Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1860-09-07
The Prairies.

willie, writing to the Home Journal, ha
the following pretty thought:
let-lrarlon me. Spirit Of the Prairie :,
what man &, there with liberty Of choice
who would be contcn, to live where tbcr,
are N, mounuias' who would take a. 4
siit The lamou, "huuirel mile prairie" o.
IlInoi.-(a farm OF the extent OF fcrtil,
fl,us.., without fence ION condition o
there taking up biz abode had never rc
alilel. before, what Observation-Disclosures
there j. ia the mountains We dwell near
how the sunsets and sunris,- are made rev,
srent'y sublime hy thcm-how the .,orm'
rcrlorm glorious anthem. with the hill ech.
oc--h5v ,he eve. which is lifted from ih,
valley % tbo tall peak whercon rests th,
thunder cloud, carries the heart up with il,
in an instinct Of involuntary awe The
mere prairie door seem. to me wilierncS,
without an alnr-Naiure without gallery
or d1me-car,h vi,hoat proper cathedral
wherein The elements shall uubillcn vor.
ship God.
Anl the following lively description
To ovsr,ake a thunder shower. whirl
through ., and outrun 1t, va. tho first Of
the iay', exciting novelties. We av it
ahead OF u, on the prairie, a. you so a
.insl, black cloud in the Ky. with sunshine
an around it. Il was movin: In the samc
direction as ourselves, probably at ahou;
twenty m,lc- an hour and we soon began
20 oycrakc il with our be,,er.harnc.sci
thunder and lightning. The conductor
pointed the dark mas. out 70 me, some ten
or fiiscn minutes before We entered the out
cr skirt o., the shower and We were IN a
rel,Inc rain, with lightning and Psal' OF
thunder, for perhaps ten minutcs-emcrs-
in- m fair weather on the other eide, and
leaving the storm 90 lag behind ~, like the
&c slow coach" that 10 va! But, certain.
", it was very queer thus {, give thunder
and lightning the ro.by IL seemed 20 me,
somehow, an,iciratory Of another state Of
things when We g ,clegraphing about,
a, The beginning OF our spirit-,ravels ia the
next lie. am sure shall have a vague im.
preston Of having done something OF that
sort bsi5r-,hi. experience Of d,s,ancin: a
a w,ll.rraiusI thunder cloud being laid
away IN nv memory.
but it 3. % the Wild animals o. the prai.
re ,ha, the swiune.s Of the rail train j.
most ins1plicahl,. Are- upon ages have
csuhlsheI certain relative rates Of speed
between man ana the 'uhj'ct races OF crcn-
ton -,hs mounted huuisr bsin: Tie fastest
rur.ust Or which the ELK anl reindeer, the
hear and prairie wolf, the taS ani the Wild.
cat. the skunk. otter and mar,cu. are az all
prepared. The small line of the rail track
nearly hidden in grass, is no, recognized by
these wauderer, over the vast plain. Of the
West, and while thinking thcmselyc. siill
saf, in their own horil,n-sisi wilderness,
they suddenly sc the coming Of the row
monster. Ii. daily experience Of the
trains on thi. railroad across Illinois t.
J,cft4ke some one or NOR, o, them and Il
Is curious, ,te diTersn, conductor. and
hr.ksmcu an tod me-how none Of them
sssm 90 have the sasacity to escape By run.
ming oT at right angles. Almost invariably
they are before the pursucr, and are run
down at last, 90 hll lainiins with terror
and exhaustion IN the nslshborhooi Of the
track