nostrils.
"What did I tell you? Look at the
Kittens" was the drivers salute; and as
if to corroborate it, the gray mare made
a terrific lunge forward, while "Jalap"
stood straight up and paved the air.
"So-ho! steady, boysS" and the ieuten-
ant braced himself hard against the gray.
while the flexible wrist brought the long
lash over the sorrel's neck. $50, there!
steady now. Bundle in quick now, old
boy, while they are quiet"
In bumped my valise, signal for the
brutes to execute another war dance.