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{Entered according to Act of Congress, in she year 1887, by James Exvensox, in the Office of the Librarian of ‘Congress, at Washington, D. 0.)
VoL. VILL. 7’ Subtine oO {Nata Semcon sis PHILADELPHIA, FEBRUARY 26, 1887. Terms:{ 12 XovaNene No. 13.
SAVED BY A SNOW-MAN.
BY M. E. SANDFORD.
The Oak Hill school-house stood at the
foot of a beautiful slope, crowned with
great, spreading oaks, whose rich, dark
green was here and there varied by the
darker green of an occasional towering
ine.
The school-house itself was a small,
weather-beaten affair, almost hidden by
the, great trees that twined their “hun-
, dred strong arms” about and above: it,
shielding it alike from summer suns and
winter winds.
Some teacher, or pupil, years back, with
perhaps the “California big trees” in
mind, had named some of the larger
ones.
One was the “Giant ;” one that stood
almost over the entrance was the ‘Watch-
man;” another was the “Indian Chief,”
and among the other large ones, named
for some peculiarity of appearance, were
“Qld Deadwood,” ‘‘ Topknot,” ‘King of
~ the Oaks,” and various others.
Jt was “just the place for a school-
house,” so said the trustees, forty years
ago, and so thought each succeeding gene-
© ration of boys and girls, who played in
the cool grove in summer, or enjoyed the
splendid coasting on the hill in the win-
\
- ter.
The slide began a few rods away from
the school-house, where the hill sloped
just enough fora grand start, then away
across the play-ground, swift and fast
across the road, swifter yet through the
fence, where the rails were let down, and
far down into ‘Farmer Green’s pasture.”
Surely no modern toboggan ever fur-
nished more enjoyment than did the rude
sleds that carried the “Oak Hill” boys
and girls.
One would have supposed that nothing
2 could ever disturb that retired school
play-ground; but a railroad company,
* who wanted a short cut for a branch road,
sent their surveyors that way, and, of
course, they must lay their route just back
of the school-house, at the foot of the hill,
right across the summer play-ground at
the right, and right across the winter
coasting-ground at the left.
‘At first there was a great deal of talk
about moving the school-house, and the
- Deestrict” held meetings, and discussed
the matter, and it was finally decided that
a new school-house was needed ; but esti-
mates had to be made, and a great deal of
talking done, and meanwhile spring work
came on, and the spring school began,
and the railroad work went swiftly for-
ward. . -
The slow, sleepy people of the district
went the round of spring work, summer
work and fall work, and before they knew
it, another winter came and went, an-
other spring had come, the branch road
was completed and running, and the old
school-house still did duty.
All were busy, the children were care-
ful, and the matter of a new school-house
was for the time entirely dropped.
The novelty of the railroad helped the
summer play-ground, but, by the time
missed their old coasting-ground very
much,
They had to content themselves with
snow-forts and sham-battles, which often
brought a flying glimpse of pleasure to
the passing trains.
One noon, after dinner was dispatched,
a group of boys stood watching a long,
heavy freight train, as it moved over the
children to forget the trespass on their | road, and the older ones were talking of
the good. times they used to have on the
winter came, that had worn off, and they | slide, before the railroad came, and won-
dering what they could do for some fun,
“T know,” said Alf Hartley. ‘Let’s
make asnow-man. We haven’t had one
this winter.”
“All right!” eried Tom Barton. . “And
the faces looking from the windows of | let us build it right up by the track—
there’s lots of snow there—and let’s make
him good and strong, so that he won’t tip
over in the first wind that comes along.”
“Tl tell you, boys, let’s get a long,
forked branch for legs, and build the snow
around it, and that will make him
strong,” said Bob Merritt.
So to work they went with a will, the
big boys building, the small ones rolling
up the great, soft balls of snow for the
others to work with.
When the bell rang, the snow-man was
well under way. At recess they gave
every minute to their work, and had him
Se
“ZoB KNEW THAT THE SNOW-MAN W.
