Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-01-29

monotonous. Sometimes one sleigh run
ner will be up and sometimes it will be
down, and if the driver keeps his sleigh
right-side-up in such cases it will be by
dextrous shifting from one side to the
other according to the ups and dows inev-
table on such track. l have been in
Minnesota three winters beside this. |
have seen but little good sleighing in that
time. Two years ago there was a period
in January when the young folks could
take their sweethearts and find pleasue
bounding over the smooth frosty roads
after fleet span of ponies, but February
spoiled all Of this, not because there was
too much snow, but because of the warm
south winds and because the warm sun
made it everywhere bare in the roads.
Last winter there was but few weeks
when sleighs would run, in fact, runners
were in some places never used at ALL
This winter there has been about four
weeks of superb sleighing, but it is getting
badly worn out on the main roads and un-
less Jack Frost furnishes a new supply we
shall be obliged TO use wheels once more.
But while / am writing the snow is falling,
and now if it SHOWS enough and if it
doesn't snow too much and if it will lie
still where it falls-three very important
ifs-then we may look for continuation
of the good sleighing we have enjoyed,
and we may hope that runners will con-
tinuc to run and sleigh bells continue to
jingle, and all hearts that love these things
will continue to be merry.
The cold wave that has passed over the
country passed here the first of January.
1t was the coolest weather we have ex-
perienced in six years. My thermometer
indicated on the morning of the Cd in
slant, thirty degrees below zero. 1t was
the lowest mark on the thermometer. The
mercury couldn't get any lower. OF
cuorse we were thankful that we had seen
the worst. There was strong north
west wind blowing all the while, which
made it dangerous to be much exposed
Yet there were men from this settlement
away at the I" big woods " in quest of fuel.
Some that had to camp there that cold
night told me it was almost struggle for
life. AS the wood we burn has to be hauled
from twenty-five to thirty miles it becomes
quite an item to the settlers here. 1t takes
two days to make the trip, and one is liza.
BILE any time to get caught while out by
some of these sudden changes experienced
here. But hear of no serious accident
Occasionally big red pair of ears, or q
swelled nose, or sore spot on ones cheek
indicates that their owners received some
wounds in their encounter with the fros
king, but we get used to these things
There is positively no news here except
hard times, and they seems to be growing
harder. There is no money in the country
Forehanded farmers who have never hat
any difficulty in raising money wher
needed for long OF short time, tell me thai
now they cannot get any at the banks or
the best of paper. Some eastern money
: lenders are willing to let large sums fol
long time, at high rate of interest, or
first-class security, but otherwise money
cannot be had. The wheat crop being
failure farmers have no money, conse
quently they cannot pay their store bills
and, consequently, merchants, one afte
another, have been obliged to succumb
Bankrupt sales are advertised everywhere
Goods are cheap. A dollar will 60 grea
way, but the trouble is to get the dollar.
W. +.