Through the silent watches of the night

The snowflakes fast and faster fall;

And with swift and magic deftness,

Spread a spotless mantle over all.

Behold the landscape clothed in white,

Decked with crystals’ shining light;

See the towering fir trees bending low,

With their load of sparkling snow.

—Berton Mercer, “Winter.”

THE THISTLE.