Winter Takes Possession 245 



health, like the rest of them, he knew a trick worth 

 two of that ; he didn t want to tell exactly what 

 his plans were, but he should have a good time, 

 plenty of company, and his health would not suf 

 fer not so much as to lose him a pennyweight of 

 flesh. Let us hope, at least, that he knew what 

 he was talking of. So far as food goes, the gray 

 woodpecker, who may now be heard tapping the 

 hemlocks and beeches, or the gnarled old apple 

 trees in the orchards, is well provided. His busy 

 beak now echoes the woodman s axe in the woods, 

 and that is busy enough, with no judgment for the 

 future, and not too much for the present. 



But as we were saying, the winter signs are 

 ominous of a snug and tight and continuous freeze. 

 Now and then a sage, with a solemn headshake, 

 goes so far as to say that if tain t the stiffest win 

 ter that folks remember hereabouts, he loses his 

 guess. And if there ain t no snow, as it s likely 

 there won t be, the brooks ll freeze down to their 

 beds, and the grass-roots won t be none the better 

 for t. In this state of things those who like to 

 taste their misery beforehand may luxuriate. In 

 the meantime, let us wait for the next run of 

 prophecies, some day when the sun gets up with 

 cheerful resolution in his halo, and proceeds to 

 toll the mercury up in the forties. Then we shall 

 hear, it is probable, of other signs that were not 



