Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-03-23

| Steci GU IL uoWu NIlhlnS NIL TO victory
over the Number Seven" boys; and
now he is commander of an armor-clad
ship, quite as capable, | doubt not, of
routing an enemy.
The schoolhouse in Number Six,
where we underwent mild form of
education together, stood at the forks
of the county road, with the cross
town road, which led down wilkins
hill, on one side and Mill hill on the
other. The county road extended
north and south, along the crest of
line, broad ridge Of land divided into
ten fertile farms, owned by as many
well-to-do farmers whose families
made up our school district.
We young people of Number Six
had always been a little inclined to
look down on the boys and girls of
Number Seven at the Corners, near
the foot of wilkins hill, for the deni-
zens of Number Seven were some
what poor and shiftless lot. The
larger boys were pugnacious and ill
disposed, and unless a schoolmaster
were strong enough to thrash four or
five of them, he must suffer the hu-
initiation of being carried out of the
schoolhouse.
At Number Six, on the contrary, the
pupils We're well-advanced, self-re-
specting and orderly. An able teacher
was required, but less to govern than
to instruct. Still, l now think that
the contempt in which we held the
Number Seven boys was rather phar-
| lsalcal, and | do not wonder they re-
| sented it. We nicknamed them "bog-
trotters, and they retorted by calling
us chill dogs" The two districts
also belonged to two rival political
parties, fact which sharpened the
animosity between them.
Wilkins hill was the best coasting
place in the county. 1t consisted of
five steep pitches, with intervals of
less abrupt descent between them,
which made altogether a run Of more
than mile, to the foot of the hill be-
yond the bridge over Longmeadow
brook. 1t had always been, and is to
this day, the favorite coast of the
Number Six boys. Indeed, we boosted
that few, save Number Six boys, dared
steer a sled down that hill.
When the road was smooth and lev
terrific speed was attained on the low
est pitch, and any error in steering
might easily cost the coaster his life
Boys from other places were usually
afraid to try the hill, but if Number
Six boy had not made the "run" at
13 or IA years of age we deemed him
backward lad.
The coasting sleds most in favor
with us were small and narrow. They
were shod with half-round steel shoes,
which were slightly bowed to make a
) "spring" space of an inch at the mid
ture for coasting on this hill was face
downward, with toes extended behind
to aid in steering. Usually in start
ing at the top of the hill we ran for
ward, one after another, flung our.
: selves down on our sleds and thus SCI
off at speed.
On moonlit evenings, when there
were girls in the party, trains were
often made up of ten or twelve sleds
some of them large handsleds, OF
which four or five could sit at ease
The forward or leading sled was called
the "engine" and was steered by one
of the Oldest, strongest boys. Such
train, humming down that long hill by
moonlight, gaining speed at every pitcl
till it shot past the Corners at Mum
Der Seven, going 60 miles an hour, af
forded an eXhilarating spectacle.
There was an almost uninterrupted
view from top to bottom of the Ions
descent; and besides the steerer OF
the engine there was "hornman,
whose business it was to blow til
horn If we saw team or pedestrian
coming up. All the others, too, Joined
in tremendous shout of "Road! road
road.'
The hill was so long that not more
than three or four coasts could be
made in an evening and generally no+
more than one during the noon inter
mission, when school was in session.
A hired man from one of the farms,
with a span of horses and long pune
sleigh, saved us the drudgery of pull
ing our sleds up the hill.
Laws relative to coasting were mo-
then very strict in Maine, and we sup,
posed we had right to coast dowr
the road at 60 miles an hour. Nobody
had ever made any objection. The
only drawback to the sport was tha'
We had to run past the schoolhouse il
Number Seven, and the bog trotters
were accustomed to rush out and pei
us with snowballs. The place wa.
locally known as wilkins Corners.
There had been good coasting fol
three or four weeks before Ruff,
Rundlett devised the Rantum-Scooter
the entire hill was smooth as glass
Nearly every morning, noon and nigh
some of us Number Six boys were
coasting, and often there were parties
OF 20 or 30.
: The loafers and bog-trotters hat
jeered at us as we few past and snow
balled us as in former years, but be
fore long the Number Seven boy!
actually undertook to stop all Number