The Sierra citizen. [volume] (Downieville, Calif.) 1854-185?, 1854-12-23
The Tempest.
BY GEO. d. PRENTICE.

| DI OEO. ~. fhENllCE.
was never man of feeble courage
There are few scenes of either human or
elementary strife, upon which l have not
looked with brow of daring. have
stood in front of battle, when swords were
cleaning and circling around me like fiery
serpents of the air-I have sat on the
mountain pinnacle, when the whirlwind
was rending its oaks from the rocky
clefts and scattering them piece-meal to
the clouds. have seen these things with
a swelling soul, that knew not, that rocked
not of danger--but there is somethil g in
the thunders voice that makes me tremble
like child I have tried to overcome
this unmaly Weakness have called pride
to my add have sougth for moral cour-
age in the lessons of philosophy but it
avails me nothing the first low moan
ing Of the distant cloud, my heart sinks
and dies within me.
My involuntary dread of thunder, has
its origin in an incident, that occurred
when l was child of ten years. l had a
little cousin--a girl of the. same age of
myself: who had been the constant COM
panion of my childhood. Strange, that
after the lapse of almost score Of years,
that countenance is so familiar to me. l
can see the bright young creature-her
large eyes flashing like beautiful gem,
her free locks streaming as in joy upon
the rising gale, and her cheek glowing like
ruby through wreath Of transparent
snow. Her voice had the melody and
joyousness of birds, and when she bound
ed over the wooded hill or the fresh green
valley, shouting glad answer to every
voice of nature, and clasping her little
hands in the very ecstacy of young exist
ence, she looked as if breaking away like
freed nightingale from the earth, and
going off where all things were beautiful
and happy like her.
1t was morning in the middle of Au-
gust. The little girl had been some days
at my fathers house, and she was now to
return home. Her path lay across the
fields, and | gladly became the companion
of her walk. / never knew summer
morning more beautiful and still. Only
one little 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 ofthe
bay had forgotten their undulat ions, the
flowers were bending their heads as if
dreaming of the rainbow and the dew, and
the whole atmosphere was of such soft
and luxurious sweetness, that it seemed
cloud of roses scattered down By the hands
of Peri, from the far off gardens of Para
disc. The green earth and the blue sea
were abroad in their boundlessness, and
the peaceful sky bent over and blessed
them. The little creature at my side was
in delirium of happiness, and her clear
sweet voice came ringing upon the air as
often as she heard the tones of favorite
bird, or found some strange or lovely flower
in her frolicsome wanderings. The I'M
broken and almost supernatural tranquil
ty of the day continued until nearly then.
Then, for the first time, the indications of
an approaching tempest were manifest
Over the summit of mountain, at dis
lance of about mile, the folds of a dark
cloud became suddenly visible, and at the
the same instant hollow roar came down
upon the winds as if it had been the sound
of waves in rocky cavern. The cloud
rolled like banner-fold upon the air, but
still the atmosphere was calm and the
leaves as motionless as before; there was
not even culver upon the sleeping wa
tiers to tell of the coming hurricane. To
fescape'the tempest was impossible. AS
the only resort, we fed to an oak, that
stood at the foot Of a tall and ragged preci-
pice. Here we remained and gazed al.
most breathlessly upon the clouds, mar
shalling themselves like bloody giants in
the sky. The thunder was not frequent,
but every burst was so fearful that the
young creature who stood by me, shut her
Ieyes convulsiyely, chung with desperate
strength to my arm, and shrieked as ifher
heart would break. A few minutes and
the storm was upon us. During the height
Of its fury, the little girl lifted her finger
towards the precipice that lowered above
us. ! looked up and an amethystine flame