Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1869-02-11

ing III lle DralicneS, the thickness OF
air, which occasioned faintish respi
ration, and the violent tllrobbings
of heart which more and more af-
fected US, we found that we ap-
preached the Grotto Of Grief. 1t
was a wide, hollow and melancholy
cave, sunk deep in dale and water
ed by rivulets that had color be
tween red and black These crept
slow and half congealed among it,
windings, and mixed their Ileavy
murmurs with the echo of groans
that rolled through all the passages.
In the most retired parts of it sat
the doleful being herself; the path
to her was strewn with goads, stings,
and thorns; and her throne on
which she sat was broken into a
rock, with ragged pieces pointing up
ward for her to lean upon. A heavy
mist hung above her; her head op-
pressed with it reclined upon her
arm, Thus did she reign over her
disconsolate subjects, full of herself
to stupidity, in eternal pensiveness,
and the profoundest silence. On
one side of her stood Detection just
dropping into swuon, and Paleness
wasting to a skeleton; on the other
were Care inwardly V tormented with
imasinations, and Anguish suffering
outward troubles to suck the blood
from her heart in the shape Of vul
lures. TIE whole vault had q genu-
inc dismalness in it, which few
scattered lamps, whose blush flames
arose and sunk in their urns, discov-
cred to our eyes with increase
Some of us fell down, overcome and
spent with what they suffered in the
way, and were given over to those
tormentors that stood on either
hand of the presence; Others, CALLED
and mortified with pain, recovered
the entrance, where Patience, whom
we had left behind, was still waiting
to receive us.
"With her Whose company was
now become more grateful to us by
the want we had found of her) we
winded round the grotto, and ascen-
ded at the back Of it, out of the
mournful dale in whose bottom it
Law. On this eminence we halted by
her advice, to pant for breath !; and
lifting our eyes, which until then
were fixed downward, felt a sullen
sort of satisfactiou, in observing
throogh the shades what numbers
had entered the island This salts
faction, which appears to have i'll
nature in it, was excusable. because
it happened at a time when we were
too much taken up with our own
concerns to have respect to that of
others; and therefore we did not
consider them as suffering, but our
selves as not suffering in the most
forlorn estate. 1t had also the
groundwork of humanity and com
passion in it, thou5h the mind was
too dark and too deeply engaged to
perceive it, but as we proceeded on
ward, it began to discover itself, and
from observing that others were un-
happy, we came to question one an
other, when it was that we met, and
what were the sad occasions that
brought us together. Then we
heard our stories, we compared
them, we mutually gave and received
pity, and 50 by degrees became toll
cradle company.
"a considerable part Of the trou-
blesome road was thus deceived; at
length the openings among the trees
grew larger, the air seemed thinner,
it lay with less oppression upon us,
and we could now and then discern
tracks in it Of lighter grayness,
like the breakings Of day, short in
duration, much enlivening, aid call
ed in that country CLEANS of amuse
ment. Within short while, these
CLEANS began to appear more fire.
quent, and then brighter and Of a
longer continuance the sighs that
hitherto filed the air with so much
altered to the sound Of
common breezcs, and in general the
horrors of the island were ahated
"When we had arrived at last at
the ford by which we were to pass
out, we met with those fashionable
mourners who had been terrled over
along with US, and, who being un
willing to go as far as we, had coast
ed by the shore to find the place
where they waited our coming that
by showing themselves to the world
only at the time when we did, the'y
might seem also to have been among
the troubles OF the grotto. Here
the waters that rolled on the other
side SO deep and silent. were much