Jonas on a Farm in Winter

by Jacob Abbott

  CHAPTER V.

  SIGNS OF A STORM

  One evening early in February, the farmer told Jonas that his work, thenext day, would be to get out four or five bushels of corn and grain,and go to mill. Accordingly, after he had got through with his morning'swork of taking care of the stock, he took a half-bushel measure, andseveral bags, and went into the granary. The granary was a small, squarebuilding, with narrow boards and wide cracks between them on the southside. The building itself was mounted on posts at the four corners, withflat stones upon the top of the posts, for the corners to rest upon.

  The open work upon the side was to let the air in, to dry the corn; andthe high posts and the flat stones were to keep the mice from getting inand eating it up.

  Jonas put a short board across the top of the half-bushel, and sat uponit. Then he began taking the corn and shelling it off from the cob, byrubbing it against the edge of the board. As he sat thus at work, heoccasionally looked up, and he could see out of the open door of thegranary, into the farm-yards.

  It was a very pleasant morning. The sun shone beautifully; and now andthen a drop fell from the roof on the south side of the barn. The cattlewere standing, basking in the sun, in the barn-yard, and in the sheds,where the sun could shine in upon them. The whole area of the barn-yardwas trodden smooth and hard by the footsteps of the cattle; and broadand smooth paths had been worn in every direction, about the house.Behind the barn was a large sheep-yard, also well worn with thefootsteps of the sheep. A great many sheep were there,--now and theneating hay from a long rack, which extended across the yard.

  When Jonas had shelled out the corn, he carried the bags, and put theminto the sleigh, which was generally used in going to mill. Then helocked the granary, and put the key away, and afterwards went to thebarn, and opened the great doors, which led in to the barn floor. Heclimbed up a tall ladder to a loft under the roof of the barn, and threwdown some sheaves of wheat,--as many as he thought would be necessaryto produce the quantity of grain which the farmer had ordered. He thendescended the ladder, and got a flail, and began to thresh them out.

  Standing, now, in a new position, he had a different prospect beforehim. Beyond the barn-yard he could see another larger yard nearer thehouse, in which the snow had also been beaten down by the going andcoming of teams, sleds, and all sorts of travel, for two or three weeks,during which there had been no new falls of snow. Upon one side of thisyard was an enormous heap of wood, which Jonas and Oliver had beenhauling nearly all the winter. On the other side was a quantity oftimber, of all sizes and lengths, which the farmer and Amos had beengetting out for the new barn. Some of it was hewed, and some not; andseveral large pieces were laid out upon the level surface of the yard,and the farmer and Amos were sitting upon them, working upon the frame.Amos was boring holes with an auger, and the farmer was cutting theholes thus made into a square form with a chisel. Josey was there, too,and Amelia. They were building a house of the blocks which had beensawed off from the ends of the timbers.

  When, however, they heard the sound of Jonas's flail, they left theirplay, and came along to the barn to see him. Josey came into the barn;Amelia remained at the door.

  "What are you doing, Jonas?" said Josey.

  "Threshing some wheat," replied Jonas; "but stand back, or I shall hityou with the flail."

  "Are you going to mill?" said Josey.

  "Yes, I or somebody else. I am getting a grist ready."

  "Here comes uncle," said Josey; "I mean to ask him to let me go."

  The farmer came in, and told Jonas that he expected that they were goingto have a snow-storm, and, therefore, as soon as his grist was ready, hemight harness a horse into the sleigh, and drive directly to mill.

  "Then," said he, "you may come directly back, and not wait to have itground; for I want you to go up to the woods this afternoon, and bringdown a load of small spruces, which I cut for rafters. I want them downbefore the road gets blocked up with snow."

  The farmer had reflected that, about this time in the winter, they weregenerally exposed to long and driving snow-storms, by which the roadswere often blocked up. He usually endeavored to get all out of the woodswhich he had to get, early in the season, while the snow was not deep.He had now got down all his wood, and all his timber, except one or twoloads of rafters; and he wished, therefore, to get those down, so that,in case of a severe storm, he would not have to break out the roadagain.

  Jonas accordingly despatched his preparations for going to mill, asrapidly as possible, and soon was ready. In driving out, he stoppedopposite the place where the farmer was at work upon his frame.

  "All ready, I believe, sir," said Jonas.

  "Very well," said the farmer. "The pond road is a little the nearest,isn't it?"

  "Yes, sir," said Jonas.

  "And Josey wants to go with you; have you any objection to take him?"

  "No, sir," said Jonas; "I should like very much to have him go."

  "Well, Josey, get your great-coat, and come."

  "O, no, sir," said Josey; "I don't need any great-coat; it isn't cold."

  "Very well, then; jump in."

  Josey got in upon the top of the bags, and Jonas drove on. After ridinga short distance, they turned down by a road which led to the pond,which was now covered with so thick and solid a sheet of ice, that itwas safe travelling upon it, and it was accordingly intersected withroads in every direction. They rode down at a rapid trot to the ice,followed by Franco, who was always glad to go upon an expedition.

  The road led them over, very nearly, the same part of the pond thatJonas had navigated in his boat, when he fitted a sail to it,--thoughnow the appearances were so different all around, that one would hardlyhave supposed the scene to have been the same. There was the same levelsurface, but it was now a solid field, white with snow, instead of theundulating expanse of water, of the deep-blue color reflected from thesky. There were the same islands, and promontories, and beaches; but theverdure was gone, and the naked whiteness of the beach seemed to havespread over the whole landscape. It was a very pleasant ride, however.The road was level, though very winding, as it passed around capes andheadlands, and now and then took a wide circuit to avoid abreathing-hole. The sun shone pleasantly, too.

  "I don't see what signs there are of a snow-storm," said Josey.

  "Such a calm and pleasant day in February portends a storm," said Jonas."Besides, the wind, what there is, is north-east; and don't you see thatsnow-bank off south?"

  Josey looked in the direction in which they were going, which wastowards the south-west, and he saw a long, white bank of cloud,extending over that quarter of the heavens.

  "Is that a snow-bank?" asked Josey.

  "It is a bank of snow-clouds, I suppose," said Jonas. "They call it asnow-bank."

  By the time that the boys reached the mill, a hazy appearance hadoverspread the whole sky. They took out the grist, and left it to beground, and then immediately got into the sleigh again, and commencedtheir return. Before they had gone far, the sky became entirelyovercast, and the distant hills to the south-east were enveloped inwhat appeared to be a kind of mist, but which was really falling snow.

  "How windy it is!" said Josey.

  "No," said Jonas, "it is not much more windy than it was when we came;but then we were riding with it, and now we are going against it. Youfeel cold, don't you?"

  "Why, yes, a little," said Josey, "now the sun has gone, and the windhas come."

  "Well, then," said Jonas, "get down in the bottom of the sleigh, andI'll cover you up with buffaloes."

  So Josey crept down into the bottom of the sleigh, and Jonas covered himup; and he found his place very warm and comfortable.

  "How do you like your place?" said Jonas.

  "Very well," said Josey, "only I can't see where we are going."

  "Trust yourself to me," said Jonas. "I'll drive you safely."

  "I know it," said Josey, "and I wish you'd tell me, now and then, whatyou see."

  "Well," re
plied Jonas, "I see a load of hay coming along on the pondbefore us."

  "A large load?" said Josey.

  "Yes," replied Jonas; "and now we're going pretty near the round island.There, the load of hay is turning off by another road. O, there is asleigh behind it; it was hid before. The sleigh is coming this way."

  "I don't hear any bells," said Josey.

  "We are too far off yet; you'll hear them presently."

  Very soon Josey did hear the bells. They came nearer and nearer, and atlast jingled by close to his ears. As soon as the sound had gone by, hethrew up the buffalo with his arms, and looked out, saying to Jonas,--

  "I guess they wondered what you had got here, covered up with thebuffalo, Jonas."

  Jonas smiled, and Josey covered himself up again. Not long after this,it began to snow, and Jonas said that he could hardly see the shore insome places.

  "Suppose it should snow so fast," said Josey, "that you could not seethe land at all; then, if you should come to two roads, how could youtell which one to take?"

  "Why, one way," replied Jonas, "would be to let Franco trot on before us;and he'd know the way."

  "Is Franco coming along with us?" said Josey.

  "Yes," said Jonas, "he is close behind."

  "Why don't you call him Ney?" asked Josey; "that is his real name."

  "I was uncertain which to call him for some time," said Jonas; "butfinally I concluded to let him keep both names, and so now he is FrancoNey."

  "Well," said Josey, "I think that is a good plan."

  A short time after this, Jonas turned up off from the pond, and soonreached home.