Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-03-18
a STRANGE ILLUMINATION.
IL WA. a Scandinavian Snow Lamp THAI
made tho Picture Of Beauty.


IL Was a soandiunvian Snow lamp That
made tho Picture Of Beauty.
cat the house Of friend on West Nine
ty-third street ON the day following our
recent heavy snowstor1n. " said west side
dweller, I'VE were called from our after
dinner game Of whist to come to the rear
OF the house. The summons, proceeding
unmistakably from the small but potent
lungs OF Harvey, the e-year-old scion OF
the house, caused us to go to the back par
Tor windows Ia haste to see what inyen-
tiveness Of mischief had seized that lively
younqster at such an hour.
"Haryey was In no trouble this time,
but was in high glee over n sight that for
the moment took us aback with its beau
ty and strangeness. The yard, the drift
and the duh brick walE were softly illu-
minated in the mellow but fervent light
that radlated on all sides from what seem
ed miniature Eskimo snow hut beside
the drift. This edilioe, built, as we pres
emily discovered, Of large, loosely made
snowballs, was IN shape an elongated half
sphere set on It's base being perhaps feet
high by 2l[ feet In diameter ut the base
It's walls drew together ms they rose clos
ing at the rounded top. II was as lumi-
nous "a porcelain lamp globe, but it's
glow was varied by delicate shadings caus-
ed By the curves and inequalities Of the
balls Of snow and bright shafts and glenms
where light from within came here and
there through m open chink.
"By the side Of this glowing cairn stood
Edith, the Swedish maid Of all work, tall,
slender aud blond Of hair and skin. Har-
yey Mt her side stood rapt in the Joy OF his
cold. flaming mound, but the girl looked
up laughing.
:" What on earth is that EdlthF called
out my host through the open window,
"'It is sno lykta. What you call 1t
In Americana a Tampa snow Tampa
lightp her teeth flashing white as she
laughed the more, what we make in Swe-
den, Mt home the girls and the boys,
"'She made It this afternoon when the
snow was damp in the sunshine, said my
| hosts wife, who was in the secret Then
Il froge hard ut nightfull You ought to
| have seen how quickly she did it, It's "A
candle set up in lido you see that little
square hole In the bottom where she puts
| IL ini Tint makes the illumination.
| Would you believe that one candle could
throw out such "a light through SNOWY She
made the sno lykta, Rs she calls it, to
| please Harvey, and she was as much de-
| lighted Ms he was to be piling up the snow,
| laughing az she worked She got II built,
and then, poor girl, Of n sudden l missed
tho sound Of her laughter and looked 70
see her standing By tho snow mound cry
ing. It had brought to her so many mem
orics Of home.
wasn't this strange scene for the
heart Of New York cityf The snow lamp
shining with that wonderful soft fame
light through translucent snow, the laugh
ing Swcdc girl standing beside the drift,
bnreheAded in her gny skirt and blue bod
ice, beside the delighted child; the darl,
surroundings Of sombsr brick house walls
Beyond these the stecple Of the new Trini-
ty chapel stood carved against a cold sky,
from which the winter stars looked down
upon Swedish farms over seas in the far
northeast, where youths and maidens per-
chance were gathered on many an emf
nence, laughing and calling and whisper
ing In the glow Of their snow lamps or by
the same mellow radiance signaling mes
sages, well understood, to distant friends
across wide valleys, dark pine forests and
sheetod lakes, New York Sun.