Cañon City record., 1902-07-31
loId by Fritz Gross TO "get out of

Iuld by Fritz Gross to 'get out Of
IS Durk-get out already
FritZie Initiated his foe replying in
low. whining key. certainly. sir"
'.,et out of this p..rE. tell you. and
20 Ike few skate lessons"
One very cold winter the lake froze
as far out as the crib. People took
walks on the lee. and skaters rowGed
to the lake shore. 1t was at t...s time
that Selma, Becky and Uncle Critic.
very lively aud noisy. started out one
afternoon to skate on the lake.
1t was tine. cold day. Across the
bare. gray paths and roads Of the pnrk.
glittering with little white pockets Of
snow and blue splinters OF ice. they
walked out 10 the shore, and there
their afternoon spread before them.
The sky was blue and dazzling with
streaming winter sunlight. In its un-
fathomable heights hung and fioated
snowy masses Of toppling cloud. and un-
deTncath the ice clad lake repeated in
the colors Of its calm scope the white
and azure splendor of the heavens. Up
to the horizon the veiled waters spread
cold and vast. and north and south
in hoary sweeping line.
4 little breeze blew from tie land.
The air was cold as water In ones
mouth. and II seemed to the children
they could hardly wait to strap their
skates and be OIL. flying over the frozen
surface. They seized each others
hands and shouted as they darted
along the curve of the little sandy beach
of their start and out toward where a
few other people were whZziHg black
spCCkS against the white plain. They
skated on and on. The fresh wind blow
ing behind, the singing air In their
faces. the free scope ahead. all cxhlla-
rated them. and they had gone perhaps
n mile when they saw across the daz-
zlng field before them a wide black
bar
The ice had broken there. and at a
little distance from its edge a crowd Of
people stood or slowly skated looking
at the gulf. Uncle Fritzle made the lit
tie girls sit down on the ice and took
Off their skates. saying noisily for the
benefit Of the crowd:
at IL bcst-best to afnid all danger
Won little slide too far. vherc would you
be SO kvick? Vat would your mamma
say to me them"
He kept his own skates on. however,
and. with great difficulty. balanced
himself. to the admiration of all. by
sticking one skate point into the ice.
While they were standing looking at
the black. tapping water they saw
skating toward IT, few yurds from
them. little boy He was piunging
forward swinging his bowed arms. his
cap pulled down over his eyes to pro-
tect them from tue glare. He WIS go
ing as fast as he could. They all cried
out to him in one common voice OF hor-
ror. But his impulse had been too
strong. He turned u questioning little
face to them as his skate runner slid
over the verge. and he was gone.
A woman in the crowd began to
wiring her hands and groan
Men and boys glanced ucrvously at
each other and the water. and they all
with one accord moved nearer to 1t.
Meanwhile Uncle FritZie had unbuc-
kIed his skntcs and thrown or his coat.
His ruddy face had turned white. lie.
ran along the icc TO where the little
boy had fallen. his high shoulders
twitchiug. his purple tlppet hnating
behind.
Here he turned half faced the crowd.
raised his chin proudly and waved a
reassuring hand TO. Selma and Becky.
Everybody shouted and he dlved.
Whether he reached the little boy.
whether they came up under the Ice.
no one ever knew. In the sight of the
watchers they did not come 10 the sur
face again.
1t was comfort to the little boys
mother to see the Elnsteins and weep
with their bcr"av avcment- Fritzic Gross
had no relations. but remote kindred
We're proud to mourn him.