The Shasta courier., 1864-09-17
The Thunder Storm.

|
| air-l have set en- the mountain pinnacle,
when the whiriwind was rending its oaks
from their rocky cefts and scattering piece
meal to the clords-I have seen these things
with swelling soul, that knew not, that
recked not of danger-but there is something
IN the thunder's voice that makes me tremhle
ike a child. | hare tried to overcome this
| unmanly weakness; ! have called pride TO
my nld; have sought for moral courage in
the lessons ofphilosophy-bu all in vain at
tnt iifs: lew moaning of the distant cloud, my
beart shrinks, quivers, and dies within me.
My involuntary dread of thunder had ori-
gin in an incident that occurred when | was
a child of ten years. had little COUSIN a
girl of the same age with myself, who was
the constant companion Of my childhood.
Strange, that the countenance should be so
familiar to me. can still see that bright
young creature, her large eyes flashing like
beautiful gems her free locks streaming as
In JOY upon the sunrise gale; and her cheek
glowing like a ruby through a wreath of
transparent snow. Her voice had the melody
and joyousness of a birds and, when she
bounded over the wooded hill or the fresh
green valley, shouting glad answer to every
voice of nature, and clapping her little hands
In the very ecstasy of young existence, she
looked as if breaking away ike freed night
ingale from the earth. and going off where
all things were beautiful and happy like her.
| 1t was morning in the middle of August
The little girl had been passing 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 beau
tiful and still. Only one little cloud was vis-
ible, and that seemed as pure ard white, and
| peaceful, as If 1t had been the incense smoke
OF some burning censor of the skies The
leaves hung silent in the woods, the waters
OF the bay had forgotten their undulations, the
| flowers were bending their heads as if dream
ing OF the rainbow and the dew, and the whole
atmosphere was of such soft and luxurious
sweetness, that seemed "a cloud of roses
scattered down by the hand of Peril far off
gardens of paradise. The green earth and
the blue sea lay abroad in their boundless-
ness, and the peaceful sky bent over and
blessed them. Little creature at my side was
in deirum Of happiness, and her clear
sweet voice came ringing upon the air as Of
ten as she heard the tones of some favorite
bird or found some strange and lovely flower
in her froic wanderings. The unbroken and
almost supernatural tranquility continued
until nearly noon. Then for the first time
the indication of an approaching tempest was
manifest. Over the summit of a mountain,
at the distance of about a mile, the folds of
dark cloud became suddenly visible, and at
the same instant, hollow roar came down
upon the winds, us if it had been the sound
Of waves in rocky cavern. The cloud roll
ed out like a banner fold upon the air, but
still the atmosphere was as calm and the
leaves rs motlonless as before and there WAS
not even qaiver upon the sleeping waters
to tell the coming hurricane.
To escape the tempest was impossible As
the only resort we fled to an oak that stood
at the foot Of a tall and ragged pre,ipice.
There we remained and gazed almost breath.
lessly upon the clouds, marshalng 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 eyes convulsiyely, clung with |
desperate strength to my arm, and shreked |
as if her heart would break. A few min
utes and the storm was upon u.s. During the |
hight of its fury, the little girl silently raised
her finger to the precipice that lowered above |
us. As | looked up, an amethystine flame
was qnivering upon its grey peaks, and the |
next moment the clouds opened, the rocks |
tottered to their foundations a roar like the |
groan of the universe filed the air, and felt |
er. How long | remained insensble I can
not tell but, when consciousness returned |
the violence of the tempest was abating, the |
roar of the winds was dying in the distant |
tops. and the deep tones of the clouds
were coming in faint and fainter murmurs |
from the eastern hills.
arose and looked tremblingly and almost |
deliriously around me- She was there. the
dear idol OF my infant love. stretched out |
upon the wet green earth After moment |
of irresolution, went up and looked upon |
her. The handkerchief upon her bosom told |
where the pathway of death had been. AT |
first casped her to my breast with a cry OF |
agony, and then laid her down and gazed into |
her face almost with feeling of calmness |
Her bright disheveled ringlets clustered |
sweetly around her brow; the look of terror
had faded from her Eps and an infant smile |
was pictured beautifully there; the red rose |
tinge upon her cheek was as lovely as in life :: |
and as pressed it to nv own the fountain |
of tears was opened, and | wept as if my
head were waters. | have hut dim reco- |
lection of what followed. | only know that
l remained weeping and motionless till the
coming on of twilight. that was then taken
tenderly by the hand, and led away where |
saw the countenance CT parents and sisters.
MANY wears nave gone by upon their wings
of light and shadow, but the scenes | have
portrayed still come over me. at times, with
terrible distinctness. The old oak yet stands
at the base of the precipice, but its limbs are
black and dead; and its hollow trunk look
ing upward to the sky as if calling to the
clouds for drink, is an emblem ofrapid and
noiseless decay. A year ago | visited the
spot, and the thoughts of bygone years came
mournfully back to me, thoughts of the little
innocent being who fell by my side like some
beautiful tree of Spring rent up by the whirl-
! winds in the midst of its blossoming. But |
remembered, and oh. there was joy in the
memory. that she had gone where no light
nings slumber in the folds of the rainbow
cloud. and where the sunlit waters are never
broken by the storm-breath of Omnipotence
&c. D. Prentice.
THr Huntsville Journal saws the rebels