When they were just
opposite to the house they found themselves very cold.
"Oh, Annie! do let's go in and warm, ourselves," said Susie; "I am so
cold!"
"I can't stop, Susie," said Annie; "don't you know mother said we mustn't
stop on the way home from school?"
"Well, I don't think mother would care if we stopped now; I am so very
cold. Do you?"
"I don't know; I guess we had better hurry home as fast as we can. It would
be hard work to start again, you know."
At this juncture the wind tore away Annie's cloak, and the little girls
forgot their cold hands as they chased it away off towards the pile of
rocks where Annie saw the snake in the summer. Under the shelter of those
rocks they sat down a moment to put on the cloak. Of course, mittens must
be laid aside, and the little, stiff, benumbed fingers had hard work to
fasten the garment, which had lost one of its strings in the encounter with
the rude north wind. When at last it was made fast with a pin, Susie
said,--
"I am going to rub my hands with snow, Annie! You know Dick Matthews said
that he could warm his hands with snow when they were cold!"
Both the little ones rubbed their hands with the snow, and again set out,
holding each other firmly by the hand. Several times they repeated the
experiment, baring the little delicate fingers to the biting wind. At last
they ceased to ache; but the feet were stiff and their limbs tired and
weary.
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