ht, for Mrs. Sanders brought her broom down on the front step
with a great bang with one hand, and she smoothed her front hair with
the other, as she answered Uncle Josh: "No, Deacon Parmenter, I couldn't
bring myself to set such an example. You must take good care of the
boys, and see that they do not get into any mischief. If I was their
mothers, I'd feel safer about them to know you was with 'em."

Uncle Josh had a spell of coughing just then, and it seemed to last him
till he and the boys were away past the miller's house, and going down
the slope toward the pond.

It was frozen beautifully, for the weather had been bitterly cold,
without any snow to speak of. The pond was all one glare and glitter,
and more than twenty men and boys were already at work on it, darting
around, like birds on their ringing, spinning, gliding skates. Only that
some of the smaller boys put one more in mind of tumbler pigeons than of
any other kind of birds.

It was quite wonderful how quickly Joe and Billy had their new skates
on, and Uncle Josh looked immensely pleased to see how well they both
knew how to use them.

"Why, boys, you haven't tumbled down once. How's that?"

"Oh, we know how," said Billy; "and the ice is great. Thick ice always
skates better'n thin ice."

But Uncle Josh had seated himself on the sled, and was hard at work
trying to put on Brother Bob's big skates.

They fitted him well enough, but he seemed to have a deal of trouble in
getting hold of the straps.

"Seems as if my feet were further away from me than they were twenty
years ago."

"Joe," said Billy, "let's help. We can strap 'em for him."

"That's good, boys. Pull tight. Tighter. Let me stamp a little.
There--one hole tighter. Now buckle."

And so they went on, till Uncle Josh's skates were strapped, as Joe
Pearce said, "so they couldn't wiggle."

"That's all right," said Uncle Josh. "Now, you boys, just skate away,
anywhere, and I'll enjoy myself."

They hardly liked to leave him, but off they went, for the boys to whom
they wanted to show their new skates were away over on the other side of
the pond.

"I don't know if this ice is twenty feet thick," muttered Uncle Josh, as
he pulled his feet under him, "but it looks twenty miles slippery. Ice
on this pond always freezes with the slippery side up. Steady, now.
There! I'm glad I've got the sled to sit down on."

It was well it was a good strong sled, with thick ice under it, for
Uncle Jos