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"For, while our winters are so cold,
How short a time 'twould take
To form one solid mass of ice,
In river, pond, or lake!
"And thus, from year to year, mamma,
Winter would ever reign,
For such a mass could never melt
When summer came again.
"But tell me how the ice is formed,
And what can make it float
Upon the surface of the lake,
Just like a little boat?"
"Our Heavenly Father, Jane, has filled
With bubbles full of air,
Each lump of ice—and we may see
His goodness everywhere.
"The air expands within the ice,
Just as its Maker pleases,
And rarifies to make it light,
Whene'er the water freezes.
"Thin cakes thus form in layers, Jane,
As you may often see
One ring within another, round
The body of a tree,
