my father," said Oliver, "to let me have the old
General, and haul a load down when you come."

So saying, the boys walked along towards the house. The sun was now
shining beautifully upon the fresh snow, making it sparkle in every
direction, all around. They walked in by the path which Oliver and Josey
had shoveled.

"Why didn't you make your path wider?" said Amos. "This isn't wide
enough for a cow-path."

"O, yes, Amos," said Jonas, "it will do very well. I can widen it a
little when I come out after breakfast."

When they got to the door, Jonas stopped a moment to look around. The
fields were white in every direction, and the branches of the trees near
the house were loaded with the snow. The air was keen and frosty, and
the breaths of the boys were visible by the vapor which was condensed by
the cold. The pond was one great level field of dazzling white. All was
silent--nothing was seen of life or motion, except that Darco, who came
out when the door was opened, looked around astonished, took a few
cautious steps along the path, and then, finding the snow too deep and
cold, went back again to take her place once more by the fire.

CHAPTER II.

COMMANDING AND OBEYING

About an hour after breakfast, Jonas with the oxen, and Oliver and Josey
with the horse, were slowly moving along up the road which led back from
the pond towards the wood lot. The wood lot was a portion of the forest,
which had been reserved, to furnish a supply of wood for the winter
fires. The road followed for some distance the bank of the brook, which
emptied into the pond at the place where Jonas and Oliver had cleared
land, when Jonas first came to live on this farm.

It was a very pleasant road. The brook was visible here and there
through the bushes and trees on one side of it. These bushes and trees
were of course bare of leaves, excepting the evergreens, and they were
loaded down with the snow. Some were bent over so that the tops nearly
touched the ground.

The brook itself, too, was almost buried and concealed in the snow. In
the still places, it had frozen over; and so the snow had been supported
by the ice, and thus it concealed both ice and water. At the little
cascades and waterfalls, however, which occurred here and there, the
water had not frozen. Water does not freeze easily where it runs with
great velocity. At these places, therefore, the boys could see the
water, and hear it bubbling and gurgling as it fell, and