"Let's dance to the brown old earth to-night!"

Cried one little flake of snow;

"The autumn days have all passed by,—

I'm tired of my home here in the sky."

So they all agreed to go.

They dressed themselves in a misty film

Of purest pearly white;

Their feet were clad in velvet down,

As soft and white as the filmy gown

They wore to the dance that night.

Wrapped 'round with a drape of raveled gauze

Were these little fays so fair.

When out from a cloud a pale star beamed,

All ready, so pretty a crowd were they

That naught could their charms enhance;

Then softly and quickly they sped away,

For the whisp'ring wind was the cab that they

Rode in to the snowflakes' dance.

They flew over housetop, hilltop, dell,

With dances and with delight.

Though ne'er did sound of their presence tell;

Wherever their fairy footsteps fell,

All turned to a crystal white.

In the daintiest robes the trees were dressed,

That ever you'd wish to see;

The wayworn traveler, he was blessed,

And stroked, and kissed, and soft-caressed,

By these fays in rapturous glee.

Into every crevice and crack they peeped,

They danced till the morning light;

They left the print of their tiny feet

O'er country road and city street,

In frolicsome fun that night.

When the rosy face of the morning sun

Peeped timidly out to view,

He beheld the earth, last night so brown,

Arrayed in a snow-white velvet gown

That sparkled like dancing dew.