The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-02-20
FoutJ'a Department.
A Severe Winter,

People ace full Of ecstasies gust now about
this very mild winter, All the agreeable
adjectiyrs are called into use 70 give faint
idea Of the very astonishing weather which
we are nov enjoying And well may We
mark this strange winter We usually have
~ il,I- mouth fpl-garm -dagz, Il IAunarY
thar, ten or fifteen days Of severe cold
wealhcrf-wheu the snow screams under our
feet as We walk along, aud the sheep and
cattle stand shiyering under the sheds, and
boys go about bundled up with furs and
cumiorters % the very ears 20 screen them
from Jack Frost ,-Lesdes the rest Of the
time il divided between snow and rain, and
little Of very disagreeable mixture,
We have had nothing Of the kind this year,
for the whole month has been but sue
Ccssion Of charming days. And December
Was much the same, No snow TO shovel, no
drns 10 Nallow through on your way 10
school. no windy, clustering nights, TO rattle
the blinds upon your dwellings, and whistle
you 20 sleep with Indifferent music,
What a change II Is happy ono for
the poor, and for the beasts and BIRDS aud
50 lot as be thankful. by way ofeomparlson,
another January is HES0riutrd IN my mind
with this one, Did ever tell you Of ny
spelling school adventure? So' Well, liz
ten, and YOU shall hear,
/ It was many years ago, away in the country
In the dead Of winter when the snow was
already deep upon the ground, A spelling
school Wa. appointed 10 take place In
neighboring'district, scarcely two miles away
at which many OF our school attended. Such
storm a. came up dgJtcg the evening you
never saw It di,tNssfTstA>-sAough the roof
of the crazy old seboV e->sa...4 = blown
away before the exsHkS>b ~ aaal1B
luckily that catastrophe Td mt happen, :
How should We c,cr 5Nhomdp The snow
was already deep, and Ming faster every
moment The wind had piled il up in
vast drills ~ il fell. Amer some discussion
/ II was decided that our company should stay
over night IN the schoolhousc, sending home
one or two to carry the news, so that our
parents need not be alarmed At bur absence
One James {, and myself were fixed upon
TO act Us messengers Accordingly we were
]
! The wind was directly in our faces, the snow
\ flew in thick gusts, while the cold was almost
| unbeaTabe. saw at once that We had
sore task before us, but determined not to
show the white feather.
/ On and on We pursued our way, keeping
close together for fcur of accidents. Several
/ times We lost our way, for the road was en-
| lirely invisible most Of the time, and the
| fences were all covered many feet under the
drifts, except where the wind had full effect
/ For full two hours we laborcd without ccns-
/ ing, climbing over frghtfu drifts, when we
could do so, and going a long way around
them into the fields when We could not, and
yet We were scarcely half way.
In the mean time the wind had increased
to q hurricane, and my companion began to
complain Of that inevitable chIness which
always accompanies the giving away Of ma
turc. began to be seriously frightened.
urged my companion onwqgd, however, and
/ kept up my cheerful chatter, though my heart
was far from mirth, ! tH you. My cheerful
words encouraged Jimmy for time. but
saw too plainly that his strength was going.
/ At last he declared that lac must "sit down
and rest Tint would have been final.
fatal step for him, am well convinced lie
never would have risen from his scat alive
| by his own efforts. and so told him. Know
ring TtTBr rtrFe was house little farther
ahead, urged that he should try to reach
that. lie had apparently forgotten it, for
] IL g. L..
both put forth renewed cxcrtion, feeling that
| It was final trial
| We did reach the house. clamLercd through
a drift nearly as high as its chamber-windows
which had been piled up in the front yard,
and knocked loudly at window for admis-
sion, for He jtoHt tioor zen. i,trt,idie. Through
a back door We were admitted and safely
housed. Poor Jimmy was in a sad plght-his
fingers, and ono of his toes, being frozen.
The farmer at whose house we concluded to
put up" for The light knew exactly what to
do. Proper rcstoratiycs were applied and,
after some time, matters assumed pleasantcr
aspect.
As you mas guess, we went no further
that night The next morhing early, the
wind having somewhat nbatcd reached
our house, and started off a company of the
ncighbors for the School-house Ox.tcams,
shoycls, snow-scrapers. and ether machinery
was necessary, You may depend 1t was not
until afternoon that the company in the
school-housc were reached, all "as well as
could be expected" but . little hungry!
never shall forget that winter. The cir
cumstances related seem like dream, but
they arc strictly true, The present year
shows great change Perhaps next year
We shall have the month of January after this
style. c.s.
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.
LIZ A rnmnrk Il lln Mnrl Of rrnrn In. hnnr