Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-02-05

When the days grow snort an1 and
trees and fields are bare and pfo"n' ,ho
Of all the little birds that sing ~ M
- So,as, only the chick-a-dee's eheeiy
little chirp is heard, then looA O sell
the gruff North Wind and his iA''
wife the Snow Princess. :,
A roaring, growing, testy OLD ivin en-,
is the husband a white-hsnueu' ;fa.
footed kindly little lady is the ",ie
though neither you, 1, nor any o,nei
mortal. large or small, ever saw ei'ne,
We hear the north wind to be sure
of,er and often, driving his wild gray
ud.horses, and slashing at the tIee
tons "a he clatters by. We hear nun
rsge and fume and fret, too, whiie NC
sits astride the chimney cap, waiting ior
fresh horses to be brought that ne may
set forth for fresh dash at the urea'
Rear,s tail or Oriou's heel or the Little
Dog,s back or some one of the pleasant
eyed little stars, laughing at him from
the sky windows overhead.
"Boo-ooo." roars the North "inu'
and his cold breath freezes up every
little pond and brook for miles ana
miles around, while miles and miles
of woodland shiver in the midnight al
the sound of his gruff halioo.
You have heard him when you We
lain awake in the little sloping attic,
and glad enough you were when ne
went rattling by down the turnpike
and over the bridge, and his racket and
outcry grew fainter and fainter in the
distance.
All. but it Is quite different when, ID
the still gray of the morning. softly
comes the little wife, the Snow Prin-
cess, through the fields and gardens, by
the h..iga rows, and up and down the
forest paths, spreading fresh white
downy coverlets over the sleeping now
ing flowers and the shrunAer grass and
the frost-nipped shrubs.
White-handed and light-footed comes
the Snow Princess the North Winds
little wife, with her maidens, flinging
the small white quilts of their magic
quilts of their magic weaving. to the
right and left, on roof, fence and Intel,
and warmly tucking up the dandelions
and clovers in their suug, low beds.
You all have seen the queer little
quilts, but never the deft little spinner,
the North Winds little wife.
When the winter is past, and the
North Wind has posted away to his ice
palace far up towards the pole, and the
Snow Princess and her busy little mai
dens are gone no one knows where
locked up. perhaps, in the topmost
tower OF an iceberg-comes the South
Wind with his daughter, the Rain
Fairy.
The South Wind has enough to do to
get ready for summer. The flowers are
all to be walked up and dressed, the
trees to have smart, new, green suits,
fresh grass carpet is to be laid, and the
Homecoming birds are all to be tIained
as chorus-singers for the summer
jubilee.
No wonder he signs as he looks over
the land and sees all there is to be done.
If 1t were not for his little daughter,
he never could do it all.
With bunch of tiny silver kegs at
her girdle, pat, pat, go the twinkling
feet of the Rain Fairy through the fields
and gardens, by the hedgecrows, and
up and down the forest paths; pat, pat,
in the very self-same tracks ofthe Snow
Princess. And pat, pat, goes the Rain
Fairy, gliding along the little under
ground windows, and down the dark
messy stairways, tap, tapping at the
door of each sleeping flower, and calling
to the violents and all the other small
spring to come out and make
merry in the sunshine.
She stoops to unlock the chrystal Ice
cover shut fast all winter over the little
brook, and out it comes, dimpling and
through the forest.
Then she runs over the meadow
urging small grass-weavers to set up
theta looms and make haste with their
velvet rugs that they may be ready |
against the coming of the May.
Patter, patter, you hear her wander
ing through the spicy woods to see that |
the trees are spreading their green tints !
for the robin and the blue bird. Patter |
patter, up among the springs on the
pouring from her small silver |
urns that the springs may brim the
brooks, and the brooks may brim the
rivers, and so set all the merry mill
wheels turning, while the tinkling little |
run laughing to the sea.
A busy, happy little sprite is the
South Winds fairy dausher.
By the way, what must the Snow
Princess and the Rain Fairy think Of |
he little girl who has only one small |
bed to make, her lessons to learn her
at and her bird to feed, and who moans
'ut every hour of the day, "Oh dear me