mber, and the places
where the old snow had been trampled down by the oxen and by the
woodcutters, were now all whitened over again and concealed.

"Who would think," said Jonas, "that there could be any thing alive
here?"

"Is there any thing?" said Josey.

"Yes, thousands of animals, all covered up in the snow,--mice in the
ground, and squirrels in the hollow logs, and millions of insects,
frozen up in the bark of the dead trees."

"And they'll be covered up deeper before morning," said Josey.

"Yes," said Jonas, "and so would our rafters, if we didn't get them out.
We could not have found half of them, if we had left them till after
this storm."

The rafters were lying around upon the old snow, wherever small trees,
from which they had been formed, had fallen. They could be distinguished
very plainly now, although covered with an inch of snow.

Jonas and Josey immediately went to work, getting them together, and
placing them upon the sled. When they had been at work in this way for
some time, Jonas said,--

"We shall not get half of them, at this load."

"Then what shall you do?" said Josey.

"O, come up again, and get the rest."

"But then it will be dark before you get home."

"That will be no matter," said Jonas.

"Only you'll get lost, and buried up in the snow."

"No," said Jonas; "there might be some danger to-morrow evening, after
it shall have been snowing four and twenty hours; but not to-night. The
snow will not be more than a foot deep at midnight."

When they had got as many of the rafters upon the sled as Jonas thought
the oxen could conveniently draw, he secured the load by the chains, and
collected the rest of the sticks together a little, on the ground. Then
he told Josey to climb up to the top of the load and ride. He said that
he would walk along by the side of the oxen. Josey found it more
comfortable going back, than it was coming up, for the wind was now
behind him, and the snow did not drive into his face. Jonas walked along
in the snow, which was now nearly ankle deep, and after they had got
out of the woods, there were some places where it had drifted much
deeper.

"Do you suppose that uncle has got his frame done?" said Josey.

"I presume he has left it, if he hasn't finished it," said Jonas.

"Why? Why couldn't he stay out in the storm to work, as well as we?"

"Because," said Jonas, "the snow would wet his tools, and fill up his
mortises, and so trouble him a great d