The Washington weekly post., 1899-12-26
CARLOADS OF
CHRISTMAS SNOW.
By CHARLES BATTELL LOOMS.

Roderick Dawson lived in that part of
the United States where the mercury
never gets lower than so, and where snow
is so entirely unkno yn that the very word
has dropped out of the local dictionaries.
Rain they have ard plenty of it, but they
wouldn't know snow f they saw it.
When Roderick was eleven years old he
was invited TO visit his cousin. Frank Par
sons, of Loudon Hill. Now for six months
of the year they have snow every day at
LoudOn Hill. 1t comes in the shape of
buster of a storm on November l and
stays until May ], when the sun melts it
and it all goes off in a freshet and does
lot OF damage to people living below
LoudOn Hill. But as water has never
formed the pernicious habit of running up
hill, the Loudon Hillites are always safe.
1t was the middle OF November when
Roderick was driven from the train I'D to
the Parsons house, and of course there
was snow everywhere. and his delight at
moving smoothly along on runners was
something TO make a Northern child Won
der
Didn't you-ever see this before?" asked
Frank.
why, no. Does it really come from the
sky as you said?'
"Of course 1t does. My, but you're
greeni Why. what do you do with your
sleds down there?'
"Sleds? What's that?" asked Roderick,
innocently. and Frank concluded that he
was not quite bright. But he never made
a greater mistake in his life, as he soon
found out, for Roderick was as smart as
any boy of his age. and when he had
learned all the uses of snow he wasn't
behind any of the boys in applying his
knowledge. To be hit in the eye by a
snowfall of his propelling hurt just as
much as if he had known about snow all
his life.
But, as it happened, he never connected
snow with cold. He supposed snow was
peculiar kind of white dust that came
from the sky, and # they didn't have il in
TuscapOosa parish why there were lots of
other things that were peculiar to the
North. So he accepted snow as curious
but none the less delightful fact.
He stood the cold weather very well for
a Southern boy, and indeed sometimes
went without an overcoat when his play-
mates were wearing both coats and COM
fOrters.
Roderick was a generous little fellow.
and he often thought what a source of
delight it would he to his old playmates
of the South if they could have snow in
which to play and build forts and caves
and down which to coast. and in one of
his letters 10 his brother he told him that
he had just about decided, if il did not
cost too much, to SEND down a train
load of snow as a Christmas present to
his native place.
One day he and Frank and a half dozen
other fellows were 'fashioning gigantic
snow woman. She was so tall that they
had to use a forty-foot ladder TO finish
her head, and they drew the snow I'D in
buckets, and a boy straddled her head
and slapped the snow on in the proper
place.
I'VE have a sculptor down home and
he'd just about go crazy IL he had a lot
of snow to make his statues out Of" said
Roderick. How much snow do you sup
pose it would take If / shipped some
home? How many carsfuI?"
why, / guess it would take a whole
train loaG-say fifty cars" answered
Frank He was just about 10 add that II
would all melt and turn to water long be-
fore it got South, but a mischieyous
thought stopped him. Say, fellers," said
ne. winking at his companions. Rod
wants TO send some snow down South
How much would il take. fifty car loads?"
Rawson Mawson thought il would take
an Of fifty, bur VIII Bill thought forty
five would do il.
''Wen, If the governor sends me enough
next week, I'm going 10 ship sOme," said
Roderick.
He went into the house just then after
something and the boys exploded with