The Yale expositor., 1895-02-08
OUR BOYS AND GIRLS.
THE MYSTERIOUS PROCESS OF
SNOW M AKINC.
Tho Fairy That Turned Four Little
Drops of Water Into Sparkling Snow
Crystals-Little Paurs Picture Book
On Second Thought.
With the snownakes.

OBIhON hNl bi6 DAuO CJCSf ohu AOONC0
out of the window. Then her chubby
hands-little pink hands all covered
with dimples-went "clipity- clap
clap clap" and, in less time than it
takes to tell it, something very like
ball of tangled curls had tumbled out
OF bed, and two bare feet were pat
tering across the bedroom floor.
They went straight to the window,
and, after their little mistress had
taken one look at the beautiful pict-
ure outside, with a hop, skip and a
jump, they took her across the hall
Two minutes later the whole family,
baby and all, had been awakened to
see what had happened to the green
world outside.
1t was no longer green world, for
the first thing Maude had seen when
she opened her eyes was the snow.
A great smooth, white carpet of it
was spread over the brown earth.
The trees, covered with ice, while,
floating softly down, came the snow
flakes, great big ones, and lit upon
the window sill, as if stopping to say
good morning to the little girl, who
clapped her hands to see them fall.
No wonder Maude exclaimed "Oh,
OH" and jumped out of bed. 1t was
the first snowstorm of the season.
Only last winter Santa Claus had
brought her u new sled with "Modoc"
painted in bright letters across the
top; n pair of red mittens, too, had
come from the Christmas stocking,
and. best of all, a soft, white collar.
that she declared was "grandpa's
hair"
Besides, last night, when she had
truged upstairs TO bed, she had looked
out upon the gray trees, that had lost
their pretty gowns, and were SILVER.
ing with the cold as they looked down
upon the faded leaves that lay upon
the ground Only then the whole
world seemed dressed in gray and
brown, but now oh. joy! some magic
touch had changed it into real, true
fairy land, with diamonds glistening
on the trees, and little fairy folk, all
dressed in white, flying everywhere.
AS soon as breakfast was over
Maude, wrapped in her winter coat
with hood to match, with the red nit
tens on her hands, and the white fur
collar tied closely around her neck,
led "Modoc" out into the snow for a
frolic.
All day long they played together.
his hands and laughed TO see the fun
Maude tried to tell him all about the
snow, for he had never seen it until
that morning, and his wise brown
eyes seemed full of baby questions.
1T comes from heaven" Mau1e ex-
planned. land is made of-of--feathers
guess, though rs not sure, for no
one ever said to me the leastest thing
about it. And, oh, perhaps they're
little fairy folks!
Look she called, as the snow
fakes, great big fellows, fell
upon her mittens. They LOOK like
little stars! Ones like the tin thing
mamma cuts cookies with, and this
one, just lighted on my thumb, is
pointed like the daisies on my sum-
mer hat! See, quick, this one on the
other hand is like a wheel that's lost
its outside piece!
'Ill bring some in (" H." she
called, while baby danced with Joy.
Then, pulling off her mittens, she
held up both her hands to catch the
snowflakes as they fell Up the steps
she ran, but when she reached the
door there was nothing in her hands
but few drops of water.
"Oh, where have the pretty Great
ures gomez" she cried, looking all
about Have l losted them?" She
tried again to catch them, and this
time, when the snowflakes left her as
before, the big tears filed her eyes,
and, rolling down her rosy cheeks,
tumbled off upon the collar of
''grandpa's hair" I'm afraid the
fairies don't love me-" she sobbed, II
wouldn't hurt a single one, not for
anything"
Just then she saw her father turn
the corner, and starting down the
steps she ran toward him, holding
out her hands and calling: "The
snowhakes won't stay in my hands!
Tell me, quick, are snowflakes really
fairy folks, or are they only feathers?
Why won't they let me catch them
when love them, oh, so very much?"
Two kind eyes looked down into
the tcar-stained face, and the next
minute Maude was being carried up
the steps and into the house.
That night after supper her father
called her to him, saying: There is
just time for story before my little
girl goes to bed"
"Oh, goodyl" said happy voice,
for Maud, like many other girls and
boys, was always ready for a story.
just the other day." her father be-
gan, ''out on the lake, the very lake
where last summer you gathered
sand along the shore, four water
drops were floating. A sunbeam came
along with his golden chariot He
lifted those drops out OF the lake up
into the air. Then with his fairy
wand the sunbeam changed the drops
into a kind of water dust. like that
you see coming from the teakettle.
Up. up went the chariot, loaded with
water dust The little particles of
VI