Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1833-02-16
A RAMBLE IN THE WOODS
on Sunday, and uhat the uriter sa1r
and heard fhere


on Sunday, and rhdt the uriter sou
and heard there.
! frequently spend Sabbath morn
ing in the country, rambling alone il
the melancholy woods, sometimes rest
ing myself against the rough bark of q
time-worn tree; sometimes lingering
on the woody heights far over the sur
rounding world; and at others reclin
ing li.tIessly by the side Of some clear
brook, over whose rjpliDg way the
branches meet, ard form natures
choicest canopy. Here Indulge my
memory and imagination in thous-
and devious wanderings; lrecali the
distant shadows Of departed time that
have by degrees faded almost into OBJ.
livion, and send my mind on errands
to the future; thousand recOllections
melancholy, yet exqu;slteIy touching,
throDg about my heart, and Il thous-
and anticipatlons beckon onward in the
path i am pursuing through this way
ward world. At times l become so
completely distracted from the scenes
around, rs to forget where i am, and
TO lose almost The consciousness Of be-
ing. ruminatc, ! ponder, and ]
dream.
On one of the occasions, about the
middle Of the sultry month Of August,
when the dog star RACES and all nature
sinks into sort of luxurious repose,
l had become somewhat tired with d
ra'nble longer than usual, aud laid my
.selfl'stlcssly along the margin of a lit
tie twittering stream that stole its win
ding way among the deep obscuritics
Of the wood, diffusiDg GOODNESS, and
inviting to repose. 1t was Sunday, n
it seemed as if nature partook in its
holy abstraction from worldly thoughts
and worldly occupations. The voice
OF the ploughman cheering or chiding
bis team; the rafting of the sonorous
Wagon over the rough mountain road /;
the echo Of the Woodlands axe; the
explosion Of the hunters gun, :.ad all
the customary sounds that give. life
and animation to rural sports and ru-
RAJ occupations had ceased. Nay, e.
ven the tinklihg cowbell, which broke
at intervals on the hallow ed quiet Of
thu day, seemed to come over me
with a soft ned, mellowed tone, as i'll
feariui Of disturbing its rePose, and
awed by the solemnity of universal Sc
lece. Through the arched canopy
Of foliage that overhung the little
stream, ! could see it coursiDg its way
on either hand, among messy rocks,
glittering as if BY moonlight, and dis
So airing after Thousand meander-
ng, 1t is imposs,ble-at least to re-
800 he influence ofsuch a scene. Re
lecs.ng beings like ourselves, sink into
! sort Of melancholy reverie, and even
he sprightliSess of childhood is re-
pressed, by the hallowed quiet that
reigns all around. Guilt awakes from
Is long oblivion, and innocence be-
come, saddeDed with the stiffness of
nature.
As thus ] lay, stretched in ianguid
istlsssness along the stream, as quiet
IS tn leaves that DreatIeu not whi>-
per above me. and gradual. sinking
nto almost uncons,IOusless OF the
world and all It ho.d,; the lfttle birds
'pOrted about careless OF my presence,
md the insects pursued that incessant
which never seems to cease,
srtii winter lays his icy letters on all
nature, and dives them into their in
hiding places. There is a
apse III the rec objection OF the cuI rent
IF my thoughts at that moment a short
period Of iorgetfulness, from which /
vas reused BY hoarse croaking voice,
'(ruel, savage monster, what does
le thcTcv
l looked all around, and could only
lee a hawk seated ON the limb OF u dry
rec, c,eiag me as fancied with a Pc
:ul.ar xpression Of hostility. In
ew moments l again relapsed into "a
profound reyerie; from which 1 was
awakened once more BY a small sqeak-
q g"hisper:
'ldare say the blood thirsty villain
has been setting traps for u.s.
looked again, and at first could see
,otn.. = from which l supposed the
'vire might proceeds but at the same
ime imagined ! distinguished sort OF
whisper, in which many little
'oices seemed commingled. My Curl :
'sity was awakened, AMI peering about
quietly found ltproceeded from COL
eCtion of animals. birds and insects. .