_Sunday, March 20._--It snowed so, that we could not go to church to-day and it was the longest day I ever spent. The only excitement was seeing the snowplow drawn by two horses, go up on this side of the street and down on the other. Grandfather put on his long cloak with a cape, which he wears in real cold weather, and went. We wanted to pull some long stockings over our shoes and go too but Grandmother did not think it was best. She gave us the "Dairyman's Daughter" and "Jane the Young Cottager," by Leigh Richmond, to read. I don't see how they happened to be so awfully good. Anna says they died of "early piety," but she did not say it very loud. Grandmother said she would give me 10 cents if I would learn the verses in the New England Primer that John Rogers left for his wife and nine small children and one at the breast, when he was burned at the stake, at Smithfield, England, in 1555. One verse is, "I leave you here a little book for you to look upon that you may see your father's face when he is dead and gone." It is a very long piece but I got it. Grandmother says "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Anna learned
"In Adam's fall we sinned all. My Book and heart shall never part. The Cat doth play and after slay. The Dog doth bite a thief at night."
"Zaccheus he, did climb a tree, his Lord to see."
she said she heard some one say, "The tree broke down and let him fall and he did not see his Lord at all." Grandmother said it was very wicked indeed and she hoped Anna would try and forget it.
_April 1._--Grandmother sent me up into the little chamber to-day to straighten things and get the room ready to be cleaned. I found a little book called "Child's Pilgrim Progress, Illustrated," that I had never seen before. I got as far as Giant Despair when Anna came up and said Grandmother sent her to see what I was doing, and she went back and told her that I was sitting on the floor in the midst of books and papers and was so absorbed in "Pilgrim's Progress" that I had made none myself. It must be a good book for Grandmother did not say a word. Father sent us "Gulliver's Travels" and there is a gilt picture on the green cover, of a giant with legs astride and little Lilliputians standing underneath, who do not come up to his knees. Grandmother did not like the picture, so she pasted a piece of pink calico over it, so we could only see the giant from his waist up. I love the story of Cinderella and the poem, "'Twas the night before Christmas," and I am sorry that there are no fairies and no Santa Claus.