The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-07-08
NUMBER SIS.

was told by Fritz Gross to get out q
this park-get out already"
FritZie initiated his foe replying In
a low, whining key. Certainly, sir"
Get out of this park, tell you, and
go take few skate lessons"
One very cold winter the lake froEe
as far out as the crib. People took
walks ON the ice. and skaters crow6od
to the lake shore. 1t was at this time
that Selma, Becky and Uncle Fritxte.
very lively and noisy, started out one
afternoon to skate on the lake
1t was a fine, cold day. Across tho
bare. gray paths and roads Of the park,
glittering with little white pocke1s Of
snow and blue splinters OF ice. they
walked out to 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 doatsd
snowy masses of toppling cloud, and un-
derneath the ice clad lake repeated n
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
they met the city's smoke hung shores
in hoary sweeping line.
A little breeze blew from the land
The air was cold as water in ones
mouth, and it seemed to the children
they could hardly wait to strap their
skates and be of, 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 .
few other people were whizzing black
specks against the white plain They
skated on and ON. The fresh wind blow.
ing behind, the stinging air In their
faces. the free scope ahead. all exhiia-
rated them. and they had gone perhaps
mile when they saw across the das-
zling field before them a wide black
bar.
The ice had broken there, and at Q
little distance from its edge a crowd of
people stood or slowly skated, looking
| at the gulf. Uncle Fritzie made the l1t-
| tie girls sit down on the ice and took
| OF their skates. saying noisily for tie
benefit of the crowd:
"It is best-best to afoid all danger.
Won little slide too far, where would you
be SO kvick? Vat would your mamma
say to me then"
1 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 ic9.
While they were standing looking At
the black. tapping water they saw
skating toward it, a few yards from
them. a little boy. He was plunging
forward, swinging his bowed armA hiD
cap pulled down over his eyes to pro-
tect them from the glare. He was GO
ing as fast as be could They all cried
out to him in one common voice Of hor-
ror. But his impulse had been too
strong. He turned a questioning ltffls
face to them as his skate runner alid
over the verge, and he was gone.
| A woman in the crowd began to
wiring her hands and groan-
Men and boys glanced nervously st
each other and the water, and they all
with one accord moved nearer to tt.
Meanwhile Uncle Fritzie had undue
kled his skates and thrown OF his coat
His ruddy face had turned white. He
ran along the ice to where the little
boy had fallen, his high shoulders
twitching, his purple tppet doatn0
| behind
Here he turned, half faced the crowd.
raised his chin proudly and waved Q
reassuring hand to Selma and Becky.
Everybody shouted, and he dived
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 to the sur.
face again.
1t was comfort to the little boy'l
mother to see the Einsteins and weep
with their bereavement. Fritxie Gross
had no relations. but remote kindred
were proud to mourn him