162 FIVE ACE ES TOO MUCH. 



markable man in that line. We have a splendid 

 pond, nicely fenced in, and much superior to your 

 Central Park affairs, where the boys jostle and upset 

 you, or to the petty concerns got up as rinks, and 

 occupying half a city block, where you can scarcely 

 turn round. There is plenty of room on our lake, 

 and the company is select. You are fond of skating. 

 Why don t you make up a party and run out some 

 day ? All the best people go there, and you know 

 how pretty our girls are in Flushing.&quot; 



I had come to the city quite early, not being en 

 tirely satisfied, in my blind ignorance, that winters in 

 the country, with snow or mud on the ground, the 

 thermometer clinging to zero, and the wind having 

 full sweep, were as pleasant as they are in New York, 

 even when streets are impassable and sidew r alks slip 

 pery. Nevertheless, I am devotedly fond of skating ; 

 not that I excel in the art ; for, on the contrary, I can 

 do little more than the simplest steps, and generally 

 return from every expedition with bruised bodv and 

 sore limbs. I keep on hoping that I shall improve, 

 and make the most of the fresh air and exercise, al 

 though the fancy steps, and my efforts to disregard 

 the simplest laws of equilibrium, bring me to grief. 

 It is pleasant to skate, and pleasant to see others 

 skate, especially of the female sex, with their cheeks 



