A SKATING STORY.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1781, 5 November 1879, Page 3

A SKATING STORY.

It was just twenty years ago yesterday, says Reid G-ordon, that a party of ua fellers went over to Bergen Greek, on a skating match. The day was colder than ten icebergs, the ice smooth as glasß, and we made up our minds to have a heap of fun. Bill Berry was the leader of the crowd. He was a tall six-footer, full of pluck, and the beat skater in all creation. Give Billy Berry a pair of skates and smooth sailing, and he'd make the trip to Baffin's Bay and back again in twenty-four hours, only stopping long enough at Halifax to take a drink. Well, we got to the oreek and fastened our skates on, and after taking a good horn from Joo Tumor's llask, started off in good style, Bill Berry taking the lead. As I was telling you, it was a dogged cold day, and we had to skate fast to keep the blood up. There was little air-holes in tho ice, and every now and then we would come near going into them. My skates got loose, and I tried to fasten 'em. Just as I had finished buckling the strap 3 I saw something shooting along the ice like lightning. It was Billy Berry's head. He had been going it like greased electricity, and before he knew it, he was into one of them air-holes. The force was so groat as to cut his head off against the sharp corners of the ice. " It's all day with Bill Berry," said I. " And all night too," said Joe Turner. Juiit as he had got these words out of his mouth, I looked at Bill's head, which had been going it on the ice, and all at once it dropped into another hole. We ran to it, and I heard Bill Berry say, " Quick, boys, quick! pull me out!" I looked into the hole, and there, as I am a sinner, was Bill Berry's body, whioh had shooted along under the ice, and met the head at the hole in tho ico. It was so shock* ing cold the head had frozen fast to the body, and we pulled Bill out as good as new. He felt a little numb at first, but after skating

awhile he felt as well as the rest of us, and laughed over the joke. We went home after dark, all satisfied with the day's sport. About ten o'clock in the evening somebody knocked at the door and said I was wanted over at Bill Berry's. I put on my coat and went over. There lay Bill's body in one place and his head in another. His wife said that after he had come from skating he sat down by the fire to warm himself, and, while attempting to blow his nose, he threw his head into the fireplace. The coroner was called that night, and the verdict of the jury was—" That Bill Berry came to his death by skating too fast."