The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-02-11

the home bay. the Ice King was
headed out towards the main body OF
the lake and was soon far beyond the
farthest tracks of skaters and ice
boats. Towards the middle Of the
lake a patch OF open water was no
ticed and carefully avoided. Not till
now had the boys complained Of cold
or realized that their feet were be-
numbed. 1t was suggested, therefore,
that instead of setting out at once on
the long home stretch, they should con-
tinue on till they reached the warming
room of the North Star Skating Rink
at the southern extremity Of the lake.
On reaching point about five hun
dred yards from the rink, they found
the ice SO rough and uneven that they
removed the ''tiller" from the ice boat
which is equivalent to anchoring sail
boat, and continued the trip on foot.
BY the time the party had gotten
thoroughly warmed and had retraced
their steps over the rough hummocks
of ice, the shades of night had fallen
over the landscape, the stars were
twinkIing overhead, and the lake was
emitting those dismal moaning sounds
like the wailing of lost spirits, caused
by the freezing and cracking of the ice
on cold winter night. The Ice King,
like an impatient horse, started off at
a terrific rate with Uncle Robert out
on the port runner as lookout" The
party had proceeded about a mile and
PA" was just remarking that even if
they did strike an air hole at that gait,
he thought they would shoot right over
it, when slam! bang! there was ter
rible jolt, crunching and cracking
sound, and the swish of cold water in
their faces. So sudden was the jolt
that George and Spot rolled head first
over the gunwa1e and disappeared
under the water. Pa made a desper-
ate lunge for George as the boat
passed over him. He could see him
but he could not reach him, and his
heart almost stopped beating!
The ice boat slid on for about a.
hundred feet then headed up into the
wind with her bowsprit wedged fast
under the ice. George was nowhere
to be seen.
What horrible ending to Merry
Christmas!"
All at once through the darkness
there appeared the figure of child
rising perpendicularly out of the inky
water like a ghost from it's grave. 1t
was little George standing erect on
an enormous sheet of ice that was
slowly floating to the surface again!
The first impulse was to run to his
assistance, but prudence suggested
that while a cake of thin ice might
float with a child on it, it would GER
tainly break or sink under the weight
of grown men, So Pa shouted to him
to try to walk up the inclined plane
onto firm ice. This, thank heaven, he
succeeded in doing, after several at
tempts, followed by a little white dog!
For the instant Spot reached the air
the water on his fur turned to ice
Transforming it from jet black to snow
white! t-r
But all danger was not passed yet,
for with the ice boat disabled, several
miles from home, and the mercury
ranging down towards zero, there was
danger of George freezing to death.
Pa, therefore, took off his great coat
land wrapped him up in it. Just at that
moment, half a dozen skaters, return
ing from the rink, arrived on the
scene. They tried to disengage the
lice boat but found the ice too weak
to hold them. Finally the big sail was
.Iset aback and slowly but surely the
tpressure of the wind forced the now
Iice-coated Ice King backwards onto
firm ice again. The party jumped on
board and with the skaters gliding
along on either side like outriders, set
out for home once more. The last
fridge was crossed with a bump and a
tthump and five minutes later all were
safe at home gathered round warm
fire. Georges mother and aunt ten
lderly disengaged him from his drip
tping, half frozen clothes, gave him a
bowl of warm milk and put him to
bed where he awoke the next morn
ing, none the worse for his ice cold
i bath But Pa dreamed all night of
floating ice cakes, black holes and the
Iswish of cold water in his face. Thus
ended Christmas ice boat ride.
w. F. MARKOE.