articlesforchristians

Mother, may I go to school to meet Polly?” asked Peter. “Tim has gone away. I have played with Wag-wag all the afternoon.”

“Why, yes,” said mother.

“Then may Polly and I take a walk? We will not go far.”

“Yes,” said mother again. “Be home before dark, please. It grows dark very early now. Next month will come the shortest days of the whole year.”

Peter went over to the schoolhouse. The children were just coming out.

One of the big boys said to him, “Hello, Peter. Did you think that you would come to school again? Have you grown big enough now? “

Peter only said, “I am waiting for Polly and there she is.”

“Polly, Polly,” he called, “come with me. Mother said that we might take a walk. I know where to go.”

“Where?” asked Polly.

“To the place where the brook runs under the road. Let us go under the road today. Will you?”

“All right, I will,” said Polly. “I always meant to. But I forgot about it. It will be fun. Isn’t it cold?”

“Yes,” said Peter. “My fingers are cold. But I do not care. Only I wish that I had on my new mittens.”

“Look at this,” said Polly. “Come out in the road. See how it is frozen into ruts. I am going to walk on the ridges.”

“That isn’t very much to look at,” said Peter. “It has been that way for a few days.”

“Yes, it has,” said Polly. “But look in the ruts. There is ice. It is thin. Let us step on it. Hear it crack.”

“There is a puddle,” said Peter. “It has ice on it, too. See me step on that.”

“Keep off the middle,” said Polly. “You do not know how deep that puddle is. If the ice lets you down, you may get your feet wet.”

“All right,” said Peter. “There is the blacksmith’s shop, Polly. Do you think that the blacksmith is inside?”

“Perhaps he is, Peter. See! He has closed his big door. That is because it is cold weather.

“He has it closed in winter. I like it to be summer better. Then I can see into the shop.”

“Here is the brook, Polly. Let us climb down the bank and look under the road.”

“There is ice on the edges of the brook, Peter. I think that the boiling spring is colder than ever now. Let’s break off pieces of this ice.”

“Can we walk through under the road?” asked Peter. “I told Tim about it. He said that we could not.”

“I think that we can,” said Polly. “Come on. We will try. Keep close to the wall. Do not step into the water.”

“It is quite dark,” said Peter. “I am glad that it is not far.”

“You must bend down now, Peter. I have to bend down. Do not push me. I shall slip in, if you do.”

“Oh, there is the end,” said Peter. “I can see the field. I do not like this place. It is hard walking on the stones. It is cold here, too.”

“I am out,” shouted Polly. “Come on, Peter. Oh Peter, Peter, Peter!”

“What, what?” called Peter. “Have you fallen in?”

“No, no!” shouted Polly. “But look at this! Don’t you know what it is?”

“A snowflake, a snowflake!” cried Peter. “And here is one on my sleeve, too.”

“There are more in the air, Peter. See them! See them! Do you suppose that it will be winter right away?”

“Of course it will, Polly. It is winter when the snow comes. Let us run home and get our sleds. You may take my new one part of the time.”

The children were at home before it was dark.

At supper time, when father came, Polly said, “Will you please get our sleds out for us tomorrow, father? How much has it snowed now?”

“Not much,” said father. “You see, that was just a little flurry of snow. We shall have many such before there is a good storm. You must wait a little longer for your sliding.”