Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-06-02
THE SNOW IS COMING"

pened in this world for the first time. Inc
first time the sun shone-the first time the
snow fell-these things are not matter OF
record. BY good luck, the first time Is al
ways recurring-especially in London.
What Londoner does not remember the
first time the sun shone again after fog
that lasted a week And when the first
snow falls the cockneys do not take it as if
they were country folk. Strange excite
ment comes over them at the mere thought
of sooty London dressed in white. a few
90 about quoting Mr. Robert Bridges, who
alone of poets has understood them on this
point; and the rest quote him without
knowing.
had not accounted to myself for it; but
an unusual stir in my blood moved NE to
run, TO shout, or sing, or behave In man
ner that might have caused the police to in
terfere, as | went along the streets one
evening in early winter. The gaslamp is
in itself signal for the enjoyment of Lon
doners They may be half asleep all day
but with the yellow dawning of those myr-
lads of stars a glow of warmth quickens
them. So much the better, if there should
be moon to make faces among the Chin
neytops There was a moon that night J
If the snow be on the way, and the air
tense with the expectation of it, the nerves
awake and sting the languid soul into
pleasure.
l turned down poor alley to visit an &C
quaintance there-an Essex woman who
talks about threading" her needle, and
supposes the plural of house to be
'housen.' She is married to a sailor who
sails the seas no more.' He sometimes tries
to explain TO me the geography-or seog-
raphy-of a ship. ! never understand its
but have learned to talk about the RIVALS
and the main topgallon,' whatever that
may be.
The snow is coming" said to his WIFE
with as much exultation as if had said
"The Queen is coming"
Eyes, miss, she said, ''and coal is one
and threepence a hundred, and they'll go
up She glanced at the sky
What pity it is to have financial in
terest in the weather, | felt ashamed be-
cause | had none. remembered Mrs.
Ewing's heroine, who poked the fire Eek
pensively,n and sighed little-and smiled
also-to think that l could poke mine as
often as l liked Then l went into the
South Kensington museum to look for
spinning wheel.
The policeman and the man at the en-
trance were divided in their minds as to
a
niture or a machine. If it is piece of fur
niture, yes, you will find it there If it is
a machine, no, you will never find it unless
you 60 across the road. Not feeling in
clined to go across the road, chose to con-
slider it furniture.
Past one half and the other of the column
of Trajan, through the old tapestry room,
down the narrow corridor of snowmen and
snowwomen bequeathed to us by Greeks
and Romans, | went; and reached at last
the place where chairs and tables and beds
and cabinets and mirrors, ranged with for
lorn regularity, show what beautiful homes
people had once. There was never a spin
ning-wheel among them. l listened for
the ghostly hum of it in vain.
Tired out aftera long search, sat down
to rest on the pedestal of a cupboard.
The gallery was quite deserted, except
for woman OF middle age, who seemed
willing neither to 90 nor 10 stay. Some
thing hdeety and wistful about her compell-
ed one 70 notice her movements. She went
20 and fro with rapid, uncertain steps,
making indefinite pauses before the object
of her consideration-trying to leave it as
il were-always returning. The magnetic
force that attracted her seemed to reside
in a wooden cradle, There was nothing
particular about It, il was not like the era
die of the Earl of Derwentwater, which
stood near by-three black feathers that
had once been golden still waved stiffly
over the head 1t was just a wooden era
dle-nothing more, nothing less. Yet she
came back again and again, as if she could
not tear herself from the spot. She was a
well-favored person, fresh and weather
beaten, as though she had lived much in
the open air. Her dress was so neat that
the shabby material of it did not at first
strike the eye; would not perhaps have
struck me at all but for the fact that she
wore wooden gloves, She was clearly a
single woman; l could have told that by
the vague suddenness of motion which is
common to those who are much by them
selves and have not to think of disturbing
other women in the room.
"You here" she said, addressing a
policeman as he went by. mine is much
better than that, y and she pointed to the
| cradle. Her accent was good, but she
spoke rather too loud for a lady.
Indeed, Miss" said the guardian of law
and order, with great politeness. He
knew as well as l did that she was Mis-:
and not Mrs.
mine is old; it's been in our family
from father to son, and all that kind Of
thing" she went on. "The Museums giver
&c for that. Do you think now, they
would give me GO for minel The carving
on mines is much better. know, because
I'm an artift. That's not good art at all
Now, mines Elizabethan.n
"Maybe, Miss. Couldn't say. We aim
got but one or two specimens"
1--WE half mind to do it," she said, il
quick, excited tones. "It's awful cold.
l believe the SHOWS coming. Pm sick t,
death of London lodgings; there isn't room
to swing a cat in them. I'd better by hal
have a fire to sit by. And l could alwav
come and see the cradle here, couldn't l
They wouldn't take it awayi 1 could al
ways come and see it, l could come an,
see it every day if liked"
The policeman reassurred her as to this
and moved on. Now, 1 thought, she woul
surely go. But she did not. She waite
until the policeman was out of sight, whel
she TOOK a biscuit from her pocket and be
gan to eat carefully and furtively, maxim
as few crumbs as possible. 1t was he
afternoon tea, l suppose, and she was tai
ing it here for the sake of the warmth.
II beg your pardon" l began l hear
you say Just now that you had a beautifr
old cradle. happen to know a lady VIII
is fond of such things. feel sure thu
she would give you e10 if you would be
kind as to dispose of it to her."
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