The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-04-25
Winter in Canada.

Business is so much interfered with in
the snow season that men and women
alike are bent on amusement. There are
some magnificent turnouts, for Canadians
are good judges of horseflesh, and there Is
great rivalry among the members to dec
crate their sleighs with the most beauti-
full furs and the prettiest women. The
Deighs are made of fancy woods, highly
polished, with silver bells and mounts,
and how captivating the "chosen fair''
looks on the box seat, mufIled up in sa-
bles, her eyes dancing with pride and an
ticipated pleasure! Though the tempera-
ture is probably 90 degrees below zero, the
sun is so bright and the sky so blue that
you want II sunshade, but your hand would
be frozen if you dared to hold up. The
driver is cold enough, kept busy as he is
with his lively "four." Many strangers
are compelled to wear smoked glasses in
the snow season. The glare from the in
tense blue sky on the white snow is blind
ing.
A Montreal belle who would wear the
latest New York hat instead of her fur
cap had both of her ears frozen while
watching the carnival procession pass.
After gently rubbing them with snow they
began to alter their complexion from snow
was spoiled that night at the carnival ball
1t is painful sight to see stranger ut
terly unconscious that his nose is frozen,
for common humanity compels one to tell
him the unpleasant fact. Moonlight sleigh
piCnics are in great favt r. When the moon
is up, the sleighs start. All the occupants
are in warm blanket coats, covered up to
the eyes with huge fur robes, as the rugs
are called. The favOrite drive is round
the mountain--the Mount Royal of JAG
ques Cartier-which gives the city its
name, and Is laid out as a public park,
with clubhOuses at intervals of a mile,
where the sleighs stop and every one gets
out to get warm with hot bovril coffee
and games. At the clubhouse at the top
of the mountain the blanket coats and
rubbers are taken off, and, as it is Ca
madam picnic, of course there must be q
dance.
Tobogganing is almost more enjoyable
by night than by day-the danger is more
apparent. a toboggan down the Tuque
Blue club slide is very different matter
from coasting on the natural snow, which
is so often confused with tobogganing On
the Tuque Blue slide the course Is sheer
down the mountain side between boards
which contain sheet of CLASSY ice just
wide enough to fit the toboggan. The to-
boggan is started off shoot like switch
back railway. What follows is best de-
scribed by the Chinaman's "Swish, swish,
walkee back mile" The track is light
ed with daring torches An old lady of 20
years, who had lived all her life in Cali
fornia, came to Montreal to see the carui-
val. She would not leave the city until
she had been down the perilous Tuque
Blue toboggan slide. 1t often surprises
strangers that open sleighs are the ordi-
nary means of conveyance in a country
where for months the temperature is be-
low zero.
There are scarcely a dozen covered cabs
in Montreal. Canadians always go to
balls and dinner parties in open sleighs,
well wrapped up in furs Sleighs are cheap
in Montreal. One can drive anywhere
within the city limits for 25 cents by night
or day. The poorest sleigh has liberal
supply of fur robes, and the driver is al
ways well covered in fur coat, generally
of buffalo pelt. 1t is a pretty sight to see
the country carriers bringing in their
sleighs to market full of hay and farm
produce across the frozen St. Lawrence.
Milk one buys by the pound-frozen. The
market is held in the old French quarter
of the town, and in the winter it is most
picturesque.-Pa Mall Gazette.