Abram also attached
the farm horses to the heavy snow-plow, to which he added his weight, and
a broad, track-like furrow was made from the house to the road, and then
for a mile or more each way upon the street, for the benefit of the
neighbors. Before the day was very far advanced, the south wind, which
had been a scarcely perceptible breath, freshened, and between the busy
shovels and the swaying branches the air was full of glittering crystals.
The bride-like world was throwing off her ornaments and preparing for the
prose of every-day life; and yet she did so in a cheerful, lightsome
mood. The sunny eaves dropped a profusion of gems from the melting snow.
There was a tinkle of water in the pipes leading to the cistern. From the
cackle in the barn-yard it appeared that the hens had resolved on
unwonted industry, and were receiving applause from the oft-crowing
chanticleers. The horses, led out to drink, were in exuberant spirits,
and appeared to find a child's delight in kicking up the snow. The cows
came briskly from their stalls to the space cleared for them, and were
soon ruminating in placid content. What though the snow covered the
ground deeper than at any time during the winter, the subtile spirit of
spring was recognized and welcomed not only by man, but also by the lower
creation!
After putting Burt in a fair way of recovery, Dr. Marvin, armed with a
shovel to burrow his way through the heavier drifts, drove homeward.
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