The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1852-04-15
The Dawn OF Spring.
BE TX. MARVEL.

love to trace the break of Spring step by
| step love even those long rain storms that
sap the icy fortresses Of the lingering Winter
that melt the SHOWS from the hills, and swell the
moantain brooks that make the pools heave
GP their CLASSY cerements of ice and hurry down
the crashing fragments into the wastes of the
ocean.
love the gentle thaws that you can trace day
by day, by the stained snow banks shrinking
from the grass; and by the gentle drip of the
cottage caves. 1 love TO search out the sunny
slopes by southern wall, where the reflected
sun does double duty to the earth, and where the
fral anemone or the faint blush of the arbutus,
in the midst Of the bleak March atmosphere, will
touch your heart like hope of heaven, in field
of graves Later come those soft smoky days,
when the patches of winter grain show green un-
der the shelter of leafess woods, and the last
snow-drifts reduced to shrunken skeletons of ice
lie upon the slope Of northern hills, leaking away
their life.
Then, the grass at your door grows into the
color of the sprouting grain, and the buds upon
the ilacs swell, and burst. The peaches bloom
upon the wall, and the plumbs wear boddices of
white The sparkling oriole, picks strings for
his hammock on the sycamore, and the sparrows
twt in pairs. The cid elms throw down their
dingy flowers, and color their spray with green !;
and the brooks, where you throw your worm or
minnow, float down whole fleets of the crimson
blossoms of the maple. Finally, the oaks step
into the opening quadrille of Spring, with gray
ish tufts of modest yerdure, which, by and by,
will be long and glossy leaves The dog wood
pitches his broad white tent, in the edge of the
forest; the dandelions lie along the hilocks, like
stars in a sky of green; and the wild cherry
growing in all the hedge rows without other cul-
ture than Gods, lifts up TO Him, thankfully, its
tremuious white finger.
FL Ibis Sc SoR the gT6 Fh p 5aPs @t f E Sng
water them; and the year blossoms with flowers.
But the clouds hover over an April sky, timidly
like shadows upon innocence. The showers
come gently and drop daintily to the earth,-
with now and then glimpse of sunshine to make
the drops bright-lke so many tears ofjoy.
The rain of winter is cold, and it comes in
bitter scuds that blind you; but the rain of April
steals upon you cody, half reluctantly
lovingly-like the steps of bride to the altar
1t does not gather ike the storm clouds of
Winter, grey and heavy along the horizon and
creep with subtle and insensible approaches (like
age) to the very zenith; but there are score of
white-winged swimmers aioat, that your eye
has chased as you lay fatigued with the delicious
languor of an April sun:-nor have you scarce
noticed that little bevy of those floating clouds
had grouped together in a sombre company.
But presently, you see across the fields, the dark
grey streaks stretching like lines of mist, from
the green bosom of the valley in that spot of sky
where the company of clouds is lettering and
with an easy shifting of the helm the fleet of
swimmers come drifting over you, and drop their
burden into the dancing pools, and make the
flowers glisten, and the caves drip with their
crystal bounty.
The cattle linger still, cropping the newcome
grass: and childhood laughs jOyously at the
warm rain or under the cottage roof, catches
with eager ear, the patter of its fall.