Winter Fun

e door was shut, but the gate was open; and in it stood a gray-haired dame with a sharp nose and silver-rimmed spectacles. The

his left hand was on the nose of a nice-looking horse; and behind the horse was a neat, bright, very red cut

w for about as hard a month's work as ever you put in; bu

her, just

red, and varnished, and you've put on a new goose-neck in place of the bro

I'll take you to meeting in it next Sunday. You ought to see h

to do. You've been a-raisin' on him since before

ully all her thoughts about it and about the sorrel colt. She was a faithful mother; but there was pride in her e

s got the nicest horse and cutter,-that is, for his age,

ning. If he were not just a little "spiled," it was no fault of his mother. She was a widow, and he was her only son; and she had talked to him and about him pretty steadily from the day he was born. He looked older than he really was now, and she often said so; but she sometimes added that he knew

e there's a chance a-coming that you'll have a better-looking load to ha

's ride to the meeting-house; but Jeff whinnied gently in reply, as if to e

he manger; "but they don't know what good sleighing is. We'll show 'em, soon as we

al about them, and particularly about their general ignorance concerning snow, ice, cold weather, and all the really good things of genuine winter. Both she and her son evidently had kindly and liberal feelings towards the hardest kind of frost, and were free to say as much, but were in doubt as to whether

lk, and not in their shortcomings so much as in the fact that certain of them seemed to be too long a-coming. They were away back

dith, I

en, my

and was followed by the clatter of an

ded like

es alive! but they ought

aunt J

long hind-legs of a big pair of waffle-irons stick

another pan. What's got into me to-night? I just do want

cold as it made the tip of her nose, to strain her blue eyes across the snowy fields, or up the white, glistening reaches of

es alive! if she hasn't gone and stuck them waffle

lost waffle was carrying

forgot. I just w

omethin'. If you ain't a trial to me, I wouldn't say so. N

burned a

you'd ha' known better'n that. Why, when I was

Judith was shaking out the smoking remains of the spo

it. You'll burn u

ollowed, and then she agai

see if it wants any more wood on it. They'll

roaring fireplace to make sure that no kind of chill coul

han it did to him, and therefore he had yielded again, and there was a stove there also. It was hard at work now. He had insisted, however, that the wide, low-ceilinged, comfortable sitting-room should

was bright and clean. But she thought she had never before seen it so full. "Such a big back-log!" she exclaimed al

heaped it up just before he set out for the village.

ikes fire

Pen, just you put down that poker. Do you want to h

e lies c

u alone one minute. You'll burn the house

h a fire as that was a terrible temptation. Almost any man in the world might have been glad to

they

d aunt Judith put her hand to her ear, and took

ldn't w

our sleigh, I know it is. Sha

out that chiny thing your mothe

forgo

she had forgotten when she set the table, for she had walked anxiously a

time Pen had brought the china pitcher for the sirup from its shelf in the closet, and once more darted to the windo

s Corry's turn. I guess Susie isn't used t

of some importance whether Penelope or aunt Ju

great gate, and a tall boy sprang out of the sleigh to open it. The front-door of the ho

e, Corry? Did

the sleigh respond

oth. They're right here, a

There's co

mbered to turn and shou

e they are! They'

in the doorway, with the stea

the whole house. Poor things! and

an idea that it was gene

m got out first, and was followed by his wife. They were followed by a very

Susie

her, a little more dignifiedly, there descended from the sleigh a boy who may have been two years younge

r, "don't you mean to

ned by it at all. It was not altogether because he was a boy, and a big one, but that he was more a stranger. Susie had paid her country-cousins a long summer visit

on into the house with his cousins. Aunt Judith was at last able to clo

heir things off, and then aunt Judith all but forced them into

splend

y. She had already won aunt Judith's heart over again by being so glad to see her, and she kept right on winning

fire," said Porter with emphas

and maple-sugar for supper," sa

er: "they're ver

," chimed in Susie. "The slei

u have in the city?" su

ave ours removed as fast as it comes d

d have a high time of it if we

hen it does very well where th

have 'em in

hat were full of pity, but at that moment

atch the waffle-irons

med Susie. "I nev

'll show you; that is,

't cold one bit. I

Pen may have been six years younger, but she was conscious of a feeling of immense superiority in her capacity of cook. She kept it until, as she was going over, for Susi

les, Pen. You'r

one, just a little.

nt Judith. "I'd as lief eat burnt le

fill 'em up for Susie to t

t Judith from making a breath of objection, and the r

Pen. "They want to come out when they

diligently; but she had not at all counted on what m

d about the Stebbinses

s very morning, and I told him; and he said

d see hi

for, only a few minutes before aunt Judith poured

d borry a drawin' of tea of Miss Farnham. Don't you miss nothin'. City ways'll spile most anybod

of the door with his teacup, and it looked as if he were

deeply absorbed in her experiment, there came a loud rap at the kitchen-door; then, without waiting for any on

made him color so red as he did when Susie Hudson let go of

Vosh? How is

, but she's wrong this time. I don't see as you're stuck up

e truth, to save his life. It was very bad for him sometimes; and now, before Susie could smot

out of tea, by a long ways; but she heard the deacon's sleigh a-com

. You tell your mother I wish she'd send me over a dozen of eggs

h. "I'll fetch 'em over.-S

the sitti

ght in. Corry's there too, and mother, and-

so i

proceeds of that careless cookery upon a plate. "It's only spiled on one side. There's always some

ext trial succeeded; but politeness required him to walk on

country in winter before in all his life, an

an invitation from Mrs. Farnham to stay to supper,

ast fall. It most killed him, but it busted the irons, and we've been 'tending to have '

e; for Susie had made one triumphant success, and she might not do

were coming in rapidly and in perfect condition. Everybody had been hungry, and felt more so now; and even Porter Hudson was compel

fles, but I'll teach Susie. Then she can make 'em for you wh

an bu

eggs, only they get stole. You'll hav

y that too

f the woods. You just ough

keep 'em both till then, and make them e

all their years had not taken it out of the older faces. Perhaps the city cousins, with especial help from Susie rather than Porter, had somewhat the advantage in good looks. They had it in dress also; but when it came to names-well, aunt Judith herself had had th