The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-08-19
HOYT & CO., Proprietors.


ed this absolutely transparent state OF the
heavens. The birds, which a quarter OF
an hour earlier had been huttering about
in great agitation, seemed now convinced
that night was at hand. Swallows were
dmly seen dropping into the chimncys'
the martins returned to their little boxes,
the pigeons flew home to their dove cots,
and through the open door of q small barn
we saw the fowls going to roost.
The usual food of sunlight had now be-
come so much weakened that we could
look upward long and steadily without the
least pain. The sun appeared like young
moon of three or four days old, though OF
course with larger and more brilliant
crescent. Looking westward momenta
spark appeared to glitter before my eye;
For second 1 believed It to be an optical
delusion, but in another instant saw it
plainly to be a star. One after another
they came into view, more rapidly than In
the evening twilight, until perhaps fifty
stars appeared to US in broad dark zone
in the heavens, crowning the pines on the
western mountains. This wonderful vision
of the stars during noontide hours of day
filled the spirit with singular sensations:
Suddenly one of my brothers shouted
aloud, "fhe moon !" Quicker than
thought my eyes turned Eastward again,
and there foated the moon, distinctly ap-
parent, to degree that was almost fear
full. The spherical form, the character,
the dignity, the substance Of tho planet,
were clearly revealed asI have never be-
held them before or since. 1t looked grand,
dark, majestic and mighty, as it thus
proved its power to rob US entirely OF the
SUMS rays. We are all but larger children.
In daily life we Judge of objects by their
outward aspect. We are accustomed to
think of the sun. and also of the moon, as
sources of light, as ethereal, almost spirit
ual, in their essence. But the positive ma
terial nature of the moon was now reveal
ed to our senses, with force ofconviction,
q clearness of perception, that changed all
our usual ideas in connection with the
planet. This was no intcrposition OF vapor,
no deceptive play OF shadows; but vast
mass of obvious matter had interposed be-
tween tho sun above us and the earth on
which we stood. The passage of two ships
at sea. sailing on opposite courses, is
scarcely more obvious than this movement
of one world before another. Darkness
like that of an early night now fell upon
the village.
My thoughts turned to the sea. A
sailor at heart, already familiar with the
face of tho ocean, seemed, in mental
vision. to behold the grandeur OF that vast
pail of supernatural shadow falling sud-
denly upon the sea, during the brightest
hour of the day, The play of lig int and
shade upon the pillows, always full of in
terest, must at that hour have been in
deed sublime. And my fancy was busy
with pictures of whitesallcd srhooncrs,
and briggs, and ships, gliding liked winged
spirits over the darkened waves.
was recalled by familiar and in
Significant incident, the dull tramp of hoofs
on the village brid ge. A few cows, be-
leving that night had overtaken them,
were coming horieward from the wild
open pastures about the village. And no
wonder the kindly creatures were de-
ceived; the darkness was not much deep
er than the twilight which usually turns
their faces homeward; the dew was fall
ing perceptiblc, as much so as at any hour
of the previous night, and the coldness
was so great that the thermometer must
have fallen many degrees from tho great
heat of the morning. The lake, the hills
and the buildings of the little town were
swallowed up in the darkness. The alb
sence of the usual lights in the dwellings
rendered the obscurity still moro impress
sive. All labor had ceased, and the hush
ed voices of the people only broke the
absolute stiffness by subdued whispering
tones.
aWhisk! The whip.poor-willp p whis-
pered q friend near me; and at the same
moment, as we listened IN profound ST.
lence, we distinctly heard from the Eas-
tern bank of the river, the wild plaintivo
note of that solitary bird of night, slowly
repeated at intervals. The song of the
Summer birds, so full in June, had entire
ly ceased for the last half hour A bat
came fitting about our heads. Many stars
were new visible, though not in sufficient
number to lessen the darkness. At one
point only, in the far distant Northern
horizon, something of the brightness of
dawn appeared to linger:
IL: IL the moon stood revealed in its
greatest distinctness-a vast black orb,
SO nearly obscuring the san that the face
of the great luminary was entirely and
absolutely darkencd, though a corona of
rays OF lig ght appeared beyond. The gloom
of niobt was upon us. A brcathlcss inten-
sity of interest was felt by all. There
would appear to be something instructive
in the feeling with which man gazes at all
phenomena in the heavens. The peaceful
rainbow.t the heavy clouds OF great storm,
the vivid flash of electricity, the falling
meteor, the beautiful light of the aurora
borealis, tickle as the play of fancy-these
never fail to fix the attention with sonae-
thing OF q peculiar feeling, different in
,nL oh