adventures, and they had Lily for company, and when they were tired they could sleep in the pretty snow-beds.

"Only I don't believe I ever can be sleepy," she added laughingly, "in a country where the sun doesn't go down. Come, let us run out into the garden."

CAVGHT
IN A
SNOW-STORM

T

XXVI

"Safe on a snow too far, too high,
For scent of dogs or feet of men,
The shepherd watched the clouds sail by
And dreamed and sang again."

-Helen Hunt Jackson.

HEY found plenty to do in the garden for

a time, weeding out all the hailstones that

had fallen in among the asters and violets. The little snow-birds hopped about them, twittering very sweetly, and the canary still sang in the white apple-tree. But after awhile Janet noticed that the garden gate had swung open, and she went thither

at once.

"Oh! Prue," she exclaimed, "come right here and look at the lovely snow-fields, and that nice path! Let us go out there and take a walk!" "Oh! no, no!" said Lily, shuddering. were-wolves may chase you!"

"The

But Janet was wilful. There were no wolves in

sight over all that expanse of glittering snow, and if any did appear, why, she and Prue had invisible rings in their pockets, and they wanted adventures. So they started off, leaving Lily looking disconsolately over the gate.

They walked hand in hand, with the low sun shining pleasantly in their faces, two little figures crossing a wilderness of snow.

"I didn't know but we might see some snowcows and dear little snow-calves," said Prue.

"I thought we might see squirrels or rabbits," said Janet. There! what's that?"

66

From the other side of a snow-hillock there suddenly appeared, coming toward them, a strange animal with an extremely long tail dragging after him.

"Oh! Janet, it's that cat you made," cried Prue. “Well, cat, how do you do?" asked Janet, coolly. “You should have made me whiskers," said the cat, in a reproachful voice.

"I forgot them, and besides I couldn't make them," answered Janet. "What do you want them for?"

"I

"I can't go through holes," whined the cat. get my sides rubbed. I am growing thin. Won't you make me whiskers now?"

"No, I will not," said Janet; "you caught that dear little snow-bird, you bad thing! Scat! scat!"

they came to a great snow-wall, but there was a gap in it.

"Shall we go through?" asked Prue.

"Yes, of course," replied Janet.

through.

So they went

"I don't think it is so pleasant in this field," said Prue, when they had gone a short distance. 'The wind blows, and the woods are near."

"It is growing cloudy too," said Janet, "but I want to see what there is over by that hill. I am sure there is something moving."

There certainly was, and Prue could hardly repress a scream when five white figures, coming from the direction of the hill, confronted them. The figures themselves paused and looked startled.

"You are strangers," said one of them gently. "Please stand aside so that our sheep will not be frightened. A storm is rising, and we are leading them home."

Then for the first time the children saw that there were numbers of sheep crowding along behind the men. They were so white that at a little distance they had not been distinguishable from the snow drifts.

There was a large tree near by, and the children,