The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-07-24
TIE YOSEMITE
BY OLIVE HARPER

Its iOIIcll uONu tutO lIt bVAiiuS tHoi
dron. | thought | would rise, aud il
the Stiffness of the night, when al
else was asleep and no other though
or voice to distract, listen alone to th'
voice of nature as she spoke in th'
dark. weird shadows and flashing wa
tiers Of the cataract.
| softly rose and dressed and wen
out or the porch of nv little cottag'
where there is an uncbstructed view
of the Yosemite Falls and much OF tb'
valley.
No one who has never been on.
alone at night there in communication
with the thoughts that such a sigh
gives Use to, can say that they have
really seen or felt the grandeur OF
beauty of the glorious valley.
Every tree and shadow, every elf
aud rock, and fash of the water, takes
a new beauty, and g sort of fsscina
ton overpowers one, as they seem TO
move aud change, as though endow.
ed with q supernatural motion, and
a sort Of frightened worship, such as
a great ~upbeaval of the earth gener.
ates, seems to take possession of the
soul and body to such an extent that
every pulsation Of the heart becomes
painful, and every breath an effort.
/ sat there overcome with the
weird awfulness Of the sound and
silence, and the nobility of the stead
fast crags in the deceitful light. |
was cold, and trembled; | was cramp-
ed, and my neck panied with the
strain Of holding my head in q po-
stfion; and when a twig broke or a
cone fell, / would start with q ner-
vous terror ; and yet it seemed that |
could not have changed my position
by so much as a hair's breadth had
my life depended upon it and thus !
passed a night that will probably
never be equalled in nv experience
again.
At last, after almost a year Tin
seemingly OF this tension of nerve, ]
thought | saw the light of day strug-
Cling with the moonbeams and lit
tie by little the silvcry rays paled,
and q rosy pink and pale yellow be-
gan to take their place /; and by and
by ono single ray Of sunshine darted
across the valley and touched the
crag and the top of the Yosemite
Fall, and crowned it royalty, while
all else in the valley was still in the
shadow.
Thai sunbeam seemed TO be the
signal, the magic wand, as it were,
to call to congress thousands of birds
brown coated, sweet voiced warblersi
which made the valley throb and pull
safe with song. | listened to thai
rich outburst Of praise, and felt a:
most have felt those who first heard
the melodious exultsnt pea and the
sweet words, peace and good will
on earth to man - and | fancied /
could hear ia the faintest far off voic-
es those sweet words on seraph lips
as | sat there drinking in the sublime
influences of the calm, still night, the
silver moon and the solemn roar o
the distant cataract.
The great cliffs are so high in this
wonderful valley that the sun cannot
shine on the eastern side of it until
late in the day, and so even the late
risers can see the dewy diamonds
that glitter and tremble on every lea
and blade of grass, and see its silvery
sheen on the granite boulders around
the cottages but the birds, after
their one melodious outburst o tbank-
tulness for day, hide in their leafy
shadows and are silent.
The most Of the visitors in the val.
ley start the first morning for a visi.
10 Mirror Lake, as it only gives a
good reflection before the morning
breeze has had time to rufle it. |
went with a guide to see this minute
lake, which is indeed q marvel OF
beauty.
1t is the fairest spot in the whole
valley, mostly because the awful,
overpowering grandeur is toned and
softened by its reflection in the lake.
bordered by q fringe of willows and
silvery white sand. One, in seeing
the softened reflection forgcts to look
at the tall forbidding bare wall Of
rock, whose white reflected face only
shows beauty and soft loveliness,
and | came back from the lake feeling
as if | had been favored with a
glimpse into fairy land with its en-
chantments. | made two succeeding
visits to this place, and each time saw
the same changing yet unchanging
picture, the same grea. cliffs and
rocks and trees, yet with other lights
and shadows that made them seem
ever new.
The road to and from Mirror Lake
is good, except for about O quarter of
a mile, which is rather rocky, but not
by any means dangerous, or even
unpleasant to ride over while With
every step some new beauty shows
through an opening in the trees or
the great perpendicular walls that so
shut this valley in from The rest of
the world, or the beautiful MERGED
shows Unexpectedly through the
trees.
1t seemed TO me that while / rode
up toward the lake, that the noun
tains followed me, that is, that when
there the Yosemite Fall was still in
front, while Glacier Point was vet
above, though it had been the same
while at the hotel, two miles further
down the valley. No matter where
you went, as long as a .ree or turn
in the road did not obscure your view,
all these points seem 10 be just as
near while YOU are away, and seem
TO recede into distance as you ad-
vance. 1t seems but a short walk
from Hutehings' to the Yosemite Fall,
vet it takes an hour's horseback to
reach the foot Of ii, and so it is all
over the valley.
Returning from the lake, | rode
close as possible to the MERGED River
AN the way, and watched the swift
current and the bright trout darling
10 and fro, and the rocks at the bot
tom Of the river with delight, for the
water is so clear and transparent
that almos; every little pebble is Wis
ible.
After eatings lunch that would
have made q martyr Of any Other
woman, ] rode TO the Bridal Veil