never heard of a swell like that." And
Uncle Josh--for he was uncle to all the small boys in the village--shook
his fat sides with laughter, but it was not all about the remarkable
ice, for his next question was, "But, Billy, you've put all your skating
on one foot. How's that?"

"'Cause it's all in one skate."

"Well, it's big enough. Why don't you divide it, and give the other foot
a fair share?"

"I've put mine on the other foot," shouted Joe, trying to balance
himself on one leg and hold up an uncommonly large skate for inspection.

How those skates were strapped on! They were even steadied with pieces
of rope, and had bits of wood and leather stuffed in under the straps to
make them fit.

"You see, Uncle Josh," explained Billy, "my brother Bob he went away to
college, and left his skates, 'cause, he said, the college was out of
ice this winter. And Joe Pearce he didn't have any. And Christmas forgot
to give me any. And so we divided 'em, and took the sled, and we're
going to the big pond."

"That was fair. Only you haven't divided the sled."

"The sled won't divide," said Joe, with a solemn shake of his curly
head; "but I'd like to divide my skate with my other foot."

"I'll tell you what, boys," suddenly exclaimed Uncle Josh, "let's have a
little Christmas of our own."

"Have you got any?" asked Billy.

"I guess I have. Come right along to the store with me."

"Come on, Joe. Keep your skate on. Don't limp any more'n you can help."

But both he and Joe cut a queer figure as they followed Uncle Josh up
the street; for when a boy makes one of his legs longer than the other,
and slips and slides on that foot, it makes a good deal of difference in
the way he walks.

Everybody knew Uncle Josh, and although he was a deacon and a very good
man, everybody expected to see a smile on his face, and to hear him
chuckle over something when they met him. So nobody was half so much
surprised as Joe and Billy were, and their surprise did not come to them
until they reached the store. But it came then.

"Skates for these boys," said Uncle Josh, as they went in. "One for each
foot, all around. Straps too."

That was it, and now the boys were doing more chuckling than Uncle Josh
himself.

"Billy," asked Joe, "do you know what to say?"

"Why, we must thank him."

"Yes, I s'pose so. But that doesn't seem to be half enough."

"Can't we thank him big, somehow?"

"Enough for two pair of skates?"

"That's so. We