Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-05-29

short skirt, which, with high CATERS,
long mittens, and a bright cap, compose
her war array, and is off to the tryst.
ing place where other small ski-shod
kagnhilds and Dagnys await her. A
winters holiday means day ON ski,
with package of lucheon in the pocket
and those notorious monsters, and
school principals themselves, are too
sensible of the charms of the snort.
though they may not personally prac.
tice it, to let the holidays come too far
apart.
Far up the mountain behind Chris.
tlanla, nesting among the pine trees
and the ice. is little snowshoers
haven much in vogue. If you enter
here of winter evening you will find
one large room beneath the dragon
headed roof-a room as Norwegian as
the rocks of its foundation.
The walls are hung with pieces of
ancient tapestry and brasses. A good
portrait of Nansen, boldest of Morse.
men, occupies one end. Light comes
from the broad prongs of great elk
horn candelabra, and from the logs
that crackle in mammoth fireplace at
the side. Parties of ski-runners are
seated at little tables about the room,
and always the door swings open to
admit fresh arrivals. Now comes a
sextet of schoolboys. here crowd of
young men and women-here a party
of girls alone-all alike flushed ra-
diant. snow powdered, in exuberant
spirits from the keen work they have
been about. There is much laughing
and ehattering. and one notices the
rare quality of the soft, sweet women's
voices. Immediately calls arise for
coffee, chocolate. beer, hot "toddy."
and sandwiches. The fire blazes up in
shafts of light, the room grows warmer;
clouds OF steam arise from snow that
melts ON skirts and trousers. The
bright colors of the womens caps and
gowns fash against the dark walls,
and you see that their hair is like
strands Of sunshine The men take
out cigars and pipes Not few
women accept cigarettes, and presently
the whole assembly, is smoking together
and singing in chorus-Greig, perhaps
with the harmony and skill of
very musical people. Then. little by
little. they drift away, but it will
hardly be till 12 or later that the last
party of men and golden haired girls
has left the fireside for the white
starlit world without. The ski, which
have been stacked outside of the house,
are soon strapped on. and then, pole in
hand, they glide swiftly out of sight
into the blaokness of the forest. In
single file they go. Here and there an
occasional CLEAN from their blazing
torches shows where the trail winds in
and out among tho great pines, but the
mountain side is very steep. the forest
is very thick, and in moment the last
flicker has vanished from sight.
AS is natural in pursuit so vigor-
ously adopted by an intense people,
some abuses have resulted, and the
whole sport has been fercely attacked
in the press, where it has also found
many defenders, among others that
most admirable and attractive woman
and most accomplished ski-runner,
Mrs. Frithjof Nansen, wife of the polar
explorer, who has ably urged the injus-
tice of visiting the imprudences of the
few upon the unoffending many. In
discretions undoubtedly are committed
and facilitated by the unprecedented
and unparalleled freedom that ski-run-
II
criticised severely, but before condemn
ing them one should think of the shop
women and others whose business keeps
them confined in close rooms all during
the short day, and who say that for
health of mind and body they can bet
ter afford to ourtail the sleep than to
lose their snowshoeing.