party, too much on the qui vive for the superior attractions of Flushing to make engagements for any of those places, waited and waited for Weeville. After the rest of the skating world had been enjoying themselves for a week, he appeared at my office in a great state of hilarity.

"Ready at last," he shouted. "Willis wanted the ice to be solid; a careful man, that; no accidents while he is in charge. But last night fixed it. The ice is at least six înches thick, and to-morrow the whole town will be on hand. Nothing like starting right; put some one with brains at the head, and you are sure to go straight; twenty years' experience does not pass for nothing. I suppose you have been impatient, but remember we have no life-saving machines, and it is better to be on the sure side, if it is a little slower. Come in the early train to-morrow.

وو

There was great excitement in warning and collecting our forces, and we did not get off as early as we hoped; but having at last managed to cross the river and reach the train-except a few couples that were left behind-we were soon at the Flushing dépôt.

Instead of having wagons ready to carry the party at once to the pond, as he had promised, Weeville received us alone. His usual hilarity was wanting, his

air was sad, his manner disconsolate. As we crowded around him, he said slowly, "There is no skating." "Ridiculous," was the answer, in a chorus of astonished voices; "there must be skating."

"Yes," said our precise associate, "I have a recording thermometer, and last night the mercury fell to fifteen."

"Your man is a little too cautious," I said; "there is such a thing as erring on the right side."

"Oh!" said the ladies, "if that's all, we are not afraid; are we, Mr.?" each turning to her particular companion with a look that induced the latter to engage unanimously to answer for their safety.

"But there is no ice," again said Weeville, with a manner of most deplorable abasement.

"Now, how can that be?" demanded our precise man again; “water freezes at thirty-two."

Why," burst forth the female chorus, "the Central Park has been frozen these two days."

"Well, Mr. Weeville," I then commenced, growing incensed at his stupidity, "if there was no ice, why did you tell me last evening that it was six inches thick?"

"So it was," he replied, still more drearily.

"Then, in Heaven's name, what has become of it?" "Willis cut it all yesterday, and put it in his ice

houses," was the final reply. If he had fired a pistol among the party, my friend could not have surprised them more. “He says he wanted it to freeze smoother; but the pond is ruined for the season, as the little pieces and lumps that have broken off will remain and destroy the surface."

"The scoun

"What a shame!" cried the ladies. drel!" growled the men. "Well, what can we do?" asked the former. "Let us go home," replied the latter. Vain were my imploring requests that they would at least visit my country seat-in company I speak of it as my country "place" or "seat"-that they might warm themselves after their journey, and satisfy the cravings of hunger and thirst. "All aboard!" yelled the conductor, for the Flushing trains make immediate return trips, like ferry-boats. My companions clambered up the steps and into the seats, and, in a moment more, were being whirled back to the city. I did not accompany them, but remained with Weeville, who, though far from lively, was probably a more pleasant associate for me just then.

In fact, on the question of skating the city seems to possess certain advantages. In the country snow keeps falling at odd and inconvenient times, and there are no enthusiastic individuals to shovel it off.

Hardly does the thermometer go down into the
twenties, and succeed in congealing the surface and
raising the expectations of the devotees of the "
"ring-
ing steel," ere the clouds cover the sky, snow-flakes
make their appearance, and settle down with some
inches of soft impassability, winding up, probably,
with a rain or "freeze," that leaves the entire surface
of every pond an uninviting expanse of "humps and
bumps," that bid defiance equally to high art and un-
skilled blundering. The ice-shaving machines, the
snow-sweepers and the like, are confined to the met-
ropolitan limits; and, although there is plenty of ice
in the country, it is often hard to get at, even if there
is not an "ice-man" to carry it away for other uses

than skating.

יון

WE

CHAPTER XII.

THE SECOND YEAR.

E now come to the second year. The house had been finished. It occupied a commanding position on the beautiful square that constituted my possessions, and, with the wind whistling through the innumerable ornaments that covered the edges of its high peaks, brought to mind its original seafaring owner. The land had been well plowed, at last, and was no longer impervious to spade and pick; the strawberries, whose untimely fate has already been described in anticipation, had been planted, and the asparagus-bed was in a promising state of preparation. Fruit-trees, and raspberry bushes, and the "great Lawton blackberry"-which, having originally been discovered by Mr. Seaton, was called by my intelligent fellow-farmers after Mr. Lawton, because both names ended with "ton"-were set out; my accounts for the year were made up, and I determined to go to Europe.

H