Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-01-12
TRANSIENT BLISS.
4 Chicago Girl Had Brief Dream of De-
 lightfuI Skating.

nEhUrul SRatiHE.
 Sitting at home in a steam heated dat and thinking about skating is one thing and going out in the cold to learn to stand in slippery places is another. The terrors of an Arctic expedition are mild and gentle compared with the sui fering comfort loving girl encounters when she conidingly goes forth to skate. Her nose gets purple and aer feet feel like two cakes of ice, but her friends tell her she will be warm enough when she begins to eXercIse. In the meantime she is obliged to 80 into D crowded boat house or sit on stray log and put on the shining new skates. That's the time she wishes most for little feet and inwardly rebels because her mother made her wear heavy, clum- sy shoes. No man ever yet put pair of skates on a girl without fusslng quarter of an hour with the straps and wasting few odd moments in adjust ing them to her foot. As for his own skates there is sure to be something wrong, something forgotten or some thing broken, but the doubtful pleas ure is only half complete if there is but one girl; usually there are two, neither of whom can skate very well. When the girl finally knows she is on run- ners she expects to stand up and strike out. It looks simple enough. She usually does strike out, but not the way she expected The little imp of boy nearest ieers and the girl wants to .1,o rnf 1111 alone. The beginner elings frantieal- i ly to the nice young man and screams out: "On, Georgei" at every slip, while all the small boys, whom she longs to kill, skim by and yell; Look out!" Her progress over the ice is a series of , scallops.
 Skating is such glorious sport, she has always heard, but skating doesn't deserve the reputation it has gained. At least that's the verdict of one North side girl. As quick as she got her new marten collar and huff she made up her mind she must cultivate cut of door amusemepts. Furs are SC e4fec- tive on the ice, she had been told. She hates cold weather-nobody Dut 2 Fiji 1 cracked lips, the chapped hands, the cold, raw discomfort-these make her miserable, but she forgot that in her ardor for the skates. A pair of skates. she declared, was the only thing she needed in this world to make her hap py She was sure of that. She had thought of the same thing previously about a feather boa and long watch chain. She got both of those, but life laid bare another need. When the lake froze over and good ice was announced she went downtown, picked out fine pair of skates, had them charged to her older brother, and when he came home that evening showed him the Christmas present she had bought for herself from him. She said she knew he would give her something anyway, and she might as well have what she wanted at the time when she wanted it. We'll. he was very cross and brotherly, but she didn't mind that. He said at first he wouldn't teach her to skate but she made some sort of bargain with him about Christmas present for his sweetheart and he relented. They chose a dark night for the initial per formance. It was very cold and they didn't stay out long. She went once more, just to say she had given it thor ough trial; then she did her skates up neatly in the box they came in and ad- dressed them to her cousin, who lives in the ountry.-Chicago Record.