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Speaker 1: Hello friends, and welcome to sleep Tight Stories. I love

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Speaker 1: the first snowfall of the year. It is so nice

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Speaker 1: to sit inside and watch the snow lightly falling and

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Speaker 1: see how it covers everything up that makes it look

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Speaker 1: white and new. We've had a few snowfalls recently and

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Speaker 1: everything looks so pretty to me. But for the family

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Speaker 1: in this story, snow is not such a happy thing.

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Speaker 1: Christmas under the snow. It was just before Christmas and

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Speaker 1: mister Barnes was starting out for the nearest village. The

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Speaker 1: family were out at the door to see him start

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Speaker 1: and give him the last charges. Don't forget the Christmas dinner, Papa,

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Speaker 1: said Willie, specially the chickens for the pie put in

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Speaker 1: Nora and the waysins piped up. Little tot standing on

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Speaker 1: tiptoe to give Papa a goodbye kiss. I hate to

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Speaker 1: have you go, George, said Missus Barnes anxiously. It looks

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Speaker 1: to me like a storm. Oh, I guess it won't

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Speaker 1: be much, said mister Barnes lightly. And the youngsters must

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Speaker 1: have their Christmas dinner. You know well, said Missus Barnes.

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Speaker 1: Remember this, George, if there is it's a bad storm,

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Speaker 1: don't try to come back, stay in the village till

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Speaker 1: it is over. We can get along alone for a

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Speaker 1: few days, can't we, Willie, turning to the boy who

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Speaker 1: was giving the last touches to the harness of old

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Speaker 1: tim Horse. Oh yes, Papa, I can take care of Mama,

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Speaker 1: said Willie earnestly, and get up the Christmas dinner out

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Speaker 1: of nothing, asked Papa, smiling. I don't know, said Willie,

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Speaker 1: hesitating as he remembered the proposed dinner in which he

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Speaker 1: felt a deep interest. What could you do for the

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Speaker 1: chicken pie, went on Papa with a roguish look in

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Speaker 1: his eye, or the plum pudding, or the waysins broke

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Speaker 1: in Tot anxiously has set her heart on the raisin,

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Speaker 1: said Papa, tossing the small girl up higher than his

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Speaker 1: head and dropping her all laughing on the Doorstop and

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Speaker 1: Tot shall have them, sure if Papa can find them. Now,

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Speaker 1: goodbye all Willie. Remember to take care of Mama. And

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Speaker 1: I depend on you to get up a Christmas dinner.

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Speaker 1: If I don't get back now, dear, don't worry, were

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Speaker 1: his last words. As the faithful old horse started down

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Speaker 1: the road. Missus Barnes turned one more glance to the west,

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Speaker 1: where a low, heavy bank of clouds was slowly rising,

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Speaker 1: and went into the little house to attend to her

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Speaker 1: mourning duties. Willie, she said, when they were all in

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Speaker 1: the snug, little log cabin in which they lived, I'm

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Speaker 1: sure there's going to be a storm, and it may

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Speaker 1: be snow. You had better prepare enough wood for two

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Speaker 1: or three days. Nora will help bring it in. Me too,

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Speaker 1: said grave little tot. Yes, Tot may help too, said Mamma.

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Speaker 1: This simple little house was a busy place, and soon

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Speaker 1: everyone was hard at work. It was late in the

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Speaker 1: afternoon before the pile of wood, which had been steadily

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Speaker 1: growing all day, was high enough to satisfy Willie. For now.

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Speaker 1: There was no doubt about the coming storm, and it

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Speaker 1: would probably bring snow. No one could guess how much

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Speaker 1: in that country of heavy storms. I wish the village

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Speaker 1: was not so far off so that Papa could get

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Speaker 1: back tonight, said Willie, as he came in with his

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Speaker 1: last load. Missus Barnes glanced out of the window. Broad

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Speaker 1: scattering snowflakes were silently falling the advanced guard. She felt

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Speaker 1: them to be of a numerous host, So do I,

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Speaker 1: she replied, anxiously, or that he did not have to

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Speaker 1: come over that dreadful prairie where it is so easy

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Speaker 1: to get lost. But old Tim knows the way even

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Speaker 1: in the dark, said Willie proudly. I believe Tim knows

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Speaker 1: more than some folks. No doubt he does about the

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Speaker 1: way home, said Mama. And we won't worry about Papa,

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Speaker 1: but have our supper and go to bed. That'll make

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Speaker 1: the time seem short. The meal was soon eaten and

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Speaker 1: cleared away, the fire carefully covered up on the hearth,

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Speaker 1: and the whole little family quietly in bed. Then the storm,

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Speaker 1: which had been making ready all day, came down upon

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Speaker 1: them in earnest. The bleak wind howled around the corners,

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Speaker 1: the white flakes by millions and millions came with it

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Speaker 1: and hurled themselves upon that house. In fact, that poor

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Speaker 1: little cabin, alone on the wide prairie, seemed to be

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Speaker 1: the object of their sport. They sifted through the cracks

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Speaker 1: in the walls, around the windows and under the door,

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Speaker 1: and made pretty little drifts on the floor. They piled

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Speaker 1: up against it outside, covered the steps, and then the door,

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Speaker 1: and then the windows, and then the roof, and at

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Speaker 1: last buried it completely out of sight under the soft

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Speaker 1: white mass, and all the time the mother and her

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Speaker 1: three children lay snugly covered up in their beds, fast asleep,

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Speaker 1: and knew nothing about it. The night passed and morning came,

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Speaker 1: but no light broke through the windows of the cabin.

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Speaker 1: Missus Barnes woke at the usual time, but finding it

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Speaker 1: still dark and perfectly quiet outside, she concluded that the

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Speaker 1: storm was over, and with a sigh of relief, turned

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Speaker 1: over to sleep again. About eight o'clock, however, she could

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Speaker 1: sleep no more and became widely, waking up to think

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Speaker 1: the darkness strange. At that moment the clock struck and

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Speaker 1: the truth flashed over her. Being buried under snow is

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Speaker 1: no uncommon thing on the wide prairies, and since they

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Speaker 1: had would and corn meal in plenty, she would not

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Speaker 1: have been much alarmed if her husband had been home.

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Speaker 1: But snow deep enough to bury them must cover up

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Speaker 1: all landmarks, and she knew her husband would not rest

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Speaker 1: till he had found them. To get lost on the

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Speaker 1: trackless prairie was very easy, and to be lost almost

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Speaker 1: inside of home was no unusual thing, and was her

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Speaker 1: one fear in living there. A few moments she lay

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Speaker 1: quiet in bed to calm herself and get ca control

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Speaker 1: of her own anxieties. Before she spoke to the children, Willie,

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Speaker 1: she said, at last, are you awake, Yes, Mamma, said Willie.

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Speaker 1: I've been awake ever so long. Isn't it almost morning?

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Speaker 1: Willie said the mother quietly. We mustn't be frightened, but

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Speaker 1: I think I'm afraid we are snowed in. Willie bounded

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Speaker 1: to his feet and ran to the door. Don't open it,

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Speaker 1: said Mamma hastily. The snow may fall in light a

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Speaker 1: candle and look out the window. In a moment, the

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Speaker 1: flickering ray of the candle fell upon the window. Willie

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Speaker 1: drew back the curtain. Snow was tightly banked up against

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Speaker 1: it to the top. Why, Mama, he exclaimed, so we are,

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Speaker 1: and how can Papa find us? And what shall we do?

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Speaker 1: We must do the best we can, said Mamma, in

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Speaker 1: a voice which she tried to make steady. And trust

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Speaker 1: that it isn't very deep, and that Tim and Papa

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Speaker 1: will find us and dig us out. By this time

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Speaker 1: the little girls were awake and inclined to be very

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Speaker 1: much frightened. But Mama was calm now and Willie was

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Speaker 1: brave and hopeful. They all dressed and Willie started the fire.

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Speaker 1: The smoke refused to rot, but puffed out into the room,

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Speaker 1: and Missus Barnes knew that if the chimney was closed

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Speaker 1: they would have some problems cooking food and staying warm.

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Speaker 1: The smoke in a few minutes was choking them, and

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Speaker 1: seeing that something must be done, she put the two girls,

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Speaker 1: well wrapped in blankets, into the shed outside the back door,

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Speaker 1: closed the door to keep out the smoke, and then

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Speaker 1: went with Willie to the low attic, where a scuttle

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Speaker 1: door opened on to the roof. We must try, she said,

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Speaker 1: to get it open without letting in too much snow,

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Speaker 1: and see if we can manage to clear the chimney.

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Speaker 1: I can reach the chimney from the scuttle with a shovel,

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Speaker 1: said Willie, I often have with a stick. After much

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Speaker 1: labor and several small avalanches of snow, the scuttle was

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Speaker 1: open far enough for Willy to stand on the top

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Speaker 1: rung of the short ladder and beat a hole through

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Speaker 1: to the light, which was only a foot above. He

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Speaker 1: then shoveled off the top of the chimney, which was

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Speaker 1: ornamented with a big round cushion of snow, and then

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Speaker 1: by beating and shoveling he was able to clear the door,

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Speaker 1: which he opened wide, and Missus Barnes came up on

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Speaker 1: the ladder to look out. Dreary indeed was the scene,

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Speaker 1: nothing but snow as far as the eye could reach,

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Speaker 1: and flakes still falling, though lightly. The storm was evidently

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Speaker 1: almost over, but the sky was gray and overcast. They

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Speaker 1: closed the door, went down, and soon had a fire,

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Speaker 1: hoping that the smoke would guide somebody to them. Breakfast

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Speaker 1: was taken by candlelight, dinner in time in the same way,

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Speaker 1: and supper passed with no sound from the outside world.

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Speaker 1: Many times Willie and Mamma went to the scuttle door

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Speaker 1: to see if anyone was in sight, but not a

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Speaker 1: shadow broke the broad expanse of white over which toward

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Speaker 1: night the sun shone. Of course, there were no signs

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Speaker 1: of the roads, or through such deep snow, none could

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Speaker 1: be broken, and until the sun and frost should form

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Speaker 1: a crust on top, there was little hope of their

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Speaker 1: being reached. The second morning broke and Willie hurried up

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Speaker 1: to his post of lookout. For the first thing no

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Speaker 1: person was in sight, but he found a light crust

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Speaker 1: on the snow, and the first thing he noticed was

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Speaker 1: a few birds trying in vain to pick up something

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Speaker 1: to eat. They looked weak and almost exhausted, and a

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Speaker 1: thought struck Willie. It was hard to keep up the

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Speaker 1: courage of the little household. Norah had openly lamented that

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Speaker 1: tonight was Christmas Eve and no Christmas dinner to be had.

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Speaker 1: Tot had grown very tearful about her waisins, and Missus Barnes,

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Speaker 1: though she tried to keep up heart had become very

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Speaker 1: pale and silent. Willie, though he felt unbounded faith in

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Speaker 1: Papa and especially in Tim, found it hard to suppress

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Speaker 1: his own complaints when he remembered that Christmas would probably

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Speaker 1: be passed in the same dismal way, with concern for Papa.

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Speaker 1: Adding to their own misery, the wood too was getting low,

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Speaker 1: and Mamma dared not let the fire go out, as

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Speaker 1: that was their only sign of their existence to anybody,

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Speaker 1: And though she did not speak of it, Willie knew

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Speaker 1: too that they had not many candles, and in two

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Speaker 1: days at the most they would be left in the dark.

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Speaker 1: The thought that struck Willy pleased him greatly, and he

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Speaker 1: was sure it would cheer up the rest. He made

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Speaker 1: his plans and went to work to carry them out

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Speaker 1: without saying anything about it. He brought out of a

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Speaker 1: corner of the attic an old box trap he had

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Speaker 1: used in the summer to catch birds, set it carefully

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Speaker 1: on the snow, and scattered crumbs of corn bread to

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Speaker 1: attract the birds. In half an hour he went up

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Speaker 1: again and found, to his delight he had caught bigger game,

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Speaker 1: a poor rabbit which had come from no one knows

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Speaker 1: where over the crust to find food. This gave Willie

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Speaker 1: a new idea, and he took him out of the

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Speaker 1: trap and set it again. The next catch was a

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Speaker 1: couple of snowbirds. These Willie carefully placed in a corner

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Speaker 1: of the attic, using the trap for a cage, and

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Speaker 1: giving them plenty of water and food. When the girls

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Speaker 1: were fast asleep, with tears on their cheeks for the

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Speaker 1: dreadful Christmas they were going to have, Willie told Mama

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Speaker 1: about his plans. Mamma was pale and weak with anxiety,

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Speaker 1: and his news first made her laugh and then cry,

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Speaker 1: But after a few moments, giving to her long pent

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Speaker 1: up tears. She felt much better and entered into his

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Speaker 1: plans heartily. The two birds up in the attic were

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Speaker 1: to be Christmas presents to the girls. As for plum pudding,

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Speaker 1: of course, that couldn't be thought of. But don't you think, Mama,

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Speaker 1: said Willie eagerly, that you could make some sort of

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Speaker 1: cake out of meal, and wouldn't hickory nuts be good

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Speaker 1: in it? You know, I have some left up in

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Speaker 1: the attic, and I might crack them softly up there,

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Speaker 1: and don't you think they would be good? He concluded anxiously.

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Speaker 1: Well perhaps, so, said Mama, anxious to please him and

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Speaker 1: help him in his generous plan. I can try if

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Speaker 1: I only had some eggs. But seems to me I

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Speaker 1: have heard that snow beaten into cake would make it light,

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Speaker 1: and they're snow enough, I'm sure, she added, with a

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Speaker 1: faint smile, the first Willie had seen for three days.

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Speaker 1: The smile alone, he felt to be a great achievement,

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Speaker 1: and he crept carefully up the ladder, cracked the nuts

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Speaker 1: to the last one, brought them down, and Mama got

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Speaker 1: the meat out, which was to be their Christmas dinner.

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Speaker 1: Wish you merry Christmas. He called out to Norah and tought,

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Speaker 1: when they woke, see what Santa Claus has brought you.

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Speaker 1: Before they had time to remember what a sorry Christmas

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Speaker 1: miss it was to be, they received their presence, a

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Speaker 1: live bird for each, a bird that was never to

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Speaker 1: be kept in a cage, but fly about the house

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Speaker 1: till summer came, and then to go away if it wished.

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Speaker 1: Pets were scarce on the prairie, and the girls were delighted.

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Speaker 1: Nothing Papa could have brought them would have given them

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Speaker 1: so much happiness. They thought no more of the dinner,

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Speaker 1: but hurried to dress themselves and feed the birds, which

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Speaker 1: were quite tame. But after a while they saw preparations

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Speaker 1: for dinner too. Mama made a crust and lined a

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Speaker 1: deep dish, and put in the dish all the things

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Speaker 1: she had, and then she tucked them all under a

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Speaker 1: thick crust and set it down in a tin oven

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Speaker 1: before the fire to bake. And that was not all.

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Speaker 1: She got out some more corn meal and made a batter,

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Speaker 1: and put in some sugar and something else which she

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Speaker 1: slipped in from a bowl, and which looked in the

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Speaker 1: batter something like raisins. And at the last moment Willie

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Speaker 1: brought her a cup of snow, and she hastily beat

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Speaker 1: it into the cake or pudding, whichever you might call it,

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Speaker 1: while the children laughed at the idea of making a

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Speaker 1: cake out of snow. This went into the same oven,

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Speaker 1: and pretty soon it rose up light and showed a

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Speaker 1: beautiful brown crust, while the pie was steaming through little

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Speaker 1: four coal on top and sending out the most delicious odors.

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Speaker 1: At the last minute, when the table was set and

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Speaker 1: everything ready to come out, Willie ran up to look

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Speaker 1: out the scuttle, as he had every hour of daylight

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Speaker 1: since they were buried. In a moment, came a wild

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Speaker 1: shout down the ladder. They are coming, hooray for old Tim.

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Speaker 1: Mama rushed up and looked out and saw to be

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Speaker 1: sure Old Tim slowly coming along over the crust, drawing

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Speaker 1: after him a wood sled on which were two men.

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Speaker 1: It's Papa, shouted Willie, waving his arms to attract their attention.

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Speaker 1: Willy came back over the snow in tones of agony.

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Speaker 1: Is that you are you well? All well, shouted Willie,

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Speaker 1: And just going to have our Christmas dinner dinner, echoed Papa,

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Speaker 1: who was now nearer where is the house? Then? Oh,

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Speaker 1: down here, said Willie, under the snow. But we are

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Speaker 1: all right, only we mustn't let the plum pudding spoil.

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Speaker 1: Looking into the attic, Willie found that Mama had fainted away,

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Speaker 1: and this news brought to her aid Papa and the

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Speaker 1: other man who proved to be a good friend who

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Speaker 1: had come to help. Tim was tied to the chimney

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Speaker 1: whose thread of smoke had guided them home, and all

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Speaker 1: went down into the dark room. Missus Barnes soon recovered,

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Speaker 1: and while Willie dished up the smoking dinner, stories were

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Speaker 1: told on both sides. Mister Barnes had been trying to

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Speaker 1: get through the snow and to find them all the time,

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Speaker 1: but until last night had made a stiff crust, he

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Speaker 1: had been unable to do so. Then Missus Barnes told

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Speaker 1: her story, winding up with the account of Willie's Christmas dinner.

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Speaker 1: And if it hadn't been for his keeping up our hearts,

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Speaker 1: I don't know what would have become of us, she said.

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Speaker 1: At last, Well, my son, said Papa, you did take

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Speaker 1: care of mama and get up a dinner out of nothing,

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Speaker 1: sure enough, And now we'll eat the dinner which I

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Speaker 1: am sure is delicious, so it proved to be. Even

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Speaker 1: the cake or pudding, which Tot christened snow pudding, was

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Speaker 1: voted very nice, and the hickory nuts as good as raisins.

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Speaker 1: When they had finished, mister Barnes brought in his packages,

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Speaker 1: gave Tot and the rest some sure enough waisins, and

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Speaker 1: added his Christmas presents to Willie's. But though all were overjoyed,

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Speaker 1: nothing was quite so nice in their eyes as the

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Speaker 1: two birds. After dinner, the two men and Willie dug

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Speaker 1: out passages from the doors through the snow which had

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Speaker 1: wasted a good deal, uncovered the windows, and made a

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Speaker 1: slanting way to his sledge or old tim Then for

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Speaker 1: two or three days Willie made tunnels and little rooms

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Speaker 1: under the snow, And for two weeks while the snow lasted,

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Speaker 1: Nora and Todd at fine times in the little snow playhouses.

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Speaker 1: And that's the end of this episode. Good Night, sleep tight,