46
Concord, Mass.
1898.
April 5
(No 4)
  Late in the afternoon I started out for a walk.
It was still snowing hard and the N.E. wind
was piercingly chilly but the beauty of the woods
made me oblivious to everything else. Along the
river path the snow foliage was almost as dense
as the leaf foliage of midsummer and I could
scarcely see the water through the screen of ermine -
clothed trees and bushes. The tupelos with their
drooping branches and many angled twigs were
especially interesting and effective.
  But by far the finest effects were furnished
by some of the pines on Bensen's ridge. I
spent fully an hour there wandering about among
the trees drinking in the extraordinary beauty
of the scene. These woods were so changed - so glorified
by the snow that even the paths that I have
been lately making seemed unfamiliar and more
than once I actually lost my way. Most of
the trees were simply loaded with snow masses
but on some of the smaller white pines the
snow had collected in rounded but fluffy balls
at the ends of the twigs around the bases of
the tufts of needles the ends of which were left
exposed producing a beautiful effect.
  During this walk I saw a Phoebee at Bensen's,
two or three Robins among the pines, and a
Rabbit at the edge of the swamp.
  Night closed in dark & threatening with the
damp snow coming faster than ever.