Suburban Sketches

William Dean Howells was an American realist author, literary critic, and playwright. Nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters", he was particularly known for his tenure as editor of the Atlantic Monthly as well as his own prolific writings, including the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day", and the novels The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Traveler from Altruria.

It was on a morning of the lovely New England May that we left the horse-car and spreading our umbrellas walked down the street to our new home in Charlesbridge through a storm of snow and rain so finely blent by the influences of this fortunate climate that no flake knew itself from its sister drop or could be better identified by the people against whom they beat in unison.