Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-04-10

moonlight; great fields of ice, above which
the auroras hang in crimson clouds. and
over which the numbering white bear, fol-
owed by her cubs, climbs and tumblgs
4 should Ike to go there ,aid Constant.
Thou 4 said the North Wind. contempt
/ tuously. 'fhou, who, if in PLAY, do
! Ut twcak thine ears and pinch thy
nose little, must run complaining to thy
mother Thou 60 there am another
fellow up at Pc ley. Will thou travel
with me suppose, some day, .lst for
| sport, was to take all the skin from thy
! face with my sharp nails, or twist thy nose
entirely off Ii is not that mean i'll, but
my llev i, rougher than intend it should
| be, AMI bcsidss am SO full Of life and spir-
its that hardly know what am about
/ Bat out at sea, there thou shouldst know
me. The salt air gets into my head.
whip the waves into a irOth as bic. ly as thy
mother heats the white of nn egg. \ ship
or two goes down, or send an iceberg ike
II ninepIn bail against muu-Uf-war--thou
mayst guess which Of the two upset' first
but that is only the eject OF high spIits !;
| can scarcely contain myself.
Il will not be thy iellow-traveicr. said
Constant. How do they relish thy rough
ways at Cape ley .
ceremony is not in vogue at the Cape"
replied the North Wind, struggling his
shoulders like FrcnchmAn
rs me about tt y friends at the Gap
entrrated Constant.
There are so many y returned the North
Wind. j find there my most congenial COM
panions perhaps in the water fowl who re-
gularly spend the summer there. We 20
North together. They are delightful COM
pany. Thou shouldst hear us as We sweep
across the blue sky, ranked like soldiers -
IL is a question who screams the loudest.-
All day long we spread our wings, only
dropping for u few minutes to take breath
upon the mailod hospms of lakes that fash
like steel IN the winter sunshine. At might
we find some marsh In the heart of forest,
brstliug with reeds and full OF hollow trees
and stumrs that are good for shelter
What IL clattsr when We say good night
There is Drusilla, the wild duck and Gull
da, the wild goose. and Sylvia, the wild
swan, who is my beauty. She loves woods
and waters ana fair solitary places. Poets
rhyme about her. They will tell you she
sings her own death song. | can only say
| never heard her. We of the North are
not musically inclined |, the North Wind
who lead the choir, have myself, aroughness
Of tho throat.
j have heard thee. said C-nstant, some
times on winter nights, speaking down in
yonder hollow where the pine trees stand.
Then thy voice was sad and tender. like the
low tone Of the organ, when my sister
plays it very softly and lowly just before
church time
Il am thinking of home, then said the
North Wind. Down among the pines and
hemlocks. lose all my spirits, thinking Of
Cape ley. Oh. couldst thou see Cape ley,
4 4
OF those wonderful mountains Of lee. hose
wonderful valleys OF snow IT | could
describe to Tho. o"r m,racn'ous nights
months long.-lghtcd up hy nuroras OF
every color; our skies where dny and night
sometimes reign toyr rther-mnUniight and
stars in the North and sunlight in the
SUuth-our long day that Is So Late III set
ting that We almost forget what night is =
'Od, II could 60 there y said Constant.
'Inou - sail the North Wind; our polar
nights would bleach thee as white as my
handkerchief and the North Wind pulled
out Of his hrcIst-pockct handkerchief
that was like driven snow, and cmhrod-red
with delicate frost wOrS-an elegant thing
for 50 rough II fellow To clrry-hnd blew his
nose with sound like trumpet AT
night, how thou wouldst wish for tho sun
rise in he polar day, how thou wouldSt
tire OF perpetual brightness, and long Tor
the gentle, gradual shadows OF night. 1t
would not SUIT thee there ut all. Thou
wouldst meet with II rough reception at
Cape ley There is Britta, the bear she
would give thee Il hug
What about her 4 asked Constant,
sShe wears snow white robe, like the
princess Ernlina the Ermine, only lot 81
huc. said the North Wind, 'Aud is q great
lady. Thou stuuldst see her tumbllng over
the icclergs with her cups after her. Some
times the ice cracks and away nJits Brltta
on one piece and her cubs ON another. She
may howl after them, but she will never see
them again.
'On. poor Brittn = exclaimed Constant,
'and does she love her cubs
Dearly said the North Wlud, she will
fight Tor them like II soldier. She is II great
traveller. Sometimes, on a rait OF ice, she
drifts across an ocean. She could tell won
d-riul stories. But our lady Britta is not
given to talking, and is vastly uusociable
Her affections are entirely oentertd upon
her own family
| Nv no beside Britta = asked Constant
'Ibere is Selma, the seal answered the
North Wind She is a curiosity. If thou
| couldst see her, us | often have, stretched
out in the sunshine upon ledge OF solid ice
that is washed by the green waves Of the
sea, thou wouldst take her, looking at her
! from u little distance. for some fabulous
monster, with tho head Of IL human being,
tho body Of an animal, and the tail Of fish.
Her eyes arc large and calm as thy sister
Meas and she has famous pair of whlsk-
ers. 10 her, the poets owe many OF their
stories about Tritous and syrcns and sea
gods She is the happest person know
AFRAID neither Of cold nor heat 80 little
fastidous about her diet that she will dino
contentedly upon either herbs or fish; 81 IN
different about her lodging, that she is n
home on land, water, or lee.
That is the way to get along in thisjworld
Besides she is II most Intelligent creature
and only needs certain advantages ot society
and education which, unhappily,are rare a
the North, to become most accomplished -
Her children take alter her, Ihoy wuull
know their mother in the midst OF II thou
sand like her, and are surprisingly obedien
to her voice. Some VI them, when carrie,
away from her, nave been known to rrtus
food and die Ct griti. They are sleep
set, loving to lie III the sun, stretched GU
on the rocks aud lodges Of ice. Bat th".
are brisk enough in the watcr-tho'
shouldn't see them at play in il. The seal
have nciEhhor. Nalhdlla, the Nalrus, ii
, is u big fellow. lie has tu>ks like AN eie
ph,nt, and spuuts water through his nos
, like whale. TIE Warusps are u bol
family, and stand by each other ia time &
danger. But perhaps thou art gettin
sleepyf said the North Wind.
Not at all, said Constant, i am ncye
/ sleep except IN the morning, when n
NOR er shakes me by the arm and bids III
, drc.s in hurry, hecau,e it is near scho'
+ tina. My head seems to grow to my pl
+, low then, hut nm wide awake thi. tim"
:, night. Tell mo more about thy friends
, Cape Icy
i should keep thee awake till morning
id the North Wind, III were to tel th
y all know, and hear thy mother locklr
e up the sideboard, and thy sister Meta loe
=. ing the kitchen door