So much interest is being shown in skating today. It makes me think of some of our early experiences in skating. Most of the kids' skates had heel pieces that fitted over the heel of your shoe with a strap over your ankle. Some had clamps that tightened on the sole of your shoe drawn with a lever. Better ones had a key that turned a bolt to which clamps were fastened. The most unusual ones - in fact the only ones I ever saw - were steel skates with wooden upper parts shaped like the sole of your shoe. These were owned by two young fellows who put on their dress shoes and then their good artics. When they got to where they were going to skate, they would take off their artics and then, using little wood screws, they would fasten the wooden part of the skates to the leather soles.

One or two skaters always tried to remember to fill their lanterns with kerosene. There were some old, big white pine stumps still standing in one end of the pond. The skaters would pour kerosene on some of the stumps and set them afire - and we had light and heat to warm our feet.

These two young men, Gussie Minger and Lowell Burgess, were well- liked, especially by the kids because they would listen and act interested in what the kids were saying. They both ended up in the Services in World War I. Gussie was taken prisoner of war soon after he got to Germany and spent the rest of his time there.

The Minger's farm was not far from where we lived and were known as well-to-do farmers. Theirs was the first farm we knew of with an indoor bathroom. They had the first milking machine we knew of. The older members of the family spoke with quite a strong German accent and Gussie was a great favorite with them.

There was a little branch Lehigh Valley railroad that ran from Tunkhannock to Montrose. It never moved very fast for there were some quite steep grades. I never knew the exact particulars, but Gussie was struck and killed on a grade crossing of that little branch line.