, 1872-12-28
MRS. SAM. JONES.
She Writes g. Letter from
HoEle~--Why She Writes
from Home.
Something About H0.ne---A
Warm View Of q Cold Sub
ject---The Weather,
Sc, Gc.

11UAIy OeCs 40, 4o'1*
I date M letter from home, for the reason that
I write it there. People should always wrise
from home, unless they are away on a visit or en-
business. Then you know that live in til,
country, while many people reside in town, md
some other people stay in the rural districts. T
prefer to live in the country, for with it are as
sociated all my ideas of real pleasure, aud rs
much OF happiness as ono may reasonably expect
to enjoy. Then I like to be ut home, for it was
there that Sam and me- set up housekeeping. It
is where John, and Mary, and Sarah Ann were
born; and, now that John is married, and keep
ing house with his own wife and little son Eddie,
it las become more dear to me- for, when they
make us o visit, thoy call it coming home"
Then, when I look over the lawn, where stand
the spruces and pines, and arboryitns andhem-
locks, and balsams, and larches, tho willows, md
naples, and numerous other trees that Sam {that
is my husband) planted when they wcro little
trees, where John, and Mary, and Sarah Ann
used to play on the grass, lknow it is our home,
for it has grown up with Us, and become, as it
were. a part Of our own selves. I do not
envy those people who reside in tho city, for
suppose they get used to it, nor to those who
stay anywhere; let me live at hon1e, and other
people may stay where they please. It should
be the first great object in housekeeping to have
D home, for, as the old song has it, "There iB
no place like home;" and this Of itself ought to
render uB content, and induce us to make that
home Us pleasant as possible.
Well, let mo tell you something about how no
managed our home. The fact is, when We came
to it, it not very attractive home, only that
Sam and me thought liat VIC would make it
pleasant and then there were but two Of us to
til the home and whose comfort was to be con-
suited. We called this
TIE NEW HOME
for q long time; for, when VIC went back to visit
tho old home, We called that ''going home"
But, after VIC had laid out the lawn, and planted
tho trees, and when they began to grow and look
IS though they would in time, become big trees,
We began to call it home; and thou, when We
talked Of making q visit to the old homestead, it
was to Eeo father aud mother. But times are
changed, for then VIC had to send long distance
for trees. and pay big price Tor them, but wo
eeEt to the nurseries direct, and they always
came in good order, mud took good care in
planting, and these arc the reasons why our
trees have grown SO nice1y. Nov, VIC can get
Can have an excuse for not planting,
and yet we sec a large percentage oi
tho farm-houscs without trees. Oh! how did
pity all such people when that storm came last
week, and the wind whstled and drove the snow
through the cold air. The snow settled in great
drifts on the outside. or rather in the borders
Of our lawn, and out through the trees We could
the wrath, as Mr. Hogg calls it in his winter
evening tales, which suppose is the wild spirit
or director Of all these fierce storms that come
to us from away up toward tho North Pole But
Sam had all Es COWS in the stable, the pigs had
warm nests, and everything WIS made comforta-
bic; end then Sam came III ana sat down to read
tho doings Of Congress, and those interesting
letters from the Indian country, and about
franco, and the like. ''Polly," said he, ''this
reminds me Of tho list Of January, 1864, when
wave after wave OF cold camo down from tho
North froze up the trains, destroyed carloads OF
hogs, crept into the cellar, destroying tho fruit
and vegetables, and killed hundreds OF people,
from the Red River of the North as fur South Us
the Basin of Egypt. You remember how the
snow came, aud how it was driven befcre the
wind, and how fearfully cold it was for days, and
even weeks. It looks to me as though the his
tory of the weather is repeating ITSELF" Yes, I
| said and in 1875, about the middle OF January,
We had like storm, and tho cold continued for
two months. Then, oh hcw the wind screamed
| about our roT home, for thon the trees were too
! small to breuk itB force, and there wero great
drifts about the house, and it was that storm
that led us to plant go many trees about the
tho house-grounds. For, nfter tho SNOW had
| ceased, tho wind came out Of the southwest and
| out of .le northwest. and so it las been since,
during these cold terms: for We have found that
the most unp.eaeant winds come from the south
west. Now those storms do not alarm us, fer
the tall trces now 40 or SO feet high, break the
force Of tho ~ind, and the storm comes to US
mildly, though outside it howls and ahrieks most
fcarfullv.
| PEOPLE WHO HAVE OUR 5Y.IpATuy.
90 not see how people vino own farms con-
! tnue to neglect tho planting OF trees, ct least
about tho house; thai they do 80, is almost
everywhere evident. It appears to me that they
do not caro- about Masking homo, and ere sim
| ply staying,-making weary pilgrimage, as they
say, in this vale of tears. Now, that may be all
we'll enough tor them, but prefer to take little
solid comfort in this journey CT life, in order to
be the better prepared for tho noxt.
CHRISTMAS VISITS.
| Christmas visits are nice to read about, and
| sometimes give us real enjoyable times; but
here in this clangeablo climate, which may be all
smiles to-day and all froWDs tomorrow. it is q
good thing to bo 1T ono's own frcs1de. A ride OF
two or ten miles to tho cars, and thon q long,
| chilly rldo iu them when you are again trans
fcrred to open wagon, with the mercury below
zero, is rather devoid OF real pleasure; and yet
IT, no doubt! good thlngin the city or village,
but it is not good thing in the country north
of 80 degrees OF latitude,-at least, not on q
large scalo but it should ratller be domestic
making has much to do in planting the seeds OF
consumption; and many family have been
brought to grief in the fading away Of some
loved son or daughter. who, from warm rooms,
haye been chilled on their way homo. Ou1
neighbor Sanders was at Chicago last week, anG
he said the cars we're crowded with men. women
and children, on their way to hold Christmas
with relatives aud friends. Tho amount Of suf
! fering that they endured on tho delayed traint
was IN hia opinion, moro than could be com
pcneated by the pleasure Of tho contemplated
visit. One woman had three little, lalf-clat
children. who had 800 miles of cold, weary traye
before them; but then they were to see grand
father at the end of it, for he had sent then
money to pay their passage. She said the jonr
:, ney would cost over $50, and the money wouls
! hive done her more good to have been turned
. into good warm clothing, to make them comfort
ablo at home. Then a little moro money TO
books. and newspaper, and pens, and pnper
aud little ink, SO that she could write hom
, once week, aud have socinl chat with grand
. :. father. But lie wanted to the little ones
! and did not feel safe in leaving his WARM room
to incur such journey; and yet the little half
clads were making the attempt. From the car
they would have twelve miles Of staging. The
missed one connection, and had to lay over TO
: ! four long hours in half-warmed station-house
: ! The little ones sobbed themselves to sleep O
:, , the cold floor, wrapped in their mothers shaw
while she had to walk up aud down the room t
:, keep warm. NeiShbor Sanders said this was bu
one case out Of many, but the saddest, for til
husband could not be with them. They ha
moved West six years ago, and we're strusglin