ok a foolish
pleasure in encouraging both young men. She lived only in the
intoxication of the moment, quite careless of the fact that she was
laying up sorrow for herself as well as for others.

The winter had opened with a severe frost preceding the snow, and the
Oro was a glittering sheet of ice. In the daytime the school children
covered the shining expense, and when a game of shinny was in progress
Mr. Watson might ring his bell till it cracked. But in the evenings
the grown-up youth of the village appropriated the pond. Every night
it was black with skaters, while occasionally a group would spin away
up the river under the dark, over-shadowing banks.

The pond, however, was the centre of attraction. For several evenings
Wee Andra had been furnishing hilarious entertainment for the village
by his agonized efforts to skate. Donald had undertaken the herculean
task of instructing him in the art, and no one envied him his position.
For while the Glenoro giant was not utterly devoid of agility on his
native element, on the ice, and crippled by skates, he was as helpless
as an ocean steamship without an engine and almost as difficult to
navigate. The crowd generally gave him a wide space for their
gyrations, for, when Wee Andra succumbed to the forces of gravity he
never managed to descend unaccompanied.

One evening the tutor called in reinforcements. It was the last night
of his holidays and he did not want to spend it all on even such a
faithful friend as Andrew. So Donald summoned Allan Fraser to assist
him in piloting his unsteady burden to the other shore. With their
pupil hanging helpless between them, the two young men staggered
uncertainly along, followed by a noisy crowd, very merry, and very
prodigal of advice of a highly mirth-provoking order. Between his
frantic lunges the victim was vowing death and destruction to all and
sundry, from his faithful teachers down, as soon as he was free from
the accursed shackles. The young man's wrath was not appeased by the
fact that his supporters were weak with laughter and that Bella
Hamilton was skimming gaily up the river with Mack Fraser, the most
expert skater on the pond.

Jessie was circling around with Maggie, waiting for Donald. She had
promised him this last evening. He was to join her as soon as he had
dragged his friend once more over the slippery circuit. Just as Donald
turned away, the minister came skating smoothly towards her. He had