The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1848-03-08
vlLLE MAncn 8 ls4sI

slikela freed nightingale from the esrtR,3
saDd going Off where al things are beauti.i
tul and hapP like her. :. ss
a i Was 9 morning in the middle OF Au-s;
gust. j Theilii1e girl had been passiHg
some days AT my fathers house, and she
.was now to return home. Her path lay
across the fields, and gladly became the
companion oflier walk. sInever knew O
summer. morning more beautiful and still.
Only one little cloud was visible, and tha,
seemed Us pure, and white, and peaceful,
as if5it had been the incense siDoke ofsome
burning censor ofithe skies. Tho leaves
hung silent in the woods, the waters:in;the
bay had forgotten their undulutions, the
flowers were bending their heads as IF
dreaming of the rainbow nnd dew, and the
whole atmosphere wns Of such soft and
luxurious sweetness that it seemed cloud
Of. roses, scattered down ly the hands of
"a 5Peri, from tho far-of gardens of Para-
disc. The green earth and the blue sea
lay abroad in their boundlessness, and the
peaceful sky bent over and blessed them.
The little creature at my side was in de-
lirium Of happiness, and her clear, sweet
voice came ringing upon the air as often
as she heard the tones Of n favorite bird,
or found some strange or lovely flower, in
her frolic wauderings. The unbroken
and almost supernatural tranquility Of the
day continued until nearly noon. Then
Tor the first time the Indication of an ap.
preaching tempest was manifest. Over
The summit ofa mountnin, at the distance
OF about mile, the folds Off dark cloud
became suddenly visible, at the same in
slant, hollow rpar came down upon the
winds, as If it had been The sound of'wayes
ma rocky cavern. The cloud rolled out
like bunner-fold upon the air, but still
the atmosphere was MS calm and the leaves
as motionlcss us before, and there was not
even culver upon the sleeping waters to
tell of the coming hurricane.
10 escape the tempest was impossible.
AS the only resort. we fed to an oak that
stood at the foot ola tall and rugged pre-
clpcc. Here We remained and gazed
almost brcathlcssly upon the clouds, mar
shalling themselves like bloody giants in
the sky. The thunder was not ireoucnt,
but every burst was SO fearful that the
young creature who stood by me shut her
eyes convulsivcly, olung with desperate
strength to my arm, and shricking MS if
her very heart would break. A few
minutes and the storm WINS upon us. Du.
ring the height Of its fury, the little girl
lifted her finger towards the prccipice that
lowered above US. looked up, and nm
amcthystinc ilume was quivcring upon it's
gray peaks! and the next moment. tho
cloud opened, the rocks tottercd 10 their
foundations, roar like the groan of h Uni
verse filled the mir, and felt myself blind.
cd and thrown, knew not whittier. How
long | remained inscnsible cannot tell,
but. when consciousness returned, the
violence ofthc tempest was abating, the
roar of the winds were dying in the tree
tops, and the deep tones Of the cloud.
coming in fainter murmurs from the East
ern hills.
| arose and looked trcmbingly and al
most dcliro,lsly around. She was there
the dear idol Of my infant love-stretch-
cd out on tho green earth. Afler mo-
ment of irresolution, went up and looked
upon her. The handkerchief upon her
neck 'ls slightly rent, and q single dark
spot upon her bosom told where The path
way OF her death had been. At first |
claspcd her to my breast with q cry of
agony, and then laid her down, and gnzcd
upon her fnce almost with feeling Of
caImncss. Her bright, dishevcllcd ring
lets clustered swcctlv arounda her brow,
the look ofterror had faded from her Inns,
and infant smiles were pictured beautiful.
y there; The rcd rose tingc upon her check
was lovely us IN life, and as ! pressed it
to my own, the fountains Of tears were on.
cned, and wcpt rs if my heart were wa
tcrs. | have but recollection Of what
followcd-1 only know that remained
weeping and motionlcss till the coming cfi
twilight, and wns then taken tcndcrly
by the hand and cdaway, whore | saw
the countcnnnce of parents and Sisters.
Many years have gone by on the wings
oflIght and shadow, but the scenes have
portrayed still como over me, and ut times,
with n terrible distinctncss. The oak vet
stands al the base ofthc prccipiccc, but its
limbs are black and dead, and the hollow
trunk, looking upwards TO the sky rs sif,
calling to the clouds for drink, is an en-
bIcm of rapid and noisclcss decay. A
year ago | visited the spot, and the
thoughts of bygone years cnmo mourn
iully back to me- thoughts of the little
innocent being who fell by sIdo like
some beautiful tree of Spring, rent up by
the whirlwind in the midst Of its blossom
ing. But remembered land oh there
was JOY i'll the memory that she had gone
where no lightnngs slumber in the folds
OF the rainbow cloud, and where tho sun.
light waters are broken only by the storm