ittle felt immensely
superior to Katy whose skates were two years old and not nearly so
shiny.

It was a radiant afternoon, frosty and clear. The pond was covered with
skaters of all ages. Some of the men were pulling women and children on
sleds.

Frank strapped the little girls' skates on firmly. Katy struck off
boldly for herself, while Marian helped Gertie. Frank undertook to keep
Chicken Little from measuring her length on the ice--no small task for
the child was ambitious and daring. Great was her joy when she finally
succeeded in taking a few short strokes without having her feet shoot
out from under her. Presently Frank left her to her own devices while he
went to skate with Marian.

"My feet don't seem to want to go the same way I do," she complained to
Gertie after two hard bumps.

Gertie was proceeding more cautiously and had fewer falls in
consequence.

"I guess you'll learn pretty soon--my--just see Katy!"

Katy was circling around as gracefully and easily as if there were no
such thing as falls to dread. Chicken Little began to lose faith in the
superiority of her new skates.

"Katy skates most as well as the boys--I don't see how she does it," she
said enviously.

"Cousin Sim taught her last winter. Oh, see, those boys are making an
eight on the ice and,--Carol's writing his name I do believe."

"Yes, and there's Pat and Mike--dear me, it seems as if everybody can
skate just as easy 'cept me."

The little girls stood watching the boys wistfully as they glided along
cutting marvellous figures on the ice. The boys were bent on showing off
for Marian's benefit.

"Tired, little girls?" called the latter, skating gaily past, her cheeks
rosy with exercise and the frosty air.

"No--o," said Jane slowly, "I'm not tired but my ankles hurt and the ice
seems to get slipprier and slipprier."

"I'll help you if you want me to," said a voice at her elbow, and
Chicken Little looked around to find Pat Casey standing shyly beside
her, cap in hand.

"I think I could be after showing you how to do it."

She hesitated a moment wondering what her mother would say to her
skating with Pat, then deciding to take the chance, put out her hand
with a little smile. Things went better after that for the Irish lad had
a good deal of chivalry in his make-up and was very patient and careful.

"Hello, Pat," said Frank, skating up. "That's good of you--I believe
you're a better teacher than I was. You'll skate like a