Uncle Eb, who had had no sleep the night before, began to snore heavily before we children had stopped whispering.

He was still snoring, and Hope sound asleep, when I woke in the night and heard the rain falling on our little roof and felt the warm breath of the south wind.

The water dripping from the eaves and falling far and near upon the yielding snow had many voices.

I was half-asleep when I heard a new noise under the sledge.

Something struck the front corner of the sledgehouse--a heavy, muffled blow--and brushed the noisy boards.