23/27 Some of Mrs.Otis's crocks froze on the hearth that night. No such cold had been known in Vermont for years. The frost on the window-panes thickened--the light of the full moon could not penetrate them; all over the house were heard sounds like those on a straining ship at sea. The old timbers cracked now and then with a report like a pistol. "It's a dreadful night," said Mrs.Otis, and as she spoke the returning wind struck the house, and she gasped as if it had in truth taken her breath away. |