3.  They covered all the ground with a soft, white carpet.  They hung beautiful plumes on the tall, green firs.  The little bushes, they put to sleep in warm nightgowns and caps.

[Illustration:  Snow covering house, shed, and road.  Children playing.]

4.  They hid the paths so that the boys might have the fun of digging new ones.  They turned the old picket fence into a row of soldiers, and the gate posts into captains, with tall white hats on.

5.  The old corn basket that was left out by the barn, upside down, they made into a cunning little snow house with a round roof.

6.  When the busy little flakes had done their work, the sun came up to see what they had been about.

7.  He must have been pleased with what he saw, for he smiled such a bright, sweet smile, that the whole white world sparkled as if it were made of little stars.

8.  Who would have thought that the black clouds could hide the little fairies that made the earth so beautiful!

Lesson LXVIII.

dug roots thump of fense’

toad spool heaped smoothed

forth a’pron clos’ets dan’de li ons

BESSIE.

1.  One day, Bessie thought how nice it would be to have a garden with only wild flowers in it.  So into the house she ran to find her Aunt Annie, and ask her leave to go over on the shady hillside, across the brook, where the wild flowers grew thickest.

[Illustration:  Girl planting small garden.  Toad sitting in garden.]

2. " Yes, indeed, you may go,” said Aunt Annie; “but what will you put the roots and earth in while you are making the garden?”

3.  “Oh,” said Bessie, “I can take my apron.”

4.  Her aunt laughed, and said, “A basket will be better, I think.”  So they looked in the closets and the attic, everywhere; but some of the baskets were full, and some broken; not one could they find that would do.

5.  Then Aunt Annie turned out the spools and the bags from a nice large workbasket, and gave that to Bessie.  “You may have this for your own,” she said, “to fill with earth, or flowers, or anything you like.”

6.  “Oh I thank you,” said Bessie, and she danced away through the garden.  She slipped through the gate, out into the field all starred with dandelions, down in the hollow by the brook, then up on the hillside out of sight among the shady trees.

7.  How she worked that afternoon!  She heaped up the dark, rich earth, and smoothed it over with her hands.  Then she dug up violets, and spring-beauties, and other flowers,—­running back and forth, singing all the while.

8.  The squirrels peeped out of their holes at Bessie.  The birds sang in the branches overhead.  Thump, came something all at once into the middle of the bed.  Bessie jumped and upset the basket, and away it rolled down the hill.