Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-03-08

QUEBEC IN WINTER.
asu Iss 1.nSSGeaaes Eajey TAsnssassa
Dariae she Cold Ssases.
The outdoor Life Of Quebec surprises
. stranger from . moro Southern CHI
mate. Having in mind the furious
texapests Of . Canadian winter. when
very often neither man nor beast is
safe outdoors. he fears that suffering
or even death is frequently met here
when one leaves the house. And GER
tainly nature looks into Quebec with
uncommon freedom; the entire dome
of the sky. rising from q vast expanse
of waters. lAins and mountains. is Wis
lille from many parts of the town; so
that when the sun shines in this excep-
tionally clear Northern air he beams
on every thing. in great rustic effu-
sion rare in city sun; you almost take
the firing of the midday gun for lis.
universal outlaw. rolling through the
cloudless sky. Then when gale
swoops down it bears in upon you
Familiarity. even with q terrible eager
ness and ferocity; and fancy, too
that the moon and stars hover close
about Quebec. for when go out on a
clear night they stare with large-eyed
wonders well they may. at a near
view of such creature! But the Cana
dian winter, excepting during a
tempest. is . season full of COM
forts and enjoyments; for business
sleeps, the Lower Town seems emp
ty. and life turns either to frolicsome
outdoor sports-for which the good
air furnishes abundant vigor-or to
warm and intimate social pleasures.
Even if the thermometer be as low as
ten degrees below zero. you will often
find the children out-dOors-cherub
bundles of fur and wool wallOwing in
the snow as if it were hay. the babies
in their little sleds. and people out
snow-shoeing. skating IN the rink. or
driving in their coy carioles :" the
horses may be silvered over with frost.
and your eyclashes laden with globules
of ice, or now and then you may have
to rub your nose with snow to warm it :
after freezing; but. Ia rule. every
body is very comfortable in furs, with
the help of moderate exercise. This
French people in America seem to
have overcome the dependence of their
blood on warm. sunny climate they
walk the streets in any weather with q
moderate, often perhaps
a mincing gait. while their English
friends stride over the snow with
martial earnestness- The poor hack
men have the hardest experience in
fur caps and long buffalo coats with
collars coming up to the top of their
heads, they look like bears masquerade
ing as men; they tighten the
National red sash about their
waists, stamp their feet swing
their arms and keep up continual
scuffling and joking to shorten the
tedium Of their long hours; and I
should not omit to add that their rubi-
cund noses promise well to defy the
frost In Drawing the gloom and
terocity of winter storm the city has
a certain savage as well as pathetic
aspect; northeast gale comes up the
St. Lawrence in bounding gusts. and
sealing the cliffs of Cape Diamond,
throws the snow back defiantly into
the sky; and the battlements shake out
hoary names from their crests. But
the human elements of the scene are
more timid; the little houses crouching
down into the snow-drifts look like
tattered toques with tassels of white
smoke floating out on the wind: mercy
On any poor soul that can not escape
the snOw-laden gusts. cutting as
with bowed heads. and oc-
turning about to catch a
breath. even the well-clad hurry on.
and like silent phantoms soon fit out
Of sight into the white obscurity.
When the brooding gloom settles over
The city at twilight the bugle throws
It's CHEEKY notes into The arctic silence
IF the glacis; as you struggle along
The ramparts the Angelus rings from
over the monastery wall. while the
cannon point to the night approach
ng over the mountain-tops. H.
Fdr1,ham. in Hdrpcr's Na0aziue.