Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1854-10-16
Prairie view.

The following, perhaps too ford, YET
beautifully written description, first appeared
in the North Carolina Republican. 1t, is from
the pen of q young lady, form cry resident in
this state. .s-
A Wisconsin, PRATRiE.- Reader have you
never beheld Badger State prairie Then
go, and View one of natnre's sub,ifnest handi
works. Go, and rest your eye, not upon
dead level as many imagine, but upon, as il
were, varlegated, heaving sea whose recen-
thy agitated waters are just calming themselves
in smothered swels. Place yourself on the
largest one Of these, il is well worth your effort,
and observe the gentle undnlatioas gradually
growing smaller and small er like reesding
waves. SO perfectly formed ycu can hardly
believe they are not waves, covered as they
are with tail s.breeze-ri,iden" heritage, and
as free from bush or tree as the sea itselfs
except here and there's circular grofe Of white
oaks and silver leaf popular, WHICH seem to
have drawn up their forces in this form to bet
ter withstand the attack of the Ere, which
annually basis the oakish sspiraiioaasaf many.
a sprouting acorn. By-the side Of one Of these
prairie islands, to make the picture of the sea
still more complete, you see, what is it?
marine animal? II is very like one, with lts
rounded back just discernabe in the tops OF
the high grass, but as it raises its head and
DoUnUS away III tSffOE y oQ at cflces RECOGNIZES
the tmid fawn a;idi as to its speed it seemed to
add wigs as it rapidly skins over the sum
nit Of each recedng hillock, you can but
imagine it borne away on the proud waves
crest.'
Turning from the horrizon-bounded prospect
you behold on the other hand, lazily winding
sheet Of water, with the blue mirrored on lis
bosom, coming from way of yonder beyond
the reach of your keensst sight, and shaping
the course of It's broad surface around every
little hill, which a noisy New England creek
would scornfuly dash over. Yet this najes1
tic river, Ct am speaking of the noble Rock.)
in lis easy complacent dignity holds the even
tenor of its way, until it disappears as it came
pitching over no preeipice, erineing through
no narrows, acknowledging no shadows and
chatting over no rocks, but bearing on its calm
vet resistless current to the great valley rivers
Numerous lpcks of the feathered tribe dot
its borders, and from the narrow skirting of
woodland comes the too-bocStsoo of the prai-
RE hen, the drumming of the partridge, the
shrill note of the thrush, the cry of the whip
poor-wil.j the plantive song of the moaning
dove with the double bass Of monsieur frog,
and the intense tenor of the screech owl;
while tapping his wings over all these, and
striking terror into every heart, scars our ma
toms emblem, the bald eagle.
Besides all this, there are the beautiful and
fragrant flowers with which nature forgot moi
to embeiish the picture. There are arge
clusters of blue forget-me-not the climbing
honeysuckie, the naughty columbine, the NOR
ming glory, the blushing beauty, the ''yellow
daisy by tie riIl,'' content s'to be daisy still
and nothing - then there is the untidy
pond lily, aree Wn al trop aeglige there are
pink and white catch flys, whose innocent lit
tie petals have never caught anything save the
clears of night" or the approaching kiss OF
the honey bee; there are thousands of cupid's
darts hurting away at each other for want OF
human victims; there, coqnetry unveils her
black eyes in the disc Of the none-so- pretty;
modesty hides under the hood of the anemone
there. purity dWells in the bell of the lilly,
and there too in all its native ioveliness, is
the emblem of youth, beauty and sweetness;
the prairie rose.
These viewed through an atmosphere
soft and hazy, with senses intoxicated by
draughts of distilled fragrance, calls forth from
the inmost soul feeling of admira ton, which
we
Scan ne'er express yet cannot all conceal"
such is thu appearance of our prairies in
general, and such in particular was the APP
pearance, from Mount Zion, OF Rock prairie.
now one Of the weaihiest and most thickly
settled portions Of the west No traveller
could pass over Mount Zion without pausing
to re longer on the scene, ii his full soul
turning from the picture to its great artist
would xcam, :. thou God hast created it! 1t
is indeed good ~ TRAVELLER.
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