1. It was a clear, cold, winter evening, and all the Sinclairs but Annie
had gone out for a neighborly visit. She had resolved to stay at home and
study a long, difficult lesson in Natural Philosophy.
2. Left to herself, the evening passed quickly, but the lesson was learned
a full half hour before the time set for the family to come home.
3. Closing her book, she leaned back in the soft armchair in which she was
sitting, soon fell asleep, and began to dream. She dreamed that it was a
very cold morning, and that she was standing by the dining-room stove,
looking into the glass basin which was every day filled with water for
evaporation.
4. "Oh, dear," she sighed, "it is nearly school time. I don't want to go
out in the cold this morning. Then there is that long lesson. I wonder if
I can say it. Let me see--it takes two hundred and twelve degrees of heat,
I believe, for water to evaporate--"
5. "Nonsense!" "Ridiculous!" shouted a chorus of strange little voices
near by; "Look here! is this water boiling? What an idea; two hundred and
twelve degrees before we can fly, ha, ha!"
6. "Who are you?" asked Annie, in amazement. "Where must I look?" "In the
basin, of course." 7. Annie looked, and saw a multitude of tiny forms
moving swiftly around, their numbers increasing as the heat of the fire
increased. "Why you dear little things!" said she, "what are you doing
down there?"
8. "We are water sprites," answered one, in the clearest voice that can be
imagined, "and when this delightful warmth comes all about us, we become
so light that we fly off, as you see."
9. In another moment he had joined a crowd of his companions that were
spreading their wings and flying off in curling, white clouds over Annie's
head. But they were so light and thin that they soon disappeared in the
air.
10. She could not see where they went, so she again turned to the basin.
"Does n't it hurt you," she asked one, "to be heated--?" "Not always to
two hundred and twelve," said the sprite, mischievously.
11. "No, no," replied Annie, half-vexed; "I remember, that is boiling
point--but I mean, to be heated as you all are, and then to fly off in the
cold?"
12. "Oh, no," laughed the little sprite; "we like it. We are made to
change by God's wise laws, and so it can't hurt us. We are all the time at
work, in our way, taking different shapes. It is good for us. If you will
go to the window, you will find some of my brothers and sisters on the
glass."
13. Annie went to the window, and at first could see nothing but some
beautiful frostwork on it. Soon, however, the panes seemed to swarm with
little folks. Their wings were as white as snow, and sparkled with ice
jewels.
14. "Oh," cried Annie, "this is the prettiest sight I ever saw. What is
your name, darling?" she asked one that wore a crown of snow roses. The
little voice that replied was so sharp and fine that Annie thought it
seemed like a needle point of sound, and she began to laugh.
15. "Fine Frost is our family name," it said. "I have a first name of my
own, but I shall not tell you what it is, for you are so impolite as to
laugh at me."
16. "I beg your pardon, dear," said Annie; "I could not help it. I will
not laugh at you any more if you will tell me how you came here. I have
been talking with one of your brothers over there in the basin."
17. The little sprite then folded her wings in a dignified manner, and
said, "I will tell you all I know about it, since you promise to be
polite. It is a very short story, however.
18. "Last evening we all escaped from the glass basin, as you have seen
our companions do this morning. Oh, how light and free we felt! But we
were so very delicate and thin that no one saw us as we flew about in the
air of the room.
19. "After a while I flew with these others to this window, and, as we
alighted on the glass, the cold changed us from water sprites into sprites
of the Fine Frost family." "It is very wonderful," said Annie. "Is it nice
to be a sprite?"
20. "Oh, yes, we are very gay. All last night we had a fine time sparkling
in the moonlight. I wore a long wreath full of ice pearls and diamonds.
Here is a piece of it. Before long we shall be water sprites again. I see
the sun is coming this way."
21. "Shall you dread to be melted?" inquired Annie. "No, indeed," answered
the sprite. "I like to change my form now and then."
22. A thought flashed across Annie's brain. What if she should breathe on
the frost and not wait for the sun to melt it. In a moment more she had
done so. Down fell a great number of the tiny mountains and castles,
carrying with them a multitude of frost sprites, and all that could be
seen was a drop of water on the window sill.
23. "Oh, dear! have I hurt them?" she exclaimed. "No, no," replied a
chorus of many small voices from the drop of water, "we are only water
sprites again. Nothing hurts us; we merely change." "But you are always
pretty little things," said Annie. "I wish--"
24. Here a ring at the doorbell woke Annie. She started up to find the
family had returned from their visit, which all declared was a delightful
one. But Annie said she did not believe they had enjoyed their visit
better than she had her half hour's dream.
DEFINITIONS.--1. Nat'u-ral Phi-los'o-phy, the study which teaches about
the laws of matter in nature. 3. E-vap-o-ra'tion, the act of turning into
vapor. 4. De-gree', a division of space marked on an instrument such as a
thermometer. 8. Wa'ter sprite, a spirit or fairy living in the water. 10.
Mis'chie-vous-ly, in a teasing manner. 13. Swarm, to be crowded. 18,
Es-caped', got away, fled.