Skating Into the C hannel

The river from which I so narrowly escaped, ran into a lake. We called it The Basin—it was shaped like a big basin, and was about a hallc mile wide; the water was not deep except in the channel. One beautiful moonlight night a crowd of boys were skating on this great rink. I was late getting there; the skaters were far out on the ice. I was in a great hurry to get to them; there Was not much fUn skating alone. There were no houses near. When I got my skates strapped on firmly, I struck out with full speed. The ice was smooth and strong enough except on the channel. I did not think of the possibility of thin ice there. I made a bee line for the crowd; in doing this I had to cross the channel; a crust of ice had formed on it. I had a pair of skates made out of long flat files; the toe ends of these were curled up like the runners of a riding sleigh. In crossing the channel I heard the hollow sound of the thin ice, from which the water had receded a few inches; before I could think twice one skate went through and the curled up toe hooked under the ice. My speed was so great that it tore the steel runner from the wooden stock, and I went head first. I struck the solid ice beyond the channel and my force sent me over the ice like an arrow shot from a bow. My great speed saved me from dropping into the deep water of the channel. I recovered my skate but it was broken and I lost my evening’s fun. I was glad I escaped with so little damage and loss. It was one of my narrowest escapes. We got many warnings about the dangers of skating on treacherous ice, and on swimming, but boys and girls do not stop to consider danger when in the excitement of a good time, and many sad accidents occur on this account every year.

The White .Mare Turn: a Somersault

We had a mare we named Bloss; 'she was nearly as white as snow; that may be why she got the name, which is a short form of Blossom. She was smart and a faithful worker, but she was a'i'thief as cunning as a fox. She would break out of the pasture at, night and get into the grain, and, when she ate all she wanted, she would jump back into the pasture. In the morning she would look as innocent as if she had

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