Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-10-08

lady. Her grandfather had often re-
lated it to her as a reminIscence of his
childhood.
will try 10 tell it as it was given
me. But cannot hope to make it seem
so real as she did.
My readers will recollect that, though
this incident really happened IN Yer
mont, Vermont was then only all undi-
vided part OF the New Hampshire Grants,
and its settlement was continually dis
puted by numerous wild beasts, Indians
and Workers" Its settlers, however,
were Of the hardest and bravest of men
and women, and it was not strange that
their children SHOULD partake of their
courage and endurance.
Thursa aud Zlba Sargent, thirteen aud
nine years old respectively, were much
like children of our own day, fond OF
going "a visiting At the lower end
Of the settlement lived their cousin,
Isaac Sargent, lad of eleven, who a
few weeks before had had his leg broken
BY falling tree, while in the woods
with his father.
1t was afternoon, about the middle Of
January, cold, with, sharp wind, but
Iunshiny, when Thursa aud Ziba asked
permission to take their box handsled
down and give Isaac a ride, which was
sesdily granted.
The better to appreciate what Thursa
did that day, a desert ption of the
handsled will be necessary. 1t differed
greatly from the natty little steel shod
affairs of to-day. 1t was made for sell
vice, and to last, like the deacon tone
boss shay 1t was fully four feet long,
two feet and a half wide, with runners,
usually found grown to the shape, and
held together by three stout cross
beams. 1t was finished by top rail,
running lengthwise, in which HOES were
made for stakes. The toueue-Ihe
length of the sled-was split at the bot
tom, where it was inned securely into
mortises made in the roller, the two
rounded ends of which were inserted in
the curve of the runners. 2 pin through
the upper end of the tongue, to draw by,
finished the sled proper. All the work
on it had been done with an AK, a cold
Chiscl and a burning-iTnn. The box
for it had real board box, relic of
their mothers Connecticut home-waS
fastened to the sled by raw hide thongs,
wound from stake to stake and around
each end. II made a very comfortable
riding place for little folks, as we'll as a
convenient vehicle for carrying other
things.
The sharp wind Blowing up the river
was little minded by Thursa and Zlba,
muffled as they were in their warm home
spun clothes, fur caps, tippots aud nit
tens; for though they sometimes COM
planned of the clumsy warmth of their
garments, they never complained of being
cold, and they prepared with great glee
for their run down the "glare frozen
river.
''You must get home by o'clock,
children" called their mother, as she
stood in the door, watching them climb
down the bank to the river.
"Yesm, we will" shouted Ziba; busy
urging his sister to get into the box.
"Just you hold up the tongue, Thursa,
and I'll give you splendid ride"
Suiting the action to the word, he
took hold of the end board-the better
to keep his feet on the smooth ice-and
started at tremendous pace down the
river; and the mother heard, with a
smile, their shouts of merry laughter
long after they had turned the bend,
half the distance to their unce's cabin.
Isaac was soop ready for his ride, and
they were on the ice again, this time
with Thursa holding the tongue.
"Guns and Indians! but isn't this
nice!' shouted Ziba, pushing vigorously
behind, as they dased past the last house
in the settlement.
"You mustn't push so hard," called
back his sister, ~ can hlrdly keep my
feet"
"You needn't run, Thursa; just put
your feet together and Slide" was his
gallant reply, "rll do the running for
both Of U.S."
To such good purpose did he do the
running that before they even suspected
how fast he was going, they were down
upon the Connecticut, where, with a
slide and whirl, he steered the sled
down that river.
"Oh; but we mustn't go to the big
river, Zlba!" cried Thursa, struggling to
stop the sled, sim afraid it won't be
frozen over"
eyes; It's, too, >" he answered, slact-
ing up little for argument ''The two
trappers that como up yesterday said it
was frozen as hard as the booming
cliff. ." t.t
''But perhaps we oughtn't to go,
she pleaded. "Mother msrn't like it. "
"She won't care about it," he cried,
glauciug wistfully down the smooth,
gIistening level before him, elf We only
get home at the time bid.
After little more persuasion, Thursa
was induced TO go on. She stipulated,
however, that they should keep close to
the shore, for fear. the river might not
be frozen in the middle.
The Importance of gaining his own
way put new strength and speed into
ziba's propeiling powers, and off they
went, their excitement and enjoyment
much augmented by shouts and calls in
imitation of all the sounds known to
them, occasionally interspersed with
screams OF laughter, at success or fail
ure, till their shrill young voices seemed
to make a perfect circle with the echoes.
The excitement and noise ran high until
zba began to grow tire1 Then he
Hacked up, pleading for himself
hide, "to rest from running he said.
"Why, yes cried the generous
Fhursa, "and | was having such lois of
Iun, | forgot how bard you were WORK
iDg'"
Tic exchange was made, Ziba climb
ne into the sled, and Thursa grasping
he handle. Then the fun aud noise,
boots, howls aud Indian war-whoops,