the earth, and the sun that
shone forth at noon had melted the surface so frequently, that the
freezing nights which had as often succeeded had formed an icy
incrustation quite strong enough to bear the weight of a man. Though
it was a dreary waste, yet Glenn gleaned a satisfaction in casting his
eyes around where his glance beheld no one striving to oppress his
fellow being that he might acquire riches and power, to be again
snatched from his grasp by others, but a peaceful scene, fresh from
the hand of God, and unmarred by the workmanship of meaner creatures.
The broad river far below was covered with a massy plate of ice, and
the snow that rested upon it gave it the appearance of an immense
plain, rather than an incrusted surface of the most perturbed and
erratic stream in the world. The geese and other fowl that wandered
over the frozen surface in quest of their native element, from the
great distance down, seemed to be no larger than sparrows.

Ere long, Glenn and his man reached the valley above, and commenced a
descent through the timber in a diagonal direction, that would conduct
them, after numerous windings, to the edge of the frozen stream, along
which a narrow pathway ran northward about a mile. Glenn paused at an
abrupt angle in his descent, after having proceeded a few paces
through the undergrowth, and stood long in wonderment and admiration,
gazing at the scene that suddenly burst in view. His towering position
overlooked the whole valley. The ten thousand trees beneath, and their
ten million branches and twigs all completely clothed in
crystal--while not the slightest breeze was stirring--presented a view
of fairyland, such as flits across the vision in dreams, that the
memory fain would cling to, but which is lost in the real and
conflicting transactions of returning day. The noonday sun was
momentarily veiled by a listless cloud, which seemed to be stationary
in the heavens, as if designed to enhance the effect of the beauty
below, that outvied in brightness even the usual light above. Not a
squirrel was seen to leap from bough to bough, nor a bird to flit
across the opening between the lofty trees; but all was stillness,
silence, and beauty. As Glenn stood entranced, Joe seemed to be more
struck with the operation of the enchantment on his companion's
features and attitude, than with any effect from the same source
experienced on himself.

"Ain't you going down to the bottom of the valley?" asked J