Winter Fun

and ride to the farmho

for the girls would scream a little, and laugh a great deal, when the sleigh sank suddenly on one side in a snowy hollow, or slid too rapidly after the oxen down a steeper slope than common. It was great fun; a

aid aunt Farnham. "I don't be

t a bit

Judith; "but ain't you hungry?-Pe

ld eat a kruller, and Pen h

a few minutes later, there was a great shouting at the kitchen-door, and there were the two boys. The whole family

bbits over. Something in the tone of that remark seeme

. I never fired a gun

and a very good one to make

you've done tip-top. You'll ma

rabbits on the

Vosh with a sly look. "Di

"you can just ask him. He's the

ot he does

your mother to come over with you

she will. I'll fini

d away, very straight, with a curious feelin

ople were all remarkably ready for that

't know chopping down tree

Port and Corry are suffering from that. You did your cho

all over the house, and showed her every thing in it, from the apples in the cellar to the spinning

You ought to see it. She's going to spin

er to teach

I'll teach you how. It's awfu

and some other things, and was getting a little

just to narrow 'em in at the toes. Aunt Judith says th

Pen! did you know how late it is? W

the barns, and delivered to Mrs. Farnham and aunt Judith the eggs they had found

said Porter. "Wh

men got lost. We take horse-chestnuts fo

you make

lack. If it's white, you put o

ting out of checker-men; but Cor

more about checkers than he di

a full run." He got up from the last one they played, feeling a very fair degree of res

n a little the other way; and he was not half sure he could a

both boys had been very obstinate in not makin

ter tea; and Porter went out with Corry, d

ver milk c

did; but I guess

but you can learn before you go home. Some

o knew how; and he had the satisfaction of seeing Corry kicked over into the snow-pail, milk, and a

eaten; and when, at last, the boys had finished their duties,

middle of it. It seemed, however, the most natural thing in the world, that they should all be sitting in a great semicircle

what are all those flat

to bring 'em up,-butternuts and hickory-n

go wit

usie, and we'll bring up the ap

ke you did once. You may fetch up a cake of maple-sugar, if anybody wants any

hese only served to make that cellar look ten times larger and darker and more mysterious. It seemed as if it had neither sides nor ends; but the heavy black beams overhead were

it'll be hard enough some time.

the littl

in the world when it's old enough. Whenever anybody in the

real

l the mince-pies o

so m

t held double rows of pies all ready to be carried up and warmed for use. Susie would have been wil

hey've come. Don't yo

t Judith up stairs had turned

twise, on a quiet night like this. I remember one night it was a-stormin', and the wind blew so h

ld hear

. Let them do their own talkin', specially Susie. I can't begin to tell

ther somethin' to eat," snapped aunt Judit

a bag of what she called "'tucket corn." It was corn with small, round, blue-black kernels, that can pop out larger and whiter, for its size, than any other kind that grows. There is a l

aiting out there in the cold until somebody should come to let her in. She

haven't gone away somewhere the very first night, have they? Vosh

geline, you jest take off your hood and sit down.-Vosh, there'

brile. And they seen a deer too. I'd ha' thought they might ha' shot it, if it was nigh enough. But then, deer isn't anyways like as easy to ki

ellar, with every pair of hands full and a little

asn't no older'n you be now. She was Joshaway Farnham's sister. And so she's gone South for her health, and your father's gone with her, and you've come to put in the rest of your

pon the table the tall brown pitcher of cider, the pans of fruit, and the maple-sugar. The young folks had a chance to say a word to Vosh, and Corry and Porter each picked up a flat-iron and a hammer. There were

nd somethin' else is in fashion. Got to wearin' short dresses, hev they? Think of me, or Judith, or your aunt Sarah Farnham, in short dresses! Wearin' panners too. I do say! What won't they put on next! Last th

Mrs. Farnham, "do take

and some nuts.-Joshaway, pour her out a mug of cider.-Pen, go to the cu

No more the butternuts aren't, somehow; but I must say, you make out to have

There was the heaped-up plate of snowy white popped corn, and beside it was the tempting little hill of cracked hickory-nuts and butternuts. Susie broke off for her a noble piece of m

. "Corry told us this morning abou

ng just as Mrs. Stebbins had lifte

father"-But she had to pause a m

olled over. We weren't twenty feet from him. Deacon Farnham he fired first, and then I did, and C

never could ha' lifted a fat hog cl

rs. Stebbins; but aunt Jud

ce-pie. It's cold, but sometimes it's

ch for the memory

ing all the ice the fire had left in that sitting-room. They were old acquaintances all around, and were chatting away

to look into the corners of his newspaper while he pared an apple, or talked to Mrs. Stebbins. The light of the great astral-lamp on the table mingled with that from the fireplace in a sort of re

e of silence, and at the end of it Vosh burst

w any thing jollier'n thi

checkers. You ought to have seen the way h

play well enough for way up here, but you can't think of comin'

him try to do it; and Penelope brought out the gr

. He sat down to his new trial, therefore, with a proud assurance of a victory to come. It would have been kind of Corry to have given his cousin the least bit of a warning, but t

w of that sort. Nobody ever knows exactly how they do it, and they themselves cannot tell. Their spare men get to the king-row, and their ca

a dreadful puzzle to Port. Even Pen did not venture to suggest

a proud woman when

has wo

use for aunt

slice of pie, Angeline

bbins re

his own. Pie? Yes, Judith, you've got jest the right knack of makin' mince-pies." And while she went on to tell of the various good and bad pies she had seen or tasted, all the rest agreed with her about those they were eating. In fact, the good things of all sort

when Mrs. Stebbins began to put on her hood. They all saw her and Vosh to the door, and did not cl

iled cider in mince-pies,