Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-08-20
What the Snow-Flakes Hid.

You talk about charity to the poor,
and you sit by your warm fires and pity
them, but you have not penetrated the
streets and opened the doors at which the
wolf of cold and hunger and misery stands
waiting from November TO May? Have
you ever passed through the door aud seen
with your own eyes how terrible the -pov-
erty, how fierce the hunger and how woful
the wretcbedness that lives day in and day
out within stones throw of residences
where every inmate has every want graft
fled This woman knew what it was to
sit the cold day through without fire; to
shiver through the long nights on her bed
of straw; to gnaw the bones already white
and dry when hunger cried aloud. People
wondered that she did not die last year or
the year before ; none opened her door with
out feeling that they might see her corpse
on the musty straw. None could see that
she had single thing to live for, and some
who were but little better off whispered that
they would not blame her if she took her
own life. What link of love fastened her to
earth, men and women could not see and
perhaps she could not have told them. The
other day one who knocked at her door
found the old woman just as she had often
been pictured-dead on her heap Of straw.
iAci aiiiio WcIc OubotlttCutu dc IL RIdSpluR
for someth ing-.her open eyes had terrible
stare, and her face bore such look as
comes to those who die by inches. There
might have been tears shed over her as the
women gathered, but yet they whispered
among themselves that none could miss her.
When one woman wondered if the dead be-
fore them had passed to a brighter life,
another replied i" do not believe she has
one good deed recorded in heaven" The
body was taken and buried in the potter's
field The Dew-made grave seemed the
only one In all the great cemetery, for the
thousands of Others were hidden under the
snow, while this one was ghastly in its
freshness. The grave-diggers left it with
sod aud earth and stone heaped together
and the night came on. The oak tree which
thrust out its limbs over the grave had no
leaves to shake dowr and cover the damp,
fresh earth, but in the darkness snow. flake
sailed aziy through the chilly air and set
lied down upon the heap as a blossom falls
upon the earth. " She was old and poor"
said the earth to the snowflake. "Those
who pass by will only see that another pau
per is buried aud they will Jest sooner than
grieve." Was she good and faithful I" asked
the sno 1-hake. 1t is not for earth to
judge! She stands before her record IL
heaven!" "Then lest man judge her more
harshly than God, we will cover her grave
Nth the same mantle which covers all =
said the snow-h Ike as it rose on gust and
sailed away. 1t returned in moment with
Others. Some fell at the head and some al
the foot of the grave, and before the night
was old the branches above whispered to
each other; "whvrs is the grave which W.
saw opened here as the day waned Be-
hold all old woman, dead OF wretcheduess
aud hunger, has as pure mantle over her
grave as any one here p "And God will
judge her only as he has them p whispered
the snow-fiakes as they crowded close to
keep the cold wind out.