Letters to a Friend 



valley-rim, coming gradually into closer ranks, 

 and rising higher like rock additions to the 

 walls. From the top of these cloud-banks fleecy 

 fingers arched out from both sides and met 

 over the middle of the meadows, gradually 

 thickening and blackening, until at night big, 

 confident snowflakes began to fall. We thought 

 that the last snow-harvest had been withered 

 and reaped long ago by the glowing sun, for 

 the bluebirds and robins sang spring, and so also 

 did the bland, unsteady winds, and the brown 

 meadow opposite the house was spotted here 

 and there with blue violets. Carex spikes were 

 shooting up through the dead leaves, and the 

 cherry and briar rose were unfolding their leaves, 

 and besides these spring wrote many a sweet 

 mark and word that I cannot tell ; but snow fell 

 all the hours of to-day in cold winter earnest, 

 and now at evening there rests upon rocks, 

 trees, and weeds as full and ripe a harvest of 

 snow flowers as I ever beheld in the stormiest, 

 most opaque days of midwinter. 



74 



