The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-08-15

walking very rapidly with an animated
expression OF countenance, do not thlhh
that YOU have discovered "a group OF
Amaz0us or colony Of giants ana
giantesses out of freak museum Tor
weeks vacation. Oh, no. You are
merely looking at party OF young peo-
pie enjoying the latest outdoor sensa-
Notwithstanding.
stilt-walking was pastime In the
DAYS Of queen Elizabeth, and had She
and Mary Queen of Scots been the duu-
I'M cousins they should have been doubt
less they would have gone sult-Walkng
together while their admirers, the Lords
of Leicester and Essex, rode TO hounds
or sped the falcon.
Stilt-walking was also a sport much
later. when English girls learned il ia
their b0ard-sch0Ol athletics and em-
ployod stills for their early rambles.
hunting tho four-leaf clover from that
lofty height.
This is about the first year, however,
when you could go into your favorte
sporting-goods store and say. SHOW me
"a pair Of stills" You can do IL this
year i'm a great many localities, for stilt-
walking Is as yet something novel The
girls Of Beverly and an around Boston
are walking them. and you see stit-
girls back In the country where there is
no bay nor amy river for their amuse-
mems.
Tho -r't. that are commonly used are
home ade oncs-or, perhaps, IL is better
20 say they are carpentcr-made ones.
10 is % pretty hard thing TO make pair
OF stills yourself unless you have stud
led carpentry in one of the trade schools
or are a member of am evening class in
amateur carpentry
The proper material for a pair OF stills
is hard wood-the harder tho better The
wood must also bee light. There arc
strong pieces Of cedar and there are
straight lengths of pear and crab-applo
that are very fine. The crab-apple stills
are the ones that are used in the White
Mountains by the young ladies who go
there for q months run among the hills.
They say crab-dppic has Spring and is
light
But in the selection Of the kind Of
wood DO is best 10 consult the carpenter.
f0r ho will see n knot or a flaw a curve
or "a split when others would PRONOUNCE
ule wood good enough; and In stills the
main thing is cvcnncss and strength. a
slight warp will be as unpleasant as a
kuock-kuce, and II the stills dry UNI
evenly the walker feels as though the
ahliction OF a pair of boWlegs were sud-
denly thrust upon her.
The steps should be securely nailed on
with wire nails. Afterwards little brass
or metallic decorations OF some kind can
be put on NJ desired.
The writer saw a very pretty ST. Louis
girl summcring I'm a little resort on the
Ohio River. get a horrible tumble off
pair of elegantly finished stills. They
were made of solid mahogany strong
and durable past an qustiOn. They
were a little heavy, but for long dis
lance walking they would Guido any
other IL IS easier 20 keep your balance
on a heavy pair Of stills than il is on
heavy bicycle though you can't 90 quite
as fast.
The steps In these stills were cut I'm
the side. all from one solid strip OF ma
hogany
They looked beautiful and were much
admired. but one day as this young
woman took a long, strong step mp a hill
there was a loud cracking and the silt
split between the upright and the step.
This. the manufacturer claimed. was
bound 20 happen TO any silt cut all from
one piece.
Opinions. however. diner on this sub
ject. and a girl whom the writer met
last Monday on the train, en- route for
the mountains, showed two pair OF stills
In her baggage belonging 20 herself and
hcr ufOlner IneY were pam pine,
stained cherry and highly vanished, ex-
cept the steps which were brass covered.
They were cut In the side Of the upright
and were reinforced with brass strips
that were both pretty and useful. They
were strapped together for carrying, Ike
very long golf sticks; and were pro-
tectcd on the ends with rubber bag
ging.
The height Of a silt step varies ac-
cordlng TO the person. A very safe
height Is as tail as the knees, though