American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-12-28
Winter in California.

WITH the exception of the fortunate
few who have passed ''the season. in the
| fields and highways of pleasant country
| places, away from the wind and fOgs and
dust of the cities, who among us realize
| that summer has glided from our midst
that autumn has been and is not and
that winter is, or is supposed to be, upon
| us? There has been slight rainfall or
| twO-the passing of an April cloud, that
| by some strange chance had lost its way,
and dritted into the skies of November
serving merely to wash the gray dust
| from field and street, to Danish the dreary
white sea-fogs of late summer, and let
fall in their stead, upon hill and noun
tain side. a drapery of purple mist. shot
| through, toward the submits, with tender
rose-tints and delicate pearl-white. There
are clumps of fern, fit tO- the heart of the
| tropics, in the hollows and ravines; there
are vines, so airy and delicate that a
| breath might seem of strength to break
them, swaying from the low boughs, and
tangled over the crimson of the oak
| bushes; blue-and-uOld wings whirl
| through the warm air, and their is a twit-
| tering of many feathered Threats in the
branches. TIE brooks have not forgotten
their songs, nor the woods laid aside their
green raiment; albeit, here and there, al
| most like a beggar at a feast, some gaunt.
stark, ghost of a tree holds out its naked
arms, amazed to find itself in such sorry
plight, and shivers cOmfOrtleSs among its
| fellows: but few days. or w, eks at most,
will bring out a million OF tiny green
specks upon the bark, that shall clothe it
| eastern brethren have lost the weight of a
single frost-star, or freed their rugged
limbs from a solitary icicle.
True, there will be days, and even
weeks, at a time, when the earth will
wax a WEAKNESS to look upon when
there will be
''Water, water everywhere''-
an empyrean of drizzIing gray clouds
but he clouds will break, and the sun
shine out a little at noon of each day,
during which the birds will fly about, and
shake their wings and trim their feathers,
and twitter to each other rs if they
thought the whole thing "A mere play and
make-beleve. that was altogether too
| funny and delightful-during which an
open door or window will let in IA breath
as of tuberose or narcssus, from your
wet, shining gardens, and yOu will start
and wonder if Nature has not somehow
made Il mistake, and dropped month
into the wrong place, or if you have not
just awakened from a Rip Van Wrinkle
nap through the winter, to find yourself
in the very heart of an eastern spring.
There will be days and VI eks, also, where
in it will be Il delight simply to breathe
and to be-when the grass will seem to
grow VlSibly - when every nook ana
Granny and crevice will put forth green
leaf-when hill and valley will TEEN with
budding flowers that would trace the gar
den of a king when there will be
glimpses of sunlight and moonlight and
starlight through the broken cl uds, and
marvels of mist and wonders of color on
hill and sea and mountain.
Winter, indeed While the east is freez-
ing in f;lrS, and shivering before its fires,
ST to comfort itself with annlpS and
delude itself into the belief that it really
enjoys skates and sleigh-bels-while the
snow falls steadily and cold over the char
red and blackcned wounds OF unfOr: innate,
dear old Boston, we shall wreathe our
Christmas boards with roses and fuchsias
and gcraniums, and drink our New-Iear
healths tit we SO POLITICALLY incline) from
the great creamy bowls of the Gala lilies,
that open, whittier than eastern snow be-
meath cur windows.-Ousriaad for Dec.
Over thirty have united with the
Il.