Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-02-27

TIE following description of a New Eng
lend December snow storm Is taken from
John Grecnleaf Whittiers poem Snow
Bound" and Is entirely applicable to the
great snow storm which has visited this
section of the country
The sun that brief December day
Rose cheerless over hills of gray,
And, darkly circlcd, gave at noon
A sadder light than waning MOON
SLOW tracing down the thickening sky
It's mute and ominous prophecy.
A rortent seeming less than threat,
IL sank from sight before 1t set
A chill no coat, however stout
VI homespun stuff could quite shut out,
A hard, dull bitterness OF cold.
That checked, mid-vein, the circling race
or iife-blood in the sharpened face.
The coming of the snow storm told.
The wind blew east: We heard the roar
or Ocean on his wintry shore,
And left the strong pulse throbbing there
Beat with low rhythm our inland air.
Unwarmed by sunset light,
The gray day darkened into night.
A night made hoary with the swarm
And whirl-dar.ce OF the binding storm,
AS zigZag, wavering to and fro,
Crossed and recrossed the winged snow;
And ere the early bedtime came
The white drift piled the window frame.
posts
Looked in like tail and sheetcd ghosts.
So all night Icing the storm roared on:
The morning broke without a sun;
In tiny spherule traced with lines
Or Natures geometric signs,
In starry fake End pellicle,
All day the hoary meteor fell;
Ard. when the second morning shone,
we looked upon world unknown
ON nothing we could call our own.
Around the slistening wonder bent
Inc blue walls of the armament.
No cloud above, no earth below
a universe of sky and ancw,
The old familiar sights of ours
lock marvellous shapes strange domcs
and towers
Rose up where sly or corn-crib stood,
Or garden wall or belt Of wood:
smooth white mound the brush pile
showed:
A feneeless drift what cnce was road:
The bride post an cid man sat.
Win loose-hung coat and high-cocked
hat;
The wellcurb had Chinese roof:
And even the long sweep high aloof
IN It's slant splendor seemed to tell
OF Pisa's leaning miracle.
All day the gusty north wind bore
The loosening drift its breath before:
Low circling round its southern zone.
ihe sun through dazzling snow-mist
shore.
NO church-bell lent its Christian tone
To the savage air. no social snoke
CURED over woods of snow hung oak;
a solitude made more intense
BY dreary voiced elements
he shrieking Of the mindless wind,
And on the glass the unmcanng beat
or ehostly fingertirs of slcet
Shut in from the Ucrld without
We sat the clean winged hearth about,
content to let the roth Wind roar
IN taff'ed rage at pane and door
'. lille the red logs before us beat
The frost-line back with tropic heat;
And ever. when a louder blast
shook beam and rafter as It passed
The merrier up roaring draught
The great throat Of the chimney laughed:
The house-dog on his paws cut-spread
Iaid to the fire his drowsy head
The cats dark silhouette on the wall
A couchart tigers seemed TO fall;
And, for the Winter Al eside meet,
Fetween the ardirons' straddling feet,
The mug of cider simmered slew,
The apples sputtered in a row,
And, close At hand. the basket stood
with nuts from brown Octoter's wood.