The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-09-30
For the N. o. Democrat
A "REMINISCENCES.

1 -
A REMINIsCENCE.
Vino now along those banks shall, listening
| stray,
When evening lights each inlet west away,
| And hear the solitary boatman's oar
Din duly as he nears the shaded shore:
| Or catch the whispers of the waterfall
That thro' the wooded clofts swell musicalfy
There is q little sheet Of water in Wiscon-
sin, not down on the maps, we believe, known
only to the inhabitants of the State and those
summer idlers OF other lands, whose love Of
the beautiful and fondness for fishing, sailing
and otner transformations enjoyments have
led them to it's wild and lovely shores. Sher.
wood Forest with it's pleasant home-like no
tel, so closely skirts the margin of Green
! Lake that the shadow Of the trees stretches
far out on It's bosom. Bold headlands, rising
almost into mountains, here and there inn
pinge upon the dark green waters, while pic
turesque dels and stretches of rolling prai-
RE, dotted with corn fields and cottages. sleep
beneath their shadowy beauty.
On this exquisite spot, withdrawn from the
rest Of the world, as 1t were within
| It's chains Of hills and forests. the
writer spent this summer, several weeks
The visitors there were nearl y all
Western people, none of whom had ever
been in the South; and Democrats and Re
publicans, ladies and gentlemen, alike listen
ed with eager interest to the story Of tbs
beauty Of our country, the fertility of its
lands, and the mildness Of q climate in which
roses bloom in December, and the verdure Of
the earth is perennial. The only guests we
| met at Sherwood Forest besides these West
ern people, were small party of ladies and
| gentlemen from New Orleans, who, weary.
| perhaps, OF gayer scenes and more fashiona-
BILE resorts, had found their way to the little
| Wisconsin lake, and were enjoying, with the
keenest zest, an almost pastoral life.
Sherwood Forest is now almost deserted
1.-THE bosom OF its lovely lake is no longer
musical with the joyous laughter Of rowing,
and fishing, and sailing parties Of men and
children and lovely women But those were
pleasant days we spent there, and not all
without excitement. Indeed, just now, we re-
call the events Of an evening which created
the most intense, and for q little while, pain
| full interest:
party, composed Of two ladies from New
| Orleans, o. married lady and her sister and
little boy, and gentleman, tempted by the
| exquisite beauty OF the hour, were out on the
| lake, the young girl leSurely rowing the boat
We think we had never witnessed SO lovely q
scene. The lake was
Calm as q Graded child in dream ess slumber
bound"
Above, the arching heavens were so filed
with stars, they seemed inlaid with pearl
while to the westward flocks Of white and
drifting clouds hung drinking over the dark
ling hills. About q mile and half dis
tant from the Forest and up the lake there
is one of the finest echoes on this continent
| Every sound and utterance is answered from
different quarters Of the lake, and almost the
tone and modulations OF the voice are pre-
served. At this point of the lake the boat Law
| watpr Whitp In
girl, resting on the oars, sang bar of q well
known song; In q second or two the waters,
the woods and hills, as If spirit-tongued, re-
peated the strain with magical accuracy, and
as it died away almost in voluptuous sweet
ness the lady caught uD the air again and
continued the lay with like effect. 1t seemed
as though the spot were enchanted 50 won
drous was the chime.
"Of those aery voices locked In unison,
Faint, far Off; near, deep. solemn and sublime
Mama" asked the boy almost in whis
per, what are the echoes n 1T Is hard tC
heard those more skilled In spirits say" she
continued, smiling and repeating the exgui-
site fantasy OF Shelley,
THE bubbles, which the enchantment of the sur
Sucks from the pale faint water flowers thai
The oozy bottom of clear lakes and pools,
Are the tpavilions vhert they d" ell and float
Under the green and golden atmosphere
Which noontde kindles through the wover
| leaves;
And when these burst, and the thin and fer,
| air.
The which they breathed within those lucen
domes.
Ascends to flow like meteors through the night
They rid, on them. and rein their headwaJ
speed,
And bow their burning cres's and glide in
Under the waters Of the earth again."
u While thus the mother amused the boy,
roaring nOise like that OF a railroad train
family came from the far westward of the lake
SO family, indeed, that the little party in the
floated idly in the water and still the young
girl sang and still the young man lazify lay
in the bow gazing at the tranquil sky and its
J shining stars. Then voice from the distant
shore reached their ears, shouting ''Come in =
The idlers only smiled and still sang anC
floated, the girl scarcely dipping the oars
in the smooth bosom of the sleeping lake
Again the voice reached their ears
Come in; hurricane is comingr' Fol
q moment the party were paralyzed; they
knew the story of a boat which but veal
, previously had been caught on the lake by 8
tornado, capsized and seven men and Womer
drowned; they were mile and half from
any landing they could possibly make: the
cinker was a light frail thing which they
knew could not weather rough sea 40 yards
, Recovering themselves, the gentleman sprane
to the pair of idle oars, the young girl bent t.
, hers and the boat shot out over the smooth
lake like an arrow from the bow.
The roaring which was scarcely noticed a
first was now distinctly heard and grew
louder and more ominous every moment
The lady and the man bent to their oars
: StraininO every muscle and nerve. ONLY TIL