The Republican journal., 1877-01-11
Observations of Men and Things.

A>sS>$"f ~
ers as sort of lunch of cold victuals, and tell
them what | know about ''Beautiful Snow"
know as much about it as any man of my
complexion. / know all about it for more than
fifteen hundred miles IN a ST. aight line. / have
always made it a point to be around whenever
| there was a snow storm, and / could write
about 1t III five languages, if | only understood
| the languages. know how snow looks in every
State, from Maine to Minnesota. and whenever
any of it gets down the back of my neck, make
the same remark in one state that | do in the
other.
There never was but one person who under
| took to eulogize beautiful Snow" and that
| person was foolhardy enough to write a poem
about it. But on her way to the printing office
| she froze TO death. This is the clearest case
of retribution Oh record. 1t came to light at the
coroner's inquest, that writing that poem was
not her only sin, although her greatest one for
| it turned out that She lacked that essential NOR
al article, 4 character. This is the legend about
this poem, anG what makes it all the more
| touching is the fact that there probably is no
| truth in it.
To the man OF fumly, the snow storm i'm
| plies the greatest terror. He rises in the morn
| ing and finds that about eighteen inches of snow
has fallen during the night, and his heart sinks
| as he remembers that he has about quarter of
| a nile of walk to shovel. He tucks his pants
into his boots, buttons up his oyercoat, pulls his
cap down over his ears, gets into his mittens,
| and goes into the barn for snow shovel. He
| may have noticeable scarcity Of Bibles in his
house, and his walls may be as bare Of chromos
az the ivory head OF a cane, but in his barn,
you will find full complement of snow
| shoyels @bovelling snow with an iron shovel,
| is like eating molasses candy that has not been
sufficiently boiled. The snow will stick to it
like iron filings to magnet. Having selected
| a shovel, he proceeds to the door and opens it,
and cart-loud OF snow that has been leaning
| against the door, tumbles over backwards into
the entry, but is speedily thrown ont again, and
then the real work begins
| There is one peculiarly about shoyeing
snow. No matter which end Of the path you be-
| gin, nor how The wind is blowing, nor which
way YOU throw the snow, the first shoyel-ful
| will always blow back into your face and down
| your mech. There is no way of explaining why
this is 80, any more than there is, why school
girl can pull up her stocking when she is run
ming without stopping during the operation,
but such is the fact.
| Having now discovered which way the wind
| is, he proceeds to shovel so that not more than
half the snow blows back into his face. and at
last he has the satisfaction OF finding he has got
nearly 10 the corner of the house. lie pallses a
moment 10 breathe, and rest his back, which is
as tired rs Il cart-wheel. He leans on his shovel
| and contemplates his work with pride. All st
once he thinks he hears clap of thunder, and
| the next instant he is struck down--by light
ming, he funres. When he comes to his senses
he iins that about five tons OF snow have slid off
| the roof, bnrying him under it and breaking of
| the handle of his shovel, and As lie craWlS out
and finds his path filled full of snow again,
damned down as solid As Roman cement, he
picks up the pieces of his shovel and returns
to the house rs discouraged rs though he had
walked two miles TO buy 4 postage stamp, and
then found the ottire closed.
On entering the house he finds hiS wife run
ming around with tubs, pals, wash bowls, and
towels, and learns that the gutter has frozen up
| on the other side of the house, and the roof is
| leaking.
| Getting ladder and axe he climbs TO the
| caves Of the house, and chops away during the
| rest of the forenoon while his wife is inside the
rooms bailing out the water and trying to keep
| the house from laundering. BY dinner time he
| is madden than Il piece of red calico, and after
| clearing the gutter he shoyels the snow from
the roofs of the bay windows and shed, and
| thaWs out the conductors with Il tea kettle OF
| hot water, and then rushes down town and
| hires man to go up and shovel out his paths.
| AS far as | can discover the only possible
good to be derived from snow storm, is that
when it occurs on Sunday it furnishes man Of
| elastic conscience An excuse for staying at
| home from church. A little snow Systematical-
| y arranged in a box, is IN excellent thing to
| pack poultry in for winters consumption, and
! Il snow ball is good thing to wear for Il short
| time on the end of frozen nose. but most any
one would be willing to forego the pleasure of
| a frozen nose, eat less poultry, and attend
| church oftener, rather than be afflicted with o
| much snow.
| There was church festival held in our ha.
recently. and when it broke up at midnight Il
severe snow storm was raging, and the wind
was blowing the snow so that one could hardly
| see his way along. One of the party had some
| little distance TO 60, and had several articles to
carry, but possessing good deal of determine
| ton he considered himself equalto the occasion.
Bidding his wife follow in his tracks, he stepped
out on the walk and sank into the snow up to
| his knees, The wind was blowing like Life
| Insurance prospectus. In one hand he carried
| a couple OF mllk-cans, and in the other cake
| basket, while under his arm he had one of the
| largest sized plattcrs. ON his head he wore 4
| tall hat, and it required considerable ingenuity
| on his part TO hold his head so that the wind
would not blow his hat of. He struggled
| along through the drifts, till on turning a cor
ner, his wife stepped on the walk and disar-
peared from sight AS he turned to help her Il
gust of wind caught his hat and away it went
rolling over the top of the snow. As his hat
parted company with him, he made a grab for
| it, and in doing let slip the cans, which went
| rolling away in opposite directions, and in try
| ing to save them he dropped the cake basket,
and rs he wildly clutched for that he fell over
| himself, and the platter slipped from under his
| arm and striking edgewise. disappeared under
| the snow, leaving no word AZ to which way it
went. Having lost his whole cargo, deck-load
| and all, he organized himself into wrecking
| party and started in search of his wife After
resculng her, he next made for his hat which
| looked like black cat playing hop-scotch in the
| snow. He found it full of snow and einptying
out what he could, he damned his head up into
| it, and returned for the cake basket That be-
| ing tied up in Il white napkin he did not find it
| till he stepped on it. The milk cans next
claimed his attention, and after time he OBJ
tanned an interview with them. He then pro-
ceeded home and deposited his cargo and TAX
| ing shovel and lantern he returned for the
platter. After digging over about a quarter of
| an acre he found the platter and started for
home. Being bundled up considerably and eN-
| ceedng mad besides, together with the exercise
of shoyeing and walking, the snow III his hat
had melted and the water was running in little