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ONE evening, when the snow lay white
On level plain and mountain height,
The Brownies mustered, one and all,
In answer to a special call.
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All clustered in a ring they stood
Within the shelter of the wood,
While earnest faces brighter grew
At thought of enterprises new.
Said one, "It seems that all the rage,
With human kind of every age,
Is on toboggans swift to slide
Down steepest hill or mountain side.
Our plans at once we must prepare,
And try, ourselves, that pleasure rare.
We might enough toboggans find
In town, perhaps, of every kind,
If some one chanced to know where they
Awaiting sale are stowed away."
Another spoke: "Within us lies
The power to make our own supplies;
We'll not depend on other hands
To satisfy these new demands;
The merchants' wares we'll let alone
And make toboggans of our own;
A lumber-yard some miles from here
Holds seasoned lumber all the year.
There pine and cedar may be found,
And oak and ash are piled around.
Some boards are thick and some are thin,
But all will bend like sheets of tin.
At once we'll hasten to the spot,
And, though a fence surrounds the lot,
We'll skirmish 'round and persevere,
And gain an entrance,--never fear."
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This brought a smile to every face,
For Brownies love to climb and race,
And undertake such work as will
Bring into play their wondrous skill.
The pointers on the dial plate
Could hardly mark a later date,
Before they scampered o'er the miles
That brought them to the lumber piles,
And then they clambered, crept, and squeezed,
And gained admittance where they pleased;
For other ways than builders show
To scale a wall the Brownies know.
Some sought for birch, and some for pine,
And some for cedar, soft and fine.
With free selection well content
Soon under heavy loads they bent.
It chanced to be a windy night,
Which made their labor far from light,
But, though a heavy tax was laid
On strength and patience, undismayed
They worked their way by hook or crook,
And reached at last a sheltered nook;
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Then lively work the crowd began
To make toboggans true to plan.
The force was large, the rogues had skill,
And hands were willing--better still;
So here a twist, and there a bend,
Soon brought their labors to an end.
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Without the aid of steam or glue,
They curved them like a war canoe;
No little forethought some displayed,
But wisely "double-enders" made,
That should they turn, as turn they might,
They'd keep the downward course aright;
They fashioned some for three or four,
And some to carry eight or more,
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While some were made to take a crowd
And room for half the band allowed.
Before the middle watch of night,
The Brownies sought the mountain height,
And down the steepest grade it showed
The band in wild procession rode;
Some lay at length, some found a seat;
Some bravely stood on bracing feet.
But trouble, as you understand,
Oft moves with pleasure, hand in hand,
And even Brownies were not free
From evil snag or stubborn tree
That split toboggans like a quill,
And scattered riders down the hill.
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With pitch and toss and plunge they flew,--
Some skimmed the drifts, some tunneled through;
Then out across the frozen plain
At dizzy speed they shot amain,
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Through splintered rails and flying gates
Of half a dozen large estates;
Until it seemed that ocean wide
Alone could check the fearful ride.
Some, growing dizzy with the speed,
At times a friendly hand would need
To help them keep their proper grip
Through all the dangers of the trip.
And thus until the stars had waned,
The sport of coasting was maintained.
Then, while they sought with lively race
In deeper woods a hiding-place,
"How strange," said one, "we never tried
Till now the wild toboggan ride!
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But since we've proved the pleasure fine
That's found upon the steep incline,
We'll often muster on the height,
And make the most of every night,
Until the rains of spring descend
And bring such pleasures to an end."
Another answered frank and free:
"In all such musters count on me;
For though my back is badly strained,
My elbow-joint and ankle sprained,
I'll be the first upon the ground
As long as patch of snow is found,
And bravely do my part to steer
Toboggans on their wild career."
So every evening, foul or fair,
The jovial Brownies gathered there,
Till with the days of
Spring, at last,
Came drenching shower and melting blast,
Which sent the mountain's ice and snow
To fill the rivers miles below.
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