New England bygones . ade it. The winter diversions of the young people w^ere just as simpleas those of their elders. What could be quainter than thesinmno-school, held in a countrv school-house, with its rows oftallow candles planted along the desks, and its loud-voiced masterpitching his tunes ? The young men sat on one side and themaidens on the other. Its wild music was heard far away. Thetunes sung were of long re])ute, and what was wanting in melodyand harmony was made up by the zeal with which they wereroared out. To manv of the singers the walk home was the bestof all, when, in underto
New England bygones . ade it. The winter diversions of the young people w^ere just as simpleas those of their elders. What could be quainter than thesinmno-school, held in a countrv school-house, with its rows oftallow candles planted along the desks, and its loud-voiced masterpitching his tunes ? The young men sat on one side and themaidens on the other. Its wild music was heard far away. Thetunes sung were of long re])ute, and what was wanting in melodyand harmony was made up by the zeal with which they wereroared out. To manv of the singers the walk home was the bestof all, when, in undertone, they lengthened out the melodieswdiich had Ijeen taught them. Apple-ljees and spelling-matches sometimes brought togetherthe fathers and mothers of the district, as well as their sons anddaughters. The former were apt to mean frolics, which carriedmore confusion than profit into a farmers kitchen. The latterwere the occasions of much healthy meiiiment. After all, the true zest to these diversions was given to them. ^.iitiuBa WINTER PLEASURES. 239 by the bright moonhght, which generally brought them to was a welcome coirn-r, and turned the introverted evening lifeof the farm-houses out into illuminated lanes and highways on gray winter evenings ; one got easily be-wildered in them and thrown otf from his track. Objects loomedup out of the snow% and harmless things took strange shapes andlooked ghostly in distance and whiteness. Horses were apt toshy, runners bounced with a sharp click upon the uneven path,and bells rang sharply in the .clear, cold air. ]\Ierry, merrybells, telling of coming and departing guests,—the one jocundvoice of winter, putting the traveller in heart, making glad thelistening ear, ringing right joyously into farm lane and yard,—who does not welcome with delight the old-time jingle? Thesound of country bells, ^struck out by the slow, measured paceof farm-horses, was of prolonged measure. It was dee[), too,because the bells we
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookpublisherphila, bookyear1883
