It was the first time that Clarence had ever seen the ground covered with
snow, and he could not restrain his admiration at the novel spectacle it
presented to him. "Oh, look!--oh, do look! Mr. Balch," he exclaimed, "how
beautifully white it looks; it seems as if the town was built of salt."
It was indeed a pretty sight. Near them stood a clump of fantastic-shaped
trees, their gnarled limbs covered with snow, and brilliant with the
countless icicles that glistened like precious stones in the bright light
that was reflected upon them from the windows of the station. A little
farther on, between them and the town, flowed a small stream, the waters of
which were dimpling and sparkling in the moonlight. Beside its banks arose
stately cotton-mills, and from their many windows hundreds of lights were
shining. Behind them, tier above tier, were the houses of the town; and
crowning the hill was the academy, with its great dome gleaming on its top
like a silver cap upon a mountain of snow. The merry sleigh-bells and the
crisp tramp of the horses upon the frozen ground were all calculated to
make a striking impression on one beholding such a scene for the first
time.
Clarence followed Mr. Balch into the sleigh, delighted and bewildered with
the surrounding objects.
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