“Does a stove look beautiful?” asked the Snow Man， “is it at all like me?”
“It is just the reverse of you，” said the dog; “it's as black as a crow， and has a longneck and a brass knob; it eats firewood， so that fire spurts out of its mouth. We should keepon one side， or under it， to be comfortable. You can see it through the window， from whereyou stand.”
then the Snow Man looked， and saw a bright polished thing with a brazen knob， and firegleaming from the lower part of it. The Snow Man felt quite a strange sensation come overhim; it was very odd， he knew not what it meant， and he could not account for it. But thereare people who are not men of snow， who understand what it is. “And why did you leaveher?” asked the Snow Man， for it seemed to him that the stove must be of the female sex. “How could you give up such a comfortable place?”
“I was obliged，” replied the yard-dog. “They turned me out of doors， and chained me uphere. I had bitten the youngest of my master's sons in the leg， because he kicked away thebone I was gnawing. 'Bone for bone，' I thought; but they were so angry， and from that timeI have been fastened with a chain， and lost my bone. Don't you hear how hoarse I am. Away，away! I can't talk any more like other dogs. Away， away， that is the end of it all.”
But the Snow Man was no longer listening. He was looking into the housekeeper's room onthe lower storey; where the stove stood on its four iron legs， looking about the same size asthe Snow Man himself. “What a strange crackling I feel within me，” he said. “Shall I ever get inthere? It is an innocent wish， and innocent wishes are sure to be fulfilled. I must go in thereand lean against her， even if I have to break the window.”
“You must never go in there，” said the yard-dog， “for if you approach the stove， you'llmelt away， away.”
“I might as well go，” said the Snow Man， “for I think I am breaking up as it is.”
During the whole day the Snow Man stood looking in through the window， and in thetwilight hour the room became still more inviting， for from the stove came a gentle glow，not like the sun or the moon; no， only the bright light which gleams from a stove when it hasbeen well fed. When the door of the stove was opened， the flames darted out of its mouth;this is customary with all stoves. The light of the flames fell directly on the face and breast ofthe Snow Man with a ruddy gleam. “I can endure it no longer，” said he; “how beautiful itlooks when it stretches out its tongue?”
the night was long， but did not appear so to the Snow Man， who stood there enjoyinghis own reflections， and crackling with the cold. In the morning， the window-panes of thehousekeeper's room were covered with ice. They were the most beautiful ice-flowers any SnowMan could desire， but they concealed the stove. These window-panes would not thaw， andhe could see nothing of the stove， which he pictured to himself， as if it had been a lovelyhuman being. The snow crackled and the wind whistled around him; it was just the kind offrosty weather a Snow Man might thoroughly enjoy. But he did not enjoy it; how， indeed，could he enjoy anything when he was “stove sick?”
“That is terrible disease for a Snow Man，” said the yard-dog; “I have suffered from itmyself， but I got over it. Away， away，” he barked and then he added， “the weather is goingto change.” And the weather did change; it began to thaw. As the warmth increased， theSnow Man decreased. He said nothing and made no complaint， which is a sure sign. Onemorning he broke， and sunk down altogether; and， behold， where he had stood，something like a broomstick remained sticking up in the ground. It was the pole round whichthe boys had built him up. “Ah， now I understand why he had such a GREat longing for thestove，” said the yard-dog. “Why， there's the shovel that is used for cleaning out the stove，fastened to the pole.” The Snow Man had a stove scraper in his body; that was what movedhim so. “But it's all over now. Away， away.” And soon the winter passed. “Away， away，”barked the hoarse yard-dog. But the girls in the house sang，
“Come from your fragrant home， GREen thyme.”