Sunday, March 20, 1853.–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 snowplough, 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 slay and after play.
The Dog doth bite a thief at night.”
When she came to the end of it and said,
“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.