Did You Hear About The Time I Went Skating On Thin Ice?

Archie Brown’s mom, Betty Lou, was often heard to warn her children, “You are skating on thin ice!” One day that adage took on new meaning for our hero! It happened on another trip to Arkansas, this time over the Christmas holidays.

The weather was very cold, especially for a boy from Central Texas. One night the creek that ran by his grandparents froze over. It was the first time Archie had ever seen such a freeze. He had never been ice skating, but that changed that day.

Archie and his cousin, Sherman, and Archie’s sister Cathy got on the ice, just in their shoes, and skated down the creek. It was a great adventure for them all. They skated fro most of a mile.

Sherman was leading the way, as he was familiar with both the area and the ice. Cathy followed him, with Archie bringing up the rear. Suddenly, Sherman felt the ice crack. He immediately turned left and got off the ice. So did Cathy. Archie saw them move and began to move toward the bank, but his size was a problem. He outweighed Sherman by 25 pounds or so.

Before he could get off the ice, it broke and Archie went through into the cold water. It was not too deep, only up to his chest. He fought his way to the shore and climbed out of the creek. Archie was very cold, and he began to run to his grandmother’s home. Before he could reach the warmth of the fireplace, his clothes began to freeze on him.

When he arrived, he took off the cold clothes at once, put on dry clothes, and stood for a time shivering by the fire. And every time he heard his mom’s warning, he thought of the consequences. It became a much more significant tool in his mother’s hands.