Litchfield enquirer., 1855-06-07


| eye them with fierce penetration, as if there
by you could catch some of them with you
eye. You cannot, though. You brush tn.
bred snap out, and tumble about in every di
rection. There are large ones and small
ones, and middling sized ones; green and
striped ones. At length it is wonderful t.
see how populous the grass is. If you die
not want them, they would jump into your
very hand. But they know by your looks
that yon are out fishing. You see very
nice young fellow climbing up steepIe
stem, to get good look out and see where
you are. You take good aim and grab al
him. The stem you catch, but he has jump.
ed safe rod. Yonder is another, creeping
among some delicate ferns. With broad
palm you clutch him, and all the neighbor-
ing heritage too. Slealthily opening your
little finger, you see his leg I; the next fin
ger reveals more Of him; and opening the
next you are just beginning to take him out
| with the other hand when out he bounds,
and leaves you to renew Your entomology
cal pursuits.
Twice you snatch handfuls of grass and
cautiously open your palm to find that you
have only grass. 1t is quite vexa,ious.-
There are thousands OF them here and there,
climbing and wriggling on that blade, leap.
ing off from that stalk, twisting and kick
ing on that vertical SPIDERS web, jumping
and bouncing about under your very nose,
hitting you in the face. creeping on your
shoes, or turning snmmersets and tracing
every figure of parabola or eclipse in the
air, and yet not one do you get. And there
is such heartiness and merriment in their
sallies They are pert and gay, and do not
take your intrusion in the least dudgeon. If
any tender hearted person ever wondered
how humane man could bring himself to
such cruelty as the impaling of an insect
let him hunt for grasshopper in hot day
among the tall grass; and when at length
he secures one, the affixing him upon the
hook will be done without single scruple,
with judicial soemnity, and as mere mat
ter of penal justice.
Now then, the trout are wonder. We
swing our line TO the air, and give it gen.
tie cast toward the desired spot, and puff
Of south wind dexterously lodges it in the
branch of tree. You plainly see it strike,
and whrl over and over, SO that no gentle
pull will loosen it You draw it north and
south, east and west; you give it IA jerk up
and pull down; you try series Of MIN
BILE witches in vain you coax it in this
way and solicit it in that. Then you stop
and look a moment. first at the trout and
then at your line. Was there ever anything.
so vexatious? Would it be wrong to get
angry! In fact you feel very much like it.
The very things you wanted TO catch, the
grasshopper and the trout, you could not
but a tree, that you did not in the least want
you have caught fast at the first throw
You fear that they will be scared. You
cautiously draw nigh and peep down. Yes,
there they are, looking a, you and laughing
as sure as trout ever laughed They under
stand the Whole thing. With very deci-
sive jerk You snap your line, regain the rem
nant Of it. and sit down to repair it, to put
on another hook, you rise up to catch an
other grasshopper, and move on down the
stream TO catch trout.
Meantime, the sun is wheeling behind the
mountains, for you Are just at the foot of the
eastern ridge Of Mount Washington mot Of
White Mountains, but of the Taconc range
in Connecticut.) Already its broad shade
begins to fall down upon the plain. The
side Of the mountain is solemn and sad
Its ridge stands sharp against fire bright
horizon. Here and there tree has escaped
the axe of the charcoalers, and shaggily
marks the sky. Through the heavens are
slowly sailing continents Of magnificent
fleece mountains Alps and Andes Of va
por. They too, have their bread shadows.
Upon yonder hill, far to the east Of US, you
see cloud shadow making grey the top,
while the base is radiant with tn. sun. An
Other cloud shadow is moving with stately
grandeur along the va ley Of the Housatonic
and il you rise to little eminence, you may
see the brilliant landscape growing dull in
the sudden observation on its forward line,
and growing as suddenly bright upon its
rare trace. How majestically that shadow
travels up those steep and precipitous noun
tain sides! How il scoops down the gorge
and valley and moves along the plain! But
now the mountain shadow on the west is
creeping down into the meadow. It has
crossed the road where your horse star,ds
shitched to tho paling Of a little deserted
house.
You forget your Grand You selec. dry,
turfy knoll, and lying down you gaze into
sky. O.! those depths. Something within
you reaches out and yearns; you have a
vague sense Of in6nity-of vastness Of the
litileness Of human life and the sweetness
and grandeur Of divine life and of eternity.
You people that vast ether. You stretch
away through it and find that celestial city
beyond, and therein dwell 0 how many that
are yours! Tears coms unhidden. You
begin to long for release. You pray. Was
there ever better closet. Under the sha-
dow Of the mountain, the heavens full Of
cloudy coharts, like armies of horsemen and
chariots, your soul is loosened from the mar
row judgments Of human life, and touched
with full sense of Immortality and the IL
berry Of spiritual state. An hour goes past.
How full has it been Of feelings struggling
to be thoughts, and of thoughts deliqaes-
cling into feeling. Twilight is coming. You
have miles to ride home. Not trout in
your basket! Never mind you have fished
In the heavens, and taken great store Of
prey. Let them laugh at your empty bas-
ket. Take their raiIlery good naiuredly !;
you have certainly had good luck.
But We have not yet gone 10 the brook
for which we started. That must be for an
other tramp. Perhaps ones experience of
g farrv tackle - and of Av6ehtcc ,n.uh.