THIN ICE.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7781, 7 February 1891, Page 2

THIN ICE.

The ice was thin; we all knew it. But the frost made riding impossible, the shooting was over; and what could a host and hostess do with a large party of young people staying in their house but let them skate If they wanted to? To have forbidden It would have simply kept us in all the afternoon, making the house hideous with our noise as we played hide-and-seek in the corridors, knocking tbe brand-new paint off the bannisters as we tobogganed down the stairs in the brandnew sponge-baths, and generally diverting ourselves as the young can do even under the most adverse circumstances. Not that the circumstances were adverse at the Wotherspoon's. They aro nouveaux riches to be sure, or were so a year ago; they are maturing by now into an old country family, thanks to the Herald's College and the advent of some newer folk than they to the neighbourhood. They " did us to rights," as the loud one among their guests expressed It; and in the opinion of the majority, with the exception of him, they had got together a very creditable and respectable set. The Loud One, as we called him behind his back, was the rich son of a richer father named Stubley, who did something both wholesale and retail In the City In the way which enabled his heir-apparent to wear clothes of great magnificence and smoke admirable cigars. In addition to some cigars whioh I considered a small acknowledgment of my condescension In talking to him ono evenlne at whlskey-and-soda time (a somewhat indefinite period in the Wotherspoon's billiard-room), I gleaned from Mr Stubley jun. the information that he was an ardent admirer of our host's eldest daughter, with the secret approval of their mutual parents, whose businesses were disposed to clash. What Flo Wotherspoon thought of it he did not mention. She was a very pretty girl and a thorough little lady. Little she certainly was. We gave one another nicknames after a day's acquaintance, and we called her the Shrimp after Bhe had come down to dinner in a rather bright pink dress. Our wit, as a rule, was of the more or less harmless country-house order, which seems intolerable foolishness to those who are not of'the house-party —and to some of those who are. It certainly utterly bored the rector's son who dined or lunched at the house on most days. The Shrimp always invited him, and her parents exercised all the ingenuity they could to keep him from her when there, assigning him a seat as far from her as possible, and introducing him to every one else who, they thought, could possibly act a 9 a counter-attraction. Lieut. John Hardcastle, B. N., might have had a good time had he been disposed to accept what fortune and Mrs Wotherspoon put In his way; but he was not so inclined, and only sulked and pouted and gazed at Flo Wotherspoon during dinner, and got to her side as soon as possible afterwards ; so that it became evident to even less shrewd observers than my humble self that, unless he was positively forbidden the house, Mr Stubleya chance would be a small one. I even mildly suggested the same to tho Loud One himself. " Not in It," was his characteristic reply; " good chap, Hardcastle, but no dibs." He had briefly but exhaustively summed up the situation. Secure in the expectation of the paternal thousands, jealousy found no place in his heart, and his Larrangas" were as free to his rival as to myself. All the same, in tbe course of the evening before we skated, Miss Wotherspoon spent at leasb half-an hour al.no In the conservatory with Mr Hardcastle, and came in looking quite warm and smiling, though the mercury there had. stood, to my knowledge at somewhere about 35deg., owing to the biting frost outside.

Next day we maintained that the ice bore, and we skated. Very good fun we had till lunch time on the large oblong pond at the bottom of the lawn, though the ice did crack and bend so much that we had to give up the idea of playing hockey or skating hand and hand in parties of more than two at a time. After lunch, however, more people came on—friends from the neighbourhood who had no ponds of their own—and the ice began to crack and sway rather too much to be quite pleasant. Mr Stubley said it was not good enough by chalks," and cook his skates ofl. Mr John Hardcastle, who had learned skating while his ship was stationed off the Canadian coast, continued to cut intricate figures and to support the Shrimp in her efforts to. emulate his gyrations. "Come ofl, Flo I " shrieked Mrs Wotherspoon. "Oon.e off, Flo!' thundered Mr Wotherspoon.

"Shan't," said Miss Wotherspoon quietly, as she swung past them on the outside edge. Mr Wotherspoon looked back; and Mr Stubley gave a glance at the retreating figure of the plump little Shrimp, as ifhe was a little taken aback at her flat denial of the parental authority. But she went over to the other side of the pond, where Mr Hardcastle was, and J could see that they were talking earnestly while he was doing something to her lef c skate.

"Dp go and make them leave the ice; It is too oad of Mr Hardcastle," said Mrs Wotherspoon to mc: "every one else is coming ofl." I skated unwillingly towards them, passing over tbe cracks as lightly as I could, like a very Agag on Acmes: for I did not relish tho idea of a cold bath In my clothes. Hardcastle met mc. "Sho won't come," he said; "I can't persuade her. She is going on to a fresh bit of ice which she has found, to see if she can get that loop right. I am too heavyfor the game," On I went. "Miss Wortherspodn," I called, " do you know, you really ought to come off; your mother is very angry. "Isshe?" was her unconcerned reply; " then rd better stay on till she cools down." "The ice Is very weak," I nrged. It bent so much that 1 had to keep moving aa I spoke. " Ice never breaks when ft bends," she said in a tone of conviction. " How deep is the _ond i " I asked. "Fifteen feet all over," she answered ; and 'added, as if she was propounding an axiom in hydrostatics. '* That makes it all the safer." I swung back towards her mother and father, as she made off for a smooth bit of ice which had hardly been touched by any one skating. It was just beneath some overhanizing trees, and dose to the little wooden hat built out upon piles which served to protect the swans from the frost at night and also from the foxes. I dia not then realise that the reason the ice there had not beon cut up was that it was so thin: the swans having kept open a little pool after the rest of the pond was frozen. A moment later I was explaining to Mrs Wotherspoon that her daughter was enjoying herself so much that she was unwilling to leave tho ice: and I added rather mendaciously that I thought it quite safe. As the words left my lips I saw the worthy lady turn pale and clutch Mr Stubley wildly round the seek. I saw a look of alarm in his eyes, and I heard my hostess, after an Ineffectual gasp, cry out, " Save her I my daughter, save ncr 1" I knew what had happened at once, though owing to-the distance there was no

B plash or sound orf_A^S__7~~^ f quickly round j theS waff B ** * b*7l nnder the tms¥hSt\ B^ft 1 " Wotherspoon, and I , Sw^ H Aw':~ among the spUuteri__ -i?* l &«_„,,_ lj I J«wildering momertTf ok ,c S. }* the head of the Shrimp im«£f «J I%* I heard her second cty ff c *_$ e «ites\ _ wonderful lungg Jnrir?jff£V/ all to our very L.! thri^,, B*--*8 *--* was a whizz anFa XlE*"*. ft.l past mc, and thefiaure of * * °* I-H hia very fasteat. Xhe *___ ? 81 . «4fc?l jrards; then as he" ?_K which she was struggling *_S b %i I', treacherous surface could 1« h« t [ point short of his goal h_ J__* •» «r leap and, clearing fully flf _.•_#_ * fir*,; int. the broken fccanVSVah^ 1 almost within reach of her _** iK> .paaredfaomviewcotupiemV *«&£: his head was seen again heft s_i **& t comfortably above the water-.]?! W shoulders were well out; tha™, *_*CI beside her, she sank K&l* *t£| pliant struggle he kept ft. oh. the surface, and at intervals i? •*_ 4 ; Whenever he could he shomSf i,* 1 * o?« 1 I first they did not understandli„W » grasped his meaning. I h ß _ _?_* «£ f ? mr >W off asquTckl, _?s*iggllfi: » nlsingthe factthatany wherefc2? , _**J ', they are an inpedlment, «$f l #M * heardtheword9,"Gate,g a tel'i_._ Us! i ' what he wanted ; there was a * l gate across the drive, a few v tho water, and, with the h e ]_T» l > f other men, I got it off it. h!n_3_ IjN we all considered that Mr H_rLJ&i f - a right to any kudo, ho mI&H^M? 1 derive from performing single handed, as far as though he had plunged in 8«t... obviously could not g e *J_* % kt% out assistance, for tho |£ ft. i breaking away and l mpcd g fesJ With tho presence of mind {ffi*__*_£ characterised his whole hardly attempted to etrugrte «ut™ S& ng his strength for the S'« b ing himself and his companion fr£ BP under. I saw that she was tfaaßW even before we had got the __T_UP' their reach. Pushed along thai*, _ a capital bridge, and ping, their teeth chattering Til fchrfmp more steimp-like thsne-J 4 t were revived with brandy. MrsJnu 'tyf. started to the house to Mr Hardcastlo had plungedl {?*&• k shows that presence ol ml_i i**?' different persons to dijWnk - elusions; and as .bo draus „J. M without any apparent relucS/Mf thought it hard of MissWoSSjl say to her mother next day * I waa just what Mr Stubley t Be tnat as it may, Mr St« B & fe from that day, and Mr HatfiSft ! the ascendant. What parents cotfflH 1 consent under such cfrcumatancTi i? as Mr and Mrs Wotherspootf _XL# I eluded consols to the value of fißr?* ( be reinvested by trustees at tWu? 13 and discretion, they had justly ____ wo?th SSSSXr itwa9un -«5 • I dined with the Hardcaatlps rtW • port the other night, and have bJS * much since upon the follow) oafiS! f of our conversation. J*r J J

Mrs Hardcastle iv anew dress, raised her champ_i_e_uTZ7 denly, as if to drink a toaßt,aadQte_!f 44 Here's to the good old pond r?»__| fifteen feet of icy water r 1 addsl *£_ half-shiver. .--"., «s--"Five jusfc there" she satt.*»_ correct mc. "Jack used to'tii___ when he was a little boy." —•■.*• " Three-six, said Lieuteaui'rfptaiy castle, who is always accurate: HU* kneel down to get under, buei'ah_n__ lv all the same if it had been fifty,"' "I wouldn't." said Mrs fiwtek emptying her glass,—s*, Jamej. ffluS?