The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-03-23
ON THE A IN WINTER.

The life of a boy in winter on the
old-fashioned New England farm seems
to me one of the best of the right kinds
Of life for a healthy lad, provided his
tastes have not been spoiled by wrong
reading, or by some misleading glimpse
Of a city by gas-light. 1t certainly
abounds with the blood and muscle
making sports for which the city physi-
Dlogists so %anxiouslv strive to substitute
Kinks and gymnasiums.
But l rather pity a Young fellow who
gets his only sleigh rides by paying Il
dollar an hour to the livery stable. and
who must do his skating within limits
on artificial ice. He never gets ever q
taste of such primitive fun as two boys l
know had last winter. The sleigh was
at the wagon-maker's shop for repairs
when the first heavy snow fell. and they
harnessed Dobbin TO an old boat, and
had an uprosrious ride up hill and down
dale, with glorious bumps and iolts.
L rather pity a fellow, too, who eats
grocer's apples, and confectioner's nuts,
and bakers cream cakes, who never
knows the fun OF going down cellar to
the apple bins to fill his pockets for
school, and who owns no right in n pile
of buttcrnuts on the garret floor. | am
sorry for a boy that knows nothing OF
the manly freedom of ;rowsers tucked
in boots, hands and feet both cased in
home-knit mitteIs and hOme-knit socks
I cannot believe his blood is Us rcd. or.
can possibly flow so deep and strong in
his sidewalk sort Of life, "a the young
fellows who chop wood and ply the.
sno~w-shovel, and turn out en- ns42ac with
snow-ploughs after 4 long torn tho
sound of the future strength of Tie land
is in the sturdy stamp Of their snowy
boots at the door as they come in fru:A
their hearty work.
This singing cold morning tic boys
at the school-house door are not Ii
cu5sing the play-bills of the Giobc or the
Museum. but how the river frczc last
night, turning the long quiet surface to
blue-black ice, as smooth rs q looking
glass. Now what skating what grand
mornings, what glorious EVENING" No
rink or frog-pond. where one TO sooner
gets under Roadway than he must turn
about, but miles and miles of cufying
reaches leading him forward between
rustling sedges, till lie sees the white
caps of the open lake dancing before
him.
Presently the snow comes and puts
an end to the sport for sweeping miles
and miles of ice is out of the question.
After the snow, a thaw and then the
| Jolly snow-balling. There is no; enough
Of a thaw TO take the snow of only
enough to make it just sufficiently sloppy
and soft for the freeze-up that follows to
give it a crust almost as hard and
smooth as the ice lately covered up.
Then such coasting Just think of
dragging your sled of n moonlight aight
up a mile of easy tramping to the foot
OF the mountain, whence you come
down again, now fast, now slow, 10Y
'.like a streak down a sharp incline,
now running over = scven-rail fence
buried in the glittering drifts, and
bringing up at last at a neighbour door,
or at the back side of your own barn.
yard!
1t is great fun. too, to slide on the
drifts with .'slews'' or Jumpers
These are made sometimes Of one,
sometimes of two barrel-stavcs, and are
sure to give you many a jolly bump and
wintersault.
There is fun to be had in the drifts too,
digging caves or under-snow houses,
wherein you may build a fire with the
least danger. Here you can be Esqui'
maux, and your whole tribe sally forth
from the igloe and attack a terrible
white bear, If one OF the party will
kindly consent to be a bear, for awhile
You can make him white enough by
pelting him with snow, and he will 6eai
enough before he is finally killed.
There is fun, too, and of n o NEAR
order, to be got out Of the regular farm
duties. Not much, perhaps out of bring
ing in the wood, or feeding the pigs, OF
turning the f~anning-mill but fodderine
the sheep and calves. which. very likely,
arc pets, takes the boys to the hay-mow
whore odors OF summer lingrr in tL'
u.. .ad IL. daiuu and n1aua.N