The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1851-03-06
From Stack's Ministry of the Beautiful. jus;
published by A. Hart, PhiiadeIPha.
THE FOUNTAIN IN THE WOOD.


A LITTLE way apart from great city
was a fountain in wood. The water
gushed from a rock and ran in a little
crystal stream TO a mossy basin below,
the wild-howers nodded their heads to
catch It's tiny spray; tall trees overarchsd
it, and through The interspaces of their
moving leaves the sunlight came and
danced with rainbow feet upon its spark.
Ing surface.
There was young girl who managed
every day to escape little while from the
turmoil of the city, and went like pill
grim to the fountain IN the wood. The
water was sparkling, the moss and fern
looked very lovely IN the gentle moisture
which the fountain cast upon them, and
the trees waved their branches and rushed
their green leaves in happy concert with
the summer breeze. The girl loved tho
! beauty of the scene and il grew upon her.
! Every day the fountain had fresh tale TO
tell, and the whispering murmur of the
! leaves was ever new. By-and-by she
came to know something of the language
III which the fountain, the ferns, the mos
ses, and the trees held converse. She
listened very patiently, full of wonder and
man would not learn their language, that
they might tell him the beautiful things
they had 10 say. Al last the maiden VEN
iured to tell them that she knew their
tongue, and with what exquisite delight
sne heard them talk. The fountain flowed
faster, more sunbeams danced OH It's wa
ters, the leaves sang a new song, and the
ferns and moses grew greener before her
eyes. They all told her what Joy thrilled
through them at her words. Human beings
had passed them in abundance, they SAID,
and as there was a tradition among the
flowers that men once spoke, they hoped
one day 10 hear them do so again. The
maiden told them that all men spoke, at
which they were astonIsned, but said that
making artculate noises was not speaking,
many such they had heard, but Eeyer tiil
now real human speech; for that, they
said, could come alone from the mind and
heart. 1t was the voice of The body which
men usually talked with, and that they
did not understand, but only the voice Of
the soul, which was rare 10 hear. Then
there was great JOY through all the wood,
and there went forth report that at length
maiden was found whose soul could
speak, and who knew the language of the
flowers and the fountain. And The trees
| and the stream said one to another, " E ven
so did our old prophets teach, and now
hath IL been fuliIled.'' Then the maiden
tried 10 tell her friends in the city what
! she had heard at the fountain, but could
explain very little, for although they knew
! her words, they felt not her meaning
And certain young men came and begged
her 10 take them TO the wood that they
| might hear the voices. So she took one
after another, but nothing came OF it, for
10 them the fountain and the trees were
mute. Many thought the maiden mad,
and laughed at her belief, but thew could
not take the sweet voices away from her.
| Now the maidens wished her 10 take
them also. and she did, but with little bet
ter success. A few thought they heard
something, but knew not what, and Oh
! their return TO the city its bustle obliterated
the small remembrance they had carried
away. AT length young man begged
| the maiden 10 give him trial, and she
| did SO. They went hand in hand to the
fountain, and he heard the language. altho'
not so well as the maiden; but she helped
him, and found that when both heard the
words together they were more beautiful
than ever. She let GO his hand, and much
of the beauty was gone. the fountain told
them to join hands and lips also. and they
did II. Then arose sweeier sounds than
| they had ever heard, and soft voices en-
compassed them saying. Heacefor,h be
united; for the spirit of irath sud beerty
hath made you one"