Boy life on the prairie . f Let me takeem now. To this day Lincoln can remember with what ecstasy,intermingled with rage, he sprawled about on the pondbelow the school-house, his skate-straps continually get-ting loose and tripping him, while his poor ankles, turn-ing inward till the wooden top of the skates touchedthe ice, brought certain disaster. The edges of theouter counters of his hard boots gouged his feet, pro-ducing sores, which embittered his existence during theskating season, notwithstanding all devices for making The Coming of Spring 51 the skate stay in the middle of his sole, wh
Boy life on the prairie . f Let me takeem now. To this day Lincoln can remember with what ecstasy,intermingled with rage, he sprawled about on the pondbelow the school-house, his skate-straps continually get-ting loose and tripping him, while his poor ankles, turn-ing inward till the wooden top of the skates touchedthe ice, brought certain disaster. The edges of theouter counters of his hard boots gouged his feet, pro-ducing sores, which embittered his existence during theskating season, notwithstanding all devices for making The Coming of Spring 51 the skate stay in the middle of his sole, where it be-longed. Even when doing his best, he leaned perilouslyforward, swinging his arms, and toiling hard. Ranee had a fine pair of brass-mounted skates, withbeautifully curving toes, which terminated in brass swan-heads. They had heel-sockets, also, and stayed wherethey were put, and it was very discouraging to see himas he skimmed over the ice almost without effort, nowstanding erect, now rolling from one foot to the. M-^^-^^^^-^ othei, ease whichseemed uiipossiblefor any human being to attain, though part of it was due,even in Lincolns worshipful thinking, to the skates. These were days of trouble for foot wear. The boyswere in the water nearly all day while the snow wasmelting, and their cowhide boots shrank distressfullyeach night, causing their owners to weep, and kick themopboard, and say, Goldarn these dam old boots —I wish they was in hell, as they tried to put them onin the early light. They suffered at this time, more 52 Boy Life on the Prairie poignantly than ever, from chilblains, and to crowdtheir swollen feet into their angular cowhide prisonswas too grievous to be gently borne. Mrs. Stewartmildly protested against their swearing, but she sympa-thized, in spite of all. After an hour or two the leathersoftened, and the boy forgot his rage and the agony ofthe morning, till the time to kick the mopboard cameround again. Every hour of free time was improved by L
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