News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1910-03-09
The Land Of Snow

The following interesting description
OF a wintry scene in Vermont was writer
to the Christian Instructor by n New
York clergyman who was spending a
time at Greensboro.
stainless as Truth, or Puitys white face,
| Behold the snow fall Never came dream
On lighter pinions from the Courts Of sleep"
1t is not land where snow falls every
day, nor in heavy masses many days
but where it is constant all the winter
long. 1t is not land of blizzards, though
sometimes there are days together OF
driven snow, when eddying gusts piles it
in mounds and ridges rapidly. 1t is true
| that the people speak of storm but
this means only fall of snow. So some
morning, after days of bright sunshine,
you rise, and looking eastward through
the blue-gray air, see light cloud resting
on the summit of the Stannard hills. In
few moments it drifts toward the valley,
torn by the mountains aud when you
look again all the view is filled with snow
falling slowly through the silent air, as
salt from an mistaken sieve. There is a
gray pail over all the landscape-the
world shut out in the persistent twilight,
which gives way to darkness when the
sun goes down, and remains when he
rises again. But on the third morning, it
may be, his beams shine bright over the
untrodden, stainless snow lying on noun
tain and in valley; even the leafless for
ests clothed i'll white robes, and the
clumps of pointed frs stand like fairy
fabrics or Chinese pagodas in grotesque
groups.
Cold, is it? Sometimes the mercury
falls far below the zero point, but the
white fleece is warm as wool over all the
land, the ground remains unfrozen and
forest brooks go murmuring on their
way, free OF prisoning ice, yet with hush
ed voices; for though the increasing
warmth of the sun may soften the snow
of house roofs, SO that the great icicles
depend from low caves to the ground, the
housewife mourns her empty cistern,
where no rain falls for months.
In earlier winter there is little hindrance
to travel or labor but toward spring
the increasing depth of snow makes for
est and field impossible, except with
snowshoes and the Travelled road becomes
a highway indeed, rising slowly from
week to week, Notwithstanding the pass
ing rollers pondrous weight or horses
beating feet. To miss. the narrow road
is likely to bring to driver and steed a
snowy baptism.
Toward spring, indeed, there may come
such snow storms as are known in lower
ATTITUDES and lesser attitudes, when the
ieathery flakes fall fast through the
murky air, and in few hours time
block all the ways of travel; but these are
not characteristic of the Land OF Snow.
Between the snow and the sunshine
there may be days of silent blue when
inists veil the lnountain's crest |
rising slowly by-and-by to show their |
long line, forests crowned, crystal soWn, |
a dream of beauty; and, when the sun |
goes down, the blue cloud curtain lifts |
for moment, and his last glorious beams |
through the gates OF the rivers |
course through the western ridge and
paint on Wheelock's walls pictures OF
wondrous beauty, as though angels
wings had winnowed down the light of
ranbows there ALBERT S. STEWART,
Greensboro, Vt.