Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-02-07
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| FRANKS DOUBLE RUNNER.
"@eee@eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessH

We boys had been waiting for good
weather for coasting-"sliding," We
used to call it-and had waited q long
time, too.
There had been almost every other
sort of weather, and we had managed to
enjoy ourselves pretty well, as, in fact,
we always did.
We had skated on Long pond, play ed
football on the common, and had good
time generally-all except Jenny
Briggs, who broke through the ice tho
last day we skated, and was taken out
half drowned. But then, he was always
unlucky. think he was the unluckicst
boy | ever knew,
Well, at length, there came a dull,
chilly, cloudy afternoon, when every
thing looked cold and dismal, and the
sun set in a smother OF gray vapor in
a sullen and comfortless sort of way.
"SEow tonight, boys, sure!" said
Tom Thurlow, as we came out of school
at four o'clock.
Tom was continually guessing at the
weather, and was usually about as far
out of the way as he could possibly be;
but this time he hit it right, for won
der, and, sure enough, it began snowing
an hour or two afterward.
When l went to bed looked out and
saw the ground all white in the dark
ness, and sheets Of snow sitting down,
glittering in the light from the window
There was no mistake about it.-it was
regular old-fashioned Storm.
Next morning every thing was buried
up. Opening the back door. | saw y
high wall of snow outside Of it, which
had drifted there during the night
AID what fun it was TO plunge into the
middle of it, all bundled up in overcoat,
comforter and mittens, with trousers
tied tight around my ankles, and to
wade through the drifts to the barn!
But it wasn't all fun when the tins
came to shovel the paths and clear away
around the big doors, for it seemed very
much like work-and hard work at tina t
before l got done with it.
Wasn't l glad when had lifted the
last shovelful and was able to straight
en- my back again, and founder away to
SCHOOL, There found the boys eager
ly discussing sleds, and there were a
great many noisy and not always good
natured disputes as to who had the fast
est one, and who could come out ahead
in fair race.
But our great topic Of interest was
Frank Austin's new double-runner,
which had been built for him by a
wheelwright Centreville, on scale OF
nagnificence said to throw every thing
in town entirely into THE shade.
Frank was not very talkative on the
subject-he didn't need to be, since
George Fox had seen it. To have that
fellow know anything was just the
same as to publish it in the newspapers
So Frank stood by with q knowing
smile, while George described the sled
with much enthusiasm, and vowed he
had never seen anything like 1t, which
was very probable.
Frank was great man That day, and
the boys weren't at all backward about
asking him for trip on the runner, un-
til Frank, who was as good-natured and
obliging as anyone could be, had prom
ised places enough to fill his sled sew
eral times over.
By the next afternoon the snow had
been pretty well trodden down, and the
day fortunately happened to be Satur-
day, besides; so Church hill became tb G
center OF ATTRACTION, and If you had
been there about two o'clock you would
have seen nearly every boy in New Ds-
mascus there, or going there rs fast As
he could, each one dragging his sled be-
hind him.
1t was long, high hill, and the road
tc Centreyille went over it at the high
est part
There was turn in the road near th .
bottom, which was sometimes hard
place to get around if the ground was
slippery. although, as general thing,
we had no trouble.
should think it was a good half mile
from the top OF the hill to the furthe est
point we could slide to, and we usually
started third OF the distance below the
summit, on account of the long walk
! back; and, indeed, timid coasters pre-
ferred to do so under any circum-
stances, some nerve being required to
start from the lofty top.
Frank and his double-runner were on
hand early, and we all took good look
| at the new machine. 1t was long,
stout, hardwood plank, fastened on tw o
sets of runners, with pivot on the first
set, so that it could be easily steered
The whole affair was neatly built and
prettily painted, but Tom said hs
thought it looked FRA ther ticklish." A
good many others thought the same,
but they didn't care to say so.
Most of US would have been willing
to take our chances on the runner II we
had been upon almost any other hill;
but we didn't like the idea OF riding on
that narrow plank down this one. fall
ing off steeply, and so long that the
buildings near the foot seemed liks
baby houses, And then there was tha t
turn at the bottom.
"Well. fellows" said Frank, 81 won't