Christmas, A Happy Time | Page 4

now that Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer could see how much their dear
boys were grown, and how well they were looking. John triumphantly
stood beside his sister Harriet, who was a year older than himself, and
told her he should be very soon taller than she was; and Frederick had
actually out-stripped the little Elizabeth, who told one more year than
he did. The girls however were reconciled to this acquired superiority
of stature, by discovering that papa was a great deal taller than mamma,
though they were both exactly the same age; and Frederick concluded
the whole dissertation, by adding that to be sure, men ought be taller
than women.
'It does not much signify what are your heights, my dear children,' said
Mr. Mortimer, affectionately gazing upon the whole group, 'if you are
but good and amiable. I should be very glad to see my young Fred a
brave grenadier,' added the fond father placing his hand upon the head
of his young son: 'but I shall be much better pleased to see him a good
man. But now who is for a walk?--the morning is bright and fair, and
those who do not mind the cold, away for your great coats and hats, and
I will take a walk with you to the ice-house, and see if the men are
beginning to fill it.'
It was not necessary to repeat this invitation, and towards the ice-house
the party immediately proceeded. As they passed through the park they
went by a sheet of water, on which during the summer, had been a boat,
but which now was caked over with ice, and had every appearance of
being hard enough to bear the weight of a man with his skates on. John
and Frederick were both running to the edge: and had not their father
been with them would have immediately ventured on an amusement,
hardy and bracing when followed with prudence, but which requires the
caution of experience, not to be carelessly indulged in.
'Wait till to-morrow, boys,' said Mr. Mortimer, 'the ice is not strong
enough to bear you to-day. In another four and twenty hours, I think it
will be safe, should the frost continue, and I have directed James to
prepare my skates.'

The boys both desisted, for they had been very early taught to submit to
the opinion of their father: but Frederick could not help saying, 'I think
it would bear, papa:' and feeling more disappointment than his looks
perhaps expressed.
'We can very well wait another day, Frederick,' said John, as he saw his
brother's disappointment on walking on.
'Perhaps the frost may be broken then,' replied Frederick; but he soon
found other amusement, and bounded over the stile into the lane, before
the rest of the party had scarcely lost sight of the sheet of water in the
park.
'Oh, here are the men with a load,' said Frederick, as his father came in
sight, 'fine thick ice, papa--oh, so thick, I am sure it must be hard
enough to slide where that thick ice comes from.'
'That ice is taken from a mere hole,' replied Mr. Mortimer: 'from that
dirty little patch of water by the side of yonder hedge--do you see? It is
very shallow, and is therefore soon encrusted: but even before it was
cut by the pickaxe, it would not have been smooth enough to have
slidden upon, and now you see it is all in pieces, and you might as well
try to slide on a heap of stones.'
By this time all the party had crossed the stile, and were proceeding
along the lane.
'I wonder you do not have the ice-house filled from the water in the
park papa' said Harriet. 'This is such dirty, nasty-looking stuff.'
'You have before seen in what manner the ice-house is filled,' replied
Mr. Mortimer; 'that the ice is all broken, almost pounded to pieces, and
then stored below ground; and I have also told you that it is never eaten,
and it signifies little whether it is entirely pure or not. The house will be
rendered as cold by this ice, as by that from the park, and that is all
which is necessary. And it would be a pity to spoil the appearance of
the other, unless it were necessary; particularly as John and Frederick
and myself hope to have same good slides upon it during the holidays.'

Having stopped to ask a few questions of the men employed in
conveying the ice from the pond, Mr. Mortimer now proceeded with
his children to a farm-house not very far distant, where they all met a
very hearty welcome, and where the boys' attention was arrested by two
little grey ponies, which were in the meadow adjoining the farm