American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Sunday schools -- United States -- Periodicals
JESUS SAITH UNTO HIM, GO THY WAY, THY SON LIVETH.
WILT THOU BE MADE WHOLE?
JESUS SAID UNTO THEM, I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.
IN came the children, one evening when they were to have a story, and
Rollo laid the verses in Grandma Burton's lap. The room looked very
pretty that evening. There was a bright coal fire burning in the grate,
which lighted everything beautifully, and Grandma herself was the
prettiest object in it. So the children thought, anyway.
"Yes," she said, "I know a story about that last one. It happened a
great many years ago, as the most of my stories do. Are you all ready?"
The hassock and chairs were by this time fixed in their accustomed
places, and the silence kept by all the children showed that they were
ready for the story, without Harold's announcement to that effect. So
Grandma began:
"It was one day in November, just before Thanksgiving, when I was about
twelve years old, that my brother Fred and I received a note from a
lady who lived out in the country a mile or two, which said that she
wanted us to come and spend Thanksgiving with her. We were both very
fond of Mrs. Watson, and were delighted when father said we might go.
"So that afternoon he harnessed Old Gray to the sleigh, and took us
around to Mrs. Watson's. It was quite cold, I remember, and father said
he guessed there would be a big snowstorm in the night. The house we
were going to was a little low one, that was old-fashioned even then,
and with only one story.
"Mrs. Watson came to the gate to meet us, and showed us into her warm
kitchen, while father said good-by, and hurried home. We had some nice
fresh milk and bread for supper, and went to bed early. I was very
tired, and didn't waken till I heard the big clock strike six, so I
hurried up, and dressed very fast, all the time wondering what made the
room so dark. I couldn't see out of doors, because of the curtain at
the little window.
"When I came into the other room, I saw my brother up on a chair at
the window, looking over what seemed to be a white sheet tacked to
it, and Mrs. Watson watching him. 'You can't see anything but snow,'
he said presently, 'for the little hill hides the road.' 'Why, what
is the matter?' I asked, surprising them so that Fred nearly fell off
his chair. And how frightened I was when I found the snow had drifted
against the house, so that we could neither see out of the windows, nor
get out of the door!
"My!" said Sarah. "Why, we never see so much snow as that here,
Grandma."
"I know, dear," said Grandma Burton, "but where I lived when I was a
little girl was much farther North than we are now, you know, and I
remember that in the winters we often used to go out sleighriding, and
ride over the tops of the fences, not being able to see them at all."
"What fun! Now go on, Grandma."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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