ins were so very red, and
where at Christmas the fir-trees were hung with toys instead of cones.

It was certainly a pity that, two days before the party, an original
idea on the subject of snowmen struck one of the children who used to
play together, with their sleds and snow shoes, in the back streets.
The idea was this: That instead of having a commonplace snowman, whose
legs were obliged to be mere stumps, for fear he should be top-heavy,
and who could not walk, even with them; who, in fact, could do nothing
but stand at the corner of the street, holding his impotent stick, and
staring with his pebble eyes, till he was broken to pieces or
ignominiously carried away by a thaw,--that, instead of this, they
should have a real, live snowman, who should walk on competent legs, to
the astonishment, and (happy thought!) perhaps to the alarm of the
passers-by. This delightful novelty was to be accomplished by covering
one of the boys of the party with snow till he looked as like a real
snowman as circumstances would admit. At first everybody wanted to be
the snowman, but, when it came to the point, it was found to be so much
duller to stand still and be covered up than to run about and work,
that no one was willing to act the part. At last it was undertaken by
the little boy from the Fir House. He was somewhat small, but then he
was so good-natured he would always do as he was asked. So he stood
manfully still, with his arms folded over a walking-stick upon his
breast, whilst the others heaped the snow upon him. The plan was not so
successful as they had hoped. The snow would not stick anywhere except
on his shoulders, and when it got into his neck he cried with the cold;
but they were so anxious to carry out their project, that they begged
him to bear it "just a little longer"; and the urchin who had devised
the original idea wiped the child's eyes with his handkerchief, and
(with that hopefulness which is so easy over other people's matters)
"dared say that when all the snow was on, he wouldn't feel it."
However, he did feel it, and that so severely that the children were
obliged to give up the game, and, taking the stick out of his stiff
little arms, to lead him home.

It appears that it is with snowmen as with some other men in
conspicuous positions. It is easier to find fault with them than to
fill their place.

The end of this was a feverish cold, and, when the day of the party
came, the ex-snowman was still in bed