The Frost upon the Pane - new book

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: II. THE WAGGON AND HORSES. Tinkle, tinkle, went the little bells as the waggon came up the road.that led to the village. As soon as you got to the windmill by the parsonage-house, you could see the lights in the street, and Old Huxford, the waggoner, was glad to see the lights of the village that Christmas Eve. Not merely because it was cold and snowing fast, and the parlour of the inn was warm, but because there were kindly suggestions in whatever spoke of life and human habitations, and even the hearts of waggoners expand on a Christmas eve. It is even possible that waggoners become imaginative, on occasion, and I can make excuses for Old Huxford, if he found something spectral in the snow-covered windmill, and the snow-covered trees?something that made him long for flesh-and-blood companionship. "I suppose when I stop, she'll rouse up," said Huxford to himself, as he came into the village, and went up the street, delivering Christmas parcels hereand there, which were hailed by groups of children emerging from warm rooms with loud acclaim, as doors were opened at the waggoner's voice. At last Huxford led his waggon up the yard of the " Pied Bull." Before entering the inn, he went round to the rear of the vehicle, lifted up the awning, and muttered? " Still fast asleep ! She must ha' been mortal tired, poor thing!" " What news, Huxford ?" said the Barber from behind a cloud, as the waggoner entered the warm parlour, where the fire was well surrounded, and the table well covered with drinking vessels. " What .news, Huxford ?" And all made a move to allow the new-comer space near the fire. " News enough ! mates," said Huxford. "A merry Christmas to ye all." " Same to you, and many of 'em," said all the voices together. " It don't sound Christian-like, Mas...