The ice on the river was in perfect

The ice on the river was in perfect condition.

A small boy, with his skates on his arm, knocked at the door of the Civil War veteran, who had lost a leg at Antietam.

When the door was opened by the old man, the boy asked:
“Are you going out to-day, sir?”

“Well, no, I guess not, sonny,” was the answer. “Why?”

“If you ain’t,” the boy suggested, “I thought I might like to borrow your wooden leg to play hockey.”