Project Gutenberg's The Little People of the Snow, by William Cullen Bryant

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Title: The Little People of the Snow

Author: William Cullen Bryant

Illustrator: Alfred Fredricks and Engraved by A. Bobbett

Release Date: August 26, 2007 [EBook #22406]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: Cover]

_THE LITTLE PEOPLE OF THE SNOW._

THE LITTLE
PEOPLE OF THE SNOW.

BY

WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT.

Illustrated
_FROM DESIGNS BY ALFRED FREDERICKS, ENGRAVED BY A. BOBBETT._

NEW YORK:
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY,
549 & 551 BROADWAY.

1873.

ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872,

BY D. APPLETON & CO.,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE LITTLE PEOPLE OF THE SNOW.

_Alice._--One of your old-world stories, Uncle John,
Such as you tell us by the winter fire,
Till we all wonder it has grown so late.

_Uncle John._--The story of the witch that ground to death
Two children in her mill, or will you have
The tale of Goody Cutpurse?

_Alice._-- Nay, now, nay;
Those stories are too childish, Uncle John,
Too childish even for little Willy here,
And I am older, two good years, than he;
No, let us have a tale of elves that ride,
By night, with jingling reins, or gnomes of the mine,
Or water-fairies, such as you know how
To spin, till Willy's eyes forget to wink,
And good Aunt Mary, busy as she is,
Lays down her knitting.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

_Uncle John._-- Listen to me, then.
'Twas in the olden time, long, long ago,
And long before the great oak at our door
Was yet an acor