Democratic banner., 1849-05-14
THE TEMPEST.
BY GEORGE D. PRENTICE.

elemental strife, upon which | ave not
looked with a brow of daring have
stood in the front of the battle, when the
swords were cleaning end circling around
me like fiery serpents in the air. / have
sat On the mountain pinnacle when the
whirlwind was rending its oaks from the
rocky cliffs, and scattering them piecemeal
to the clouds. Ihape seen these things
with q swelling soul, that knew not, that
rocked no danger; but there is something
in the thunder's voice that makes me trem-
BILE like a.child. l have tried to overcome
this unmanly weakness. I have called
pride to my aid I have sought for moral
courage in the lessons of philosophy-but it
svaiiS me nothing. At the first low moan
ing Of the distant cloud my heart sinks
quivers, and dies within me.
My involuntary dread Of thunder has its
origin iE~sn incident that occurred when ]
was Q boy Of ten years. ] had . little
consin-s girl Of the same age of myself,
who had been the constant companion Of
my youth. Strange that after the lapse of
many years, that countehance should be so.
familiar to me. I can see the bright young
cressure,-her eyes flashing like q besuti-
full gem, her free locks streaming as in Joy
upon the rising gale, her cheeks glowing
like q ruby througha wreath of transparent
snow. Her voice had the melody and Joy
business of 9 birds, and when she bounded
over the wooded hill, fresh green valley,
shouting a glad answer to every voice Of
nature and clipping her little hands ia the
ecstscy Of young existence, she looked as
if breaking away like a free nightingale
from the earth, and going off where all
things are beautiful and happy like her.
II was Q morning in the middle of August.
The little girl had been passing some days
at my fathers house, sad she was now toI
return home. Her path lay across the
fields. and I gladly became the companion
~ R S5 Es gssdtI RfE s5d k seiil: tUgIH e5s P rGglls|
cloud was visible, and that seemed as pure,
and white, and peaceful as if it had been
the incense smoke of some burning censor
Of the skies. The leaves hung silent in the
woods, the waters in the bay had forgotten
their undulations; the flowers were bend
ing their heads a. il dreaming of the rain
bow and dew, and the whole atmospheric
was Of such 9 soft and luxurious sw~eetness
that seemed q cloud of roses scattered
down by the hands of s.Peri, from the afar
Oh garden Of Paradise. The green earthI
and the blue sea lay abroad In their bound
lessness, and the peaceful sky bent over and
blessed them. The little creature at myI
side wa in q dslirium Of happiness, and
her clear sweet voice came ringing uponIi
the air as often a. she heard the tones of
. favorite bird, or found some strange andIc
lovely flower in her frolic wanderines. The
unbroken and almost supernatural tran
guilty Of the day continued until near noon. !
linen Tor the first time the Indication Of an:
approaching tempest vas manifest. Over
the summit of q mountain, at a distance of
about q mile, the folds Of dark clouds be-
come suddenly visible, and at the same
instant, q hallow roar came down upon the {
winds as If it had been the sound of waves,
Q rocky ver The claud rolled outIr
like 9 banner ulfolded upon tbe air, but still :
the atmosphere was as calm, and the ~leaves
- motioniess as before; and there was notl
sven q culver among the sleeping waters
70 tell Of the coming hurricaue. L
To, escape the tempest was impossible. l
the only resort we fed to an oak thstIS
stood at the foot Of a tall andrugged preci- 6
pice. Here We stood and gazed aImostls
breathlesSly upon. the clouds m~arshaliinp !,
themselves like bloody giants in the sky. !,
The thunder wa not very frequent, but !
every burst wal 90 fearful that the %youngl,'
creature who stood by me, shut her eyes i
convulsively, and chung with desperatel
strength to my arm, and shrieked as If herI
heart would bresk. IS
Afew minutes, and the storm was uponIi
~. During the height of its fury, the little
girl lifted her finger towards the precipice
that lowered over ms. / looked, and saw
smsthystine pesk! And the next mo-
nsnt the clouds opened, the rocks tottered
their foundations, 9 roar like the groan of
he universe filed the air, and I felt myselfl
and thrown ! knew not whittier.
doW-Icngt I Eenainsd insensible / c~annotl
eIl-but when Consciousness returned, the
lioIeace Of the tempest was absting, the \
Of The winds was dying in the tree tops, '
ths deep tones Of the thunder cloud
'saas . feintink muFmurs from the EASTERN
fo5S and Looked tremblineIy and almost,
IehgieuplK Gtound. She was thsfeAthe
bAhA l8AIIAG - 49, 1865 In