The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1857-01-21
fiam the "pudlleford Papers"
winter in the Country.

winter iu the Country.
AT sunrise, the blue jaws and other birds
gathered about The door and garden, to pick
the dry seeds that the weeds were shedding
on the earth. What are snow birds? Where
do they liveY See them chipping in yondcr
ray Of sunlight--darting hisher and thither,
like notes in beam Of light. See them go
whi-ling through tho tempest, like angel
spirits, beautiful in the very midst OF the
storm. What are they2 DO they sleep on
the wings Of the wind, or hide themselves in
scroll Of snowg How 10 it that these little
singing hnrps live on amid such drcary
scenes? The blae jays, however, were very
petalan.. Their gorgeous summer plumage
was exceedingly mussed, and they went about
from bush to bush, and tree to tree, scream
ing anu fretting at each other and them
selves. They acted like SO many Siberian
prisoners, who were forced TO brave the
blasts as the penalty Of some crime they had
committed.
Sometimes, a keen, frosty night would be
succeeded by still sunny day, when the
caves battered their sleepy music, and the
COWS strnyed away into the forest, as though
they smelt approaching spring-when the
cats few out OF the house, and chased each
other mp into the trees, and the dog went
away by himself wandering along the river
banks for reasons known only TO himself.
! These were visiting days, holidays, jubilee
days, for those animals that were housed in
/ trees, and burrowed in the earth. Go forth
into the woods. You may, on such day.
/ see the squirrel push out his head from the
door of his castle, where he has been con-
lined FOR month, and cautiously look over
the laniscare--ihen dart in again. Soon he
pu.has h,v..aff "a ri
tinidly glides down to the foot Of the tree.
Then hs tries the snow, and then again, and
finally goes cantering to the nearest stump,
and chirruping, up he goes with firt,
throws his tail oger his back, sits down, and
breaks forth into burst of song.
DO YOU believe that Squirrel remembers
his last summers ranbles in those woods
yon risulet where he drank, now sleeping
beneath its silver frostwork, and chanting
lis lQM. mufied dirge-yon icy knoll, that
stood, last June, a pyramid OF hUwers-you
hickory where he harvested his nu.s2 Is his
song for the present or the pastP
Look little farther--the solemn tread (
the turkey-~ho is busy di,interring some Of
the barred mast OF autumn. Such day is
a bright page in the lie Of the turkey. She
comes forth from beneath the roots Of up
turnel trees, from thickc.s, or hollow logs,
where she has been so long covering and
staryir. 10 hail the blessed warmth. She
dreamed away thc summer, stalking about
from wood 10 stream. and stream To wood !
she passed the pra,,dent squirrel often. in
October, and saw him roll in his winter
stores, but she ddn't know why, and nov
she is shoyeling the snow, scattering it right /
and left with hes feet, with a melancholy
twit tgit to get kernel Of bread.
Further on little gorge sloping up from
the brook. aud OIL saeh days the SHOWS melt
oil, nj the banks grow warm, and the Green
grtss shines rs brightly as il did in May 1t
Is soft and spring there. The subeams
seem 10 be all nslcd together in that spot
There are clusters OF winter birds sporting
in this temple, and OCCASIONAL. one breaks +.
forth with q note or two Of her last Jane's
song. a. though she were just twanging her
harp to try its strings. They think those
tangled sunbeams are the football OF April,
anu 50 they chirrup, and hutter, and bow TO
them, and seem to ask where gentle May is.
and when she is coming with her music and
iowers.
Sometimes the fog from the river would
freeze upon the trees during night, and the
sun would rise upon forest oil burst out
IA. u white bloom. As the sun rose higher
tue little PARTICLES glittcred and flashed, and
then 1t was forest Of silyer.-every shrub,
every bush, every tree, was silver. The
woods were frozen poem-written in
night by invisible fingers to be read for an
hour or two, and then scattered away in
shining scales for ever. These natural
changes and beauties were all that there
were 10 attract our outdoor thoughts. How
diheren. is all this from thu life OF resi- |
dent OF some large city-wherc the lie Of
IN IA Is read ia the street--and where each
d y shifts its PICTURES with its revolution,
ike the changing colours Of a kaleidoscope