Page:Little Daffydowndilly-1887.djvu/49

Rh glad to get back to his quiet home. His eyes brightened at the sight of his wife and children, although he could not help uttering a word or two of surprise, at finding the whole family in the open air, on so bleak a day, and after sunset too. He soon perceived the little white stranger sporting to and fro in the garden, like a dancing snow-wreath, and the flock of snow-birds fluttering about her head.

&ldquo;Pray, what little girl may that be?&rdquo; inquired this very sensible man. &ldquo;Surely her mother must be crazy to let her go out in such bitter weather as it has been to-day, with only that flimsy white gown and those thin slippers!&rdquo; &ldquo;My dear husband,&rdquo; said his wife, &ldquo;I know no more about the little thing than you do. Some neighbor&rsquo;s child. I suppose. Our Violet and Peony,&rdquo; she added, laughing at herself for repeating so absurd a story, &ldquo;insist that she is nothing but a snow-image, which they have been busy about in the garden, almost all the afternoon.&rdquo; As she said this, the mother glanced her eyes toward the spot where the children&rsquo;s snow-image had been made. What was her surprise, on perceiving that there was not the slightest trace of so much labor!&mdash;no image at all!&mdash;no piled up heap of snow!&mdash;nothing whatever, save the prints of little footsteps around a vacant space!

&ldquo;This is very strange!&rdquo; said she.

&ldquo;What is strange, dear mother?&rdquo; asked Violet. &ldquo;Dear father, do not you see how it is? This is our snow-image, which Peony and I have made, because we wanted another playmate. Did not we, Peony?&rdquo; &ldquo;Yes, papa,&rdquo; said crimson Peony. &ldquo;This be our little snow-sister. Is she not beau-ti-ful? But she gave me such a cold kiss!&rdquo;