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When the music was slow, the procession seemed to crawl like a thing afraid: it grew livelier, and the creature darted forward with a spring, gliding rapidly among the arches, in and out, curling, twisting, turning, never losing form, until at the shrill call of the bugle rising above the music, it suddenly resolved itself into boys and girls standing in double semicircle before Madame van Gleck's pavilion.
These pavilions, and there are others beside, have all been erected since daylight. That semicircular one, containing Mynheer Korbes's family, is very pretty, and proves that the Hollanders are quite skilled at tent-making; but I like the Van Gleck's best, the centre one, striped red and white, and hung with evergreens. The one with the blue flags contains the musicians.
Something red, that is all. There is a blue spot flitting near it, and a dash of yellow nearer still. Spectators at this end of the line strain their eyes, and wish they had taken their post nearer the flagstaff. The wave of cheers is coming back again. Now we can see. Katrinka is ahead! She passes the Van Holp pavilion. The next is Madame van Gleck's.
Probably one of our silver half-dollars would have purchased all that his saintship left at the peasant Bouman's; but a half-dollar's worth will sometimes do for the poor what hundreds of dollars may fail to do for the rich; it makes them happy and grateful, fills them with new peace and love. Hilda van Gleck's little brothers and sisters were in a high state of excitement that night.
It grew livelier, and the creature darted forward with a spring, gliding rapidly among the arches, in and out, curling, twisting, turning, never losing form until, at the shrill call of the bugle rising above the music, it suddenly resolved itself into boys and girls standing in a double semicircle before Madam van Gleck's pavilion. Peter and Gretel stand in the center in advance of the others.
Spectators at this end of the line strain their eyes and wish they had taken their post nearer the flagstaff. The wave of cheers is coming back again. Now we can see. Katrinka is ahead! She passes the Van Holp pavilion. The next is Madame van Gleck's. That leaning figure gazing from it is a magnet. Hilda shoots past Katrinka, waving her hand to her mother as she passes.
"Don't all talk at once, please, I can't understand." Everyone panted and looked at Rychie Korbes, who was their acknowledged spokeswoman. "Why," said Rychie, "we are to have a grand skating match on the twentieth, on Mevrouw van Gleck's birthday. It's all Hilda's work. They are going to give a splendid prize to the best skater."
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