Year: 1869




ering where both sexes are represented
At this season of the year they iufest the
different skating parks, where their dew
iltry and ingenuity have full and excel
lent play.


The last incident that has transpircd
was enacted on Central Park pond, New
York, and made quite little sensation
for a few moments. The particulars are
briefly these:


A nice young man, residing in the
city of churches, visited the above popu-
lar resort last Monday evening, for the
purpose of enjoying numerous turns on
the slippery element, and showing off the
exquisite proportions of his captivating
person.


Clara Denning was also there for Ike
purposes, SO far as the admiring crowd
knew. Clara is superbly beautiful and
captivating. She was dressed in the
hight of fashion, with dress SO artistic
ally curlailed that it displayed a pair of
ankles SO exquisitely rounded and taper
ing that the beholder became utterly
dazed as he contemplated them.


And what was more, all these charms
appeared to be alone upon the ice. There
seemed to be no one to whom she could
cling in the emergency of loosened
skate, or an accidental bump; in fact,
she was as gushing as Peri, with no
one to gush up to. Mr.. Softly (for SO we
will call him, since he has already paid
quite dear for his amorous whistle), saw
her as she glided along in the uncertain
manner usual to new beginners, and, like
hundreds of others, he was severely
smitten. The weather was exceedingly
cold, but Softly felt now like throwing off
his oyercoat, since this divinity on crock
c-s" had awakened such a flame in his
bosom. He fairly glowed.


He is constitutionally bashful man,
but seeing how the beautiful divinity
labored to bring out the poetry of her
motion, he glided bashfully to her side
and volunteered his assistance. She
smiled thankfully on him, and the result
was an instan taneous and fevered thump-
ing of the principal bIood-vessel under
his vest. But she accepted his profered
escort: and together they swung dreamily
over the slippery element, growing rap
idly more communicative and social, and
to all appearances more apparently in
love.


Before half an hour had passed they
seemed to be on the very best of terms,
and had partaken of Refreshments, includ-
ing wine, of which she drank fashion
ably. And then they very naturally
sought those portions of the ice where
the crowd was the rarest, and where an
envious throng could not note the very
frequent glapces of passionate love which
passed between them, or make observa-
tions on the location of his fond arm,
which every now and then stole investi-
gatingly around her shapely waist; or,
if one did chance to note the amorous at
titude, they could but acknowledge that
both parties seemed perfectly satisfied
with the situation.


Byand-by her skate became loosened,
and-and would he be SO kind as to
tighten it? Tighten it! wouldn't he,
though? But Clara was coy and rather
non- committal, save on the point of love ];
on that she acknowledged herself rather
spooney.


Again they swung gracefully over the
ice, and again his fond arm stole lovingly
around her, and all the world seemed to
swim before his intoxicated vision. His
timidity seemed to have taken leave of
him, and he, watching his opportunity,
actually stole one or two draughts of nec-
tar from her ripe, ruby lips.
1t was not long before another acci-
dent befel her skate he had tightened
it too much it was bruising her sweet
little foot-would he not relieve it !? To
hear with him was only to obey, and
again he knelt before her and took that
pedestal of Venus in his willing lap, and
again be fingered fondly over the unloos-
ing. By this time he had become bolder
in his love, and lingering now became
toying with the very points of excellence
he had so lately dared only to admire.
While in this attitude, = man with