Winter Fun

the farmhouse, but they had been only about enough to keep the sleighing in good order. The weath

ain't nothin' at all t

yet," said the deacon.

en this place of ourn jest snowed in for days and days, so't y

t it, all in the same strain; and the only consolat

. The choppers haven't had to lose a day of time,

n, however, as they were all about to learn. The very Saturday after the spelling-

mewhere among the mountains, an

g one this time, real old-fashioned sort. We mu

t; but the white flakes fell faster and faster, ho

r ourselves, we'll lay in all the wood we'll need for to-m

wouldn't ha' misse

from the sitting-room windows, while even aunt J

like;" and Mrs. Farnham rema

thing like that i

lendid. It's the grandest s

yet, and the fluttering flak

before is coming now," said Pen. "The

s after supper as white as so many polar bears, to stamp and la

athering closely around the fireplace; and the flames poured

h plied their knitting. Susie showed Pen how to crochet a tidy. It was very cosey and comfortable; but all the while th

last. "But we'll have some sh

s we

a good time get

there won't be any going to meeting t

hirling before the wind with a gustier sweep than ever,

r had to be at work good and early, and the task b

try had received special attention from their human protectors. They were all s

the house and the pigpen, and a worse one was p

y impatiently waited for the breakfa

Corry. "Hadn't we better stop

Port go f

hole they meant to make through it, while the grown-up

you think this is pretty ha

bout Sunday. The cows don't either

e it's a

Sunday, and the Lord sent the snow, and we needn't worr

father s

him saying it

on't you think it's pretty h

Hear those pigs! The

laining their condition to all the outside world, or trying to, and car

to wait. Before the great drift at the gate could be conquered, it was breakfast-time for human

the snow and wind did not take any resting spell, but kept

"doesn't this make y

land, or

don't believe the Russians get a

don't want to live there. There won

drifts between this and the village. All hands'll have t

reached, and all the quadrupeds and bipeds were fo

id Corry; and he was right about that, but there was

ns is getting along. Ther

or his age,-likeliest youngster in the whole valley.

hard and late as he had worked the night

; "but I do wish I knowed how the deacon's folks was

l give Susie and Port some notion

storm decided that it had done enough, and it began to subside. Now and then it again took hold as if i

ess," said the deacon; "but all

y had made on Sunday had to be shovelled ou

re made wide and clear, walled high on either side with tremendous banks of snow. It was after

ont-yard, vigorously punching a snow-bank with a small shovel,

e road. What can it be?-Sarah, call to Joshaway!

ft a few rods beyond the gate. The boys saw it too, and they and the deacon and

ry, "shall we go a

thrash around like th

ort. "There he comes-no, he's

be smot

had never watched any thing before, and just then a

unt Sarah!-It's

er, and he's come throu

ah, b

nging shout Vosh sent towards the house th

ere's more'n we want up our way. Let ye

d the deacon. "How'd

ummer, if you don't waste it. M

. Come on in an

e him. Aunt Judith talked as fast as his own mother could have done, and insisted on his sitting down before the fireplace while sh

m," said Vosh, "I

our mo

olks, and I said I'd come over and see.-Susie, did

ou ever ge

most of the way,

k by the same hol

won't stay long, though: mother'll

minutes of merry talk, they all gathered a

here's the makin' of a man in Vosh. He g

e had said befor

ll be out a-breakin

ter Vosh had gone, he added, "and sno

work it?"

tough job, and the roads'll

"how'll they do it,-

rt it to? You ju

daylight next morning saw them all rushing out again. Port felt a lit

e greater part; and you could see the top rail

hen the deacon's hired man came down the lane, driving the b

, and out into the snow, with a

nged and snorted; but before long they seemed

e deacon. "We'll break that way

ood that a great deal of road could be opened in such a way as that, if all the farmers turned out to do it. They were likely to; for none of them

ong brown plough-horses. When they were tired, out came the best yoke of oxen; and it was fun enough to see the great, clumsy creatures, all but

," said Corry. "They wouldn'

hem with his snow-shovel. His paths were all in a condition that spoke well for his i

h can't do any thing but spell for dixinar

t's

him were Mrs. Farnham and aunt Judith, and Susie and Pen; and you could have

ast word had been a sho

in our front-yard t

ther "gangs," as Vosh called them, here and there down the road. In some places, where the

ne team'd have to lie down an

ne, but he added, "I've had to burrow through a drif

ght came, it was pretty clear that "the roads were open." A sleigh came up from Benton with a man in it who had business

r, barns and all. He had to make a kind of a tunnel

houses too; not little hencoops of things, like that there house of old Deacon Paulding's. He's a small specimen too. He'd need

ugh to Porter and Susie,

be some water when al

ht all day. It was brighter still on the day that followed; and towards

nham, "do you think the

It looks more like

ebruary, but it 'pears as if it

inter seemed to have let go its hold, and while a dull, slow, cold rain came pouring down upon the snow-drifts. They

en I was a girl," said aunt Judith. "Th

before this came," said her broth

g, and aunt Judith's prophecy was fulfilled. The crust over the great s

drift, and walked away towards the open

of fun?"

ding down hill, snow-shoeing in

for al

ded yesterday, and it's frozen hard now. There's acres and acres

aunt Judith and Susie to the windo

ong our skates, after all. The