Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-08-05

O speak of the ovations IN detail, but
vervwhere the heartiest enthusiasm Is
Exhibited.
At st. Cloud the party was entertained
w the city government. The falls at
Sank Rapids were visited, and then came
. dinner at the hotel, followed by speech
$ and toasts. 1t was pleasure to take
,nce more by the hand my friend, and
friend, Ossian g. Dodge, re-
,ident now of st. Paul, no longer concert
ng, but Secretary of the Chamber oil
Commerce in that city. On this occasion
he convulsed the company by an original
song, in which the names OF the visitors
and speakers were freely and humorously
dealt with.
A STORM.
Our first night in camp was spent at
Camp Thunder" and why it was SO
named will presently be apparent.
was nearly night when we lett st. Cloud
for four mile ride to our quarters.
We could see in the rays of the setting
sun. as we rode over the prairie, our vii
lage of white tents pitched by the road
side. and our wagons parked near by. 1t
the many tented fields OF the
war. and those soul stirring days when
the armies of the Republic marched under
their great leader to victory.
The sun went down through blood
colored haze, throwing its departing beams
upon a bank of leaden lined clouds that
lay along the horizon. Old salts at sea,
their experiences on the shore,
say that such sunsets in the tropics are
followed by storms.
Through the evening, while sitting III
the doors of our tents and talking OF camp
life and its pleasant experiences, we could
see faint flashes of lightning along the
horizon The leadcn clouds grew darker
and rose slowly up the sky. Through the
deepening haze we caught faint glimpses
Of celestial architecture, castled towers,
massive walls, and
Looming hastions ilingel A!tA hte.
Far away rolled the heavy thunder-so
far that it seemed the dap isuu OF dts
tant organ Slowly rose the advancing
clouds Then We lost sight Of the gor ge-
Gus palaces, temples, and cathedrais OF
the upper air, rs we saw them only when
the bright ilashe> OF lightning lllumined
the sky.
THE BURSTING or THE STORM.
II was past midnight-we had been
.a.lcrp-and were awak cned by the sud
dan bur ting of the storm The CAM a.
roofs aud walls OF our house tapped sud
.!enly in The wind. The cords were drawn
taut against the tent pins The roof rose,
settled. surged mp and down, To and fro,
the walls tellicd in and then out against
the swaying frame The rain came III
great drops, III small drops, in drifting
spray --rattling upon the canvas hk" a
hundred thousand mu>ktiss * JUL a they
ratified and rolled Oh thafQwful day at
the Wilderness, when the two Creates
armies ever gathered on the field met II
deadly cou1ilct.
All the while the tent W., as hri2h'
with lightning a. 10y the sun AT noon day
Bv the side Of my cot lay book which
had been reading. Taking it in my hanc
read the finest print, noted the hour
minute, aud position OF the second hant
upon my watch.
Picture thr scene to the Imagination
think oil Yourself a. booking out through
the opening OF the ily and beholding
the landscape iIlumined by the red glar'
# the -harpcst lightning You see IN
distant wood land the fences, the bearde'
=,rt,, i...a .--.s.,-.ta ny the blast the RAN
drops f4lliug a-l4nt through the air, tn
farm house a hal; mile distant, IL VI.
dowS rejecting the glare al the lightning
All the Landscape i. revealed. For "a
. instant You are In darkness, then all ~
pears again ben8ati. IL. !urid light. 10
think 81 these solemn moments. VINO
: sometimes come To the soul, when lay on
fash If memory we recall all the m'-deed
| If the past, and III Imagination paint th
=, poosible realItie, ii the future.
Tta storm grows vildtr. Tn gale b
, l.ga,.a 1 tempest, and Is increasing to
: tornado. The tnun,!er crashes areun'
4 above lar distant, and 80 near ~ ban
. that the cracking follows in an lu~tti
= the binding bolt. 1t ratties, rolls, roar
. explade- like bursting b5mh-so ne'
] that We almost hear the scorching hiss.
= The tent is reelng. We know VIII
n will be the result that it will soon lie II
:, upon the IrrtAhd and We shall be drenc
y cd To the skin We hurry on our clothlt
y have Just time to seize an India raob
q coat before the pins arc pulled from u
ground We spring To the pole, d"tt
Il mined to hold on to the last.
Is Though the lightning Is 50 fearful al
T the moment well calculated to arou
d solemn thoughts, We cannot restrain o.
q laughter when two OF the party
II pants Of an adjoining tent-gush III In t
d condition of men who have had a sou,ir
's in a pond. The wind pulled their te
up by the roots, slapped the wet eanv
J down upon them in :, twinkliug. Til
ne crawIed out like muskrat- from th'
Is boIes-thclr nj. Int shirts Tor mops, thu
Is clothing ready for washing, their boz
" tuil of water their hats limp and dar
er and ready for molding into eorrugat
le tiles.
I'd Imagine your correspondent, IN rnbt
OF coat with both feet firmly planted in
n soil his body at an angle of forty-hve {
rd frees. Ieaning with all his might agar
the tent pole, the whole ESTABLISHING
a swinging, swaying, Tapping, an ex-me
as Der and also member OF the prest
MS Congress both shivering and quivcri
IN while ringing out their shirts-the
ce glare Of the lightning revealing tn
ri woe-beQone features.
= OUTSIDE.
or The fury Of the storm being over
:. rush out to drive down tne pms, anu
lis that several tents are down and the oc
on pants are standing like skirted ghosts
'or the storm. Yet it is woe to laugh
ne especially to see, the rotund form OF
of our doctor of medicines wrapped l
table cloth. Behold him complacer
= surveying the wrecks of tents, the I
OF falling on his bare head, the water sire
cir ing from his gray locks and running
nd river down his broad back. He does
ion how before the blast, but breasts 1t Or;
a ". You do not hear him, but then
nd can see in every feature that he is slle'
Ter singing the Sunday school song:
ton 'sIll stand the storm,
1t won't be long.
lte- I'll anchor by-andbye.
,ey This account would be too long we
les 70 give all the personal experiences OF