Daddy Takes Us Skating | Page 7

as thick as that?" asked Hal.
"Oh, yes, and much thicker. On big lakes it gets over two feet thick in
cold weather," Mr. Blake said. "Then it will hold up a whole regiment
of soldiers, and cannon too. Ice is very strong when once it is well
frozen. But always be sure it is thick enough before going on."
"How are you going to tell?" asked Mab.
"By cutting a little hole through the ice," her father told her. "You can
look at the edges of the hole and tell how thick the ice is. We will try it
and see."

With the big blade of his knife, Mr. Blake cut and chipped a hole in the
ice, a little way from shore. Hal and Mab stayed on the ground
watching their father, but Roly-Poly ran all about, barking as hard as he
could.
"I guess he is looking for something to bury in a hole," spoke Hal. But
Roly could not dig in the hard ice, and the ground was also frozen too
solidly for him to scratch. So all the little poodle dog could do was to
bark.
"There we are!" cried Mr. Blake, after a bit. "See, children, the ice is
more than six inches thick. It will be safe for us to skate on!"
Hal and Mab ran to look into the little hole their father had cut in the
ice. It went down for more than half a foot, or six inches, like a well
you dig in the sand at the seashore. But no water showed in the bottom
of this hole in the ice.
"The ice is good and thick," said Mr. Blake. "It will hold up all the
skaters that will come on this pond."
But the children and their Daddy were the only ones there now. Mr.
Blake showed Hal and Mab how to put on their skates. He made the
straps tight for them, and then put on his own.
"Now we will see how well you can skate," said Mr. Blake.
"I can!" cried Hal. "I've watched the big boys do it. I can skate!"
"It's just like roller skating," said Mab, "and I can do that, I know."
"Well, you may find it a little different from roller skating, Mab," her
papa answered with a laugh.
"Here I go!" cried Hal. He struck out on the ice, first with one foot, and
then with the other, as he had been used to doing on his roller skates.
And then something happened.
Either Hal's feet slid out from under him, or else the whole frozen

surface of the pond tilted up, and struck him on the head. He was not
quite sure which it was, but it felt, he said afterward, as though the ice
flew up and struck him.
"Oh, be careful!" cried Daddy Blake, as he saw Hal fall. But it was too
late to warn the little boy then.
"Oh, he's hurt!" exclaimed Mab with a little sob, as she saw that her
brother did not get up.
Daddy Blake skated over to Hal, but there was no need of his help. For
Hal got up himself, only he was very careful about it. He did not try to
skate any more. He did not want to slip and fall.
"Are you hurt?" asked Mr. Blake.
"N-n-no; I guess not," Hal answered slowly. "The ice is sort of soft, I
guess."
"No quite as soft as snow, however," laughed Daddy Blake. "Now you
had better not try to skate until I take hold of your hand. I will hold you
up. Come, Mab, well take hold of hands and so help each other to stand
up."
Roly-Poly was rushing here and there, filled with excitement, and he
was barking all the while. He was having fun too.
"Now strike out slowly and carefully," directed Daddy Blake to the
children. "First lean forward, with your weight on the left foot and
skate, and then do the same with your right. Glide your feet out in a
curve," and he showed them how to do it, keeping hold of their hands,
Mab on one side and Hal on the other. In this way they did not fall
down.
Slowly over the ice they went.
"Oh, we are skating!" cried Mab, in delight.
"Isn't it fun!" shouted Hal.

"At least you are beginning to skate," said Mr. Blake.
Roly-Poly kept prancing around in front, running here and there, and
barking louder than ever.
"Don't get in our way, Roly!" called Mr. Blake with a laugh, "or we
might skate right over you!"
"Bow-wow!" barked the little poodle dog. And I suppose that was his
way of saying:
"No, I won't! I'll be good."
Hal and Mab were beginning to understand the