Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1857-01-16
11urtitul' Selections.
SCENE IN A VERMONT WINTER.
BY cTrARLes c. EASTMAN.

lis a fearful night in the winter time,
As cold as it ever can be;
The roar Of the storm is heard Ike the chime
OF the waves on an angry sea
The moon is full, but her silver light
The storm dashes out with his wings to night
And over The sky from south to north,
Not star seen as the winds come forth
In the strength of mighty glee.
All day the snow came down-all day
AS it never came down before,
And over the earth at night there lay
Some two or three feet ormore.
The fence was lost, and the wall Of stone;
The windows blocked and the well curb gonei
The haystack grown to a mountain lift;
And the wood pile looked like monster drift
As it lay at the farmers door.
As the night set in, came hail and snow,
And the air grew sharp and chill,
And the warning roar Of a sullen blow
Was heard on the distant hilli
And the Norther! see on the mountain peak,
In his breath how the old trees writhe and shrek
He shouts along the plain, Ho! Ho!
He drives from his nostrils the binding show,
And growls with a savage will.
Such night as this to be found abroad
In the snow and the singing air,
A shivenng dog, in the field by the road,
When the hail through his shaggy hair
The wind drives hard, doth crouch and growl,
And shut his ewes with a dismal howl;
Then to shield himself from the cutting sltet
His nose is pressed on his quiveriug feet,
Pray, what does the dog do there?
His master came from the town tonight,
And lost the Travelled way;
And for hours he trodswith main and might
A path for his horse and sleigh;
But deeper still the snow drifts grew,
And colder still the fierce wind blew;
And his mare, beautiful Morgan brown,
AT hast Der z log had floundered down,
That deep in huge drift lay.
Many plunge, with frenzed snort,
She made in the heavy snow;
And her master strove till his breath grew shor
With word and gentle blow;
But the snow was deep, and the tugs were tight
His hands were numb'd, and had lost their nigh
So he struggled back to his sleigh again,
And strove to shelter himself in vain,
With his coat and his buffalo.
He had given the last faint jerk Of the rein
To rouse up his dying steed;
And the poor dog bowls to the blast in vain
For help in his masters need.
He strives for a while with a wistful cry
10 catch but glance from his heavy eye;
And wags his tail if the rude wind flap
The skirts Of his coat across his lap,
And WINES that he takes no heed.
The wind goes down, the storm is DER,
lis the hour of midnight past;
The forest writhes and bends no more
In the rush of the mighty blast.
The moon looks out with silver light
On the high old hills, with the snow all white,
Aud the giant shadow of Cancels Hump,
OF ledge, and tree, and ghostly stump,
On the silent plain are cast.
But there are they-by the hidden log
Whoc came that night from The town
All dead the man and his faithful dog,
And his beautiful Morgan brown
He sits in his sleigh-hs face is bland
With his cap on his head, and the reins in his har
The dog with his head on his masters feet,
And the horse half seen through the crusted sic
Where she lay when she doundered down.