Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-10-05
plLGRIMs AT NIAOARA.

parties ol hkut.st'ts ~eto e""'uk s"s
going. apparently unswed. aud in,sn,
simply on visiting every poin, spokea OF
In the suide.book. and probably uneon.
.ciou. Of the all. .pervsdins terror. Stand.
ins upon the platform At the top. the
spectator reslr-s for the hr, time the
immense might OF the do~npour Of the
American Fall, and notes the pale green
color. with here ihd there . viols, tone,
and the white cloud mas squirting on,
from the solid color. On the fosm.crrs,.
ed river lay rainbow forming nearly .
complete circle. The little steamer Mad
Of he Md ". coming up. riding the
-.v,., dashed here aud there by conflict.
ing currents. but re.oluiely s,esmins
on-.uch s the aadaei,y OF man-snd
posins her ven,urome nose into the
boiling foam under the Horseshoe. On
the deck are pismy passengers in o'l'skin
.uit.. clumsy figures, like Arctic erPlor.
er.. The boa, ,o.se. aboa, like . chip.
IL hesitate. snd quiver'. and ,hen slo-ly
.~iusins. dart. away down the earen,.
Aesing from the wrath of,he waters. and
pursued by the angry roar.
Surely Il !. an Island Of magic. un'ub'
.,sn,ial. liable TO 20 sdnii aud plunge
into the canon. Even in the forest path.
where the great tree trunks assure oae
Of stability and long immunity. this
feeling e.nno, be shaken oil. Our par
" descended The ~indins staircase in the
,o-er. aud walked on the shelf under the
mighty lsdg. TO the entrance Of the Cave
Of the Winds. The eirtsin OF water
covering this entrance VAS blown back
and forth by the wind, no~ leaving the
platform dry and now delugius H. From
thi. platform one looks do-n the narrow
slippery stair. ,hs, az. los, In the boIllng
mist. and wonders al the daring iha,
bull, those step. down into ,ha, he'll.
and carried the frsil walks Of plsnk'
over the bowldsr outside the fall. A
Iary In oil.'kin' making their way
there. looked like los, msn aud women In
q Dante Inferno. The ,ufbu!en, waters
dashed ell aboa, them the mist oeea.
.ion.lly wrapped them from Sigh, they
eluns TO the rails. they tried to speak TO
each other; their gestures seemed mo-
,ion. Of despair. Could ihs, be Eary.
dice whom the rough guide VAS tender.
ly dragging oa, Of the hell Of waters. up
the .,ony path. that singular figure IN
oil..kin trousers. who disclosed pretty
face inside hsr hood As she emerged
One nigh, venture into the internal re-
sion. TO rescue such . woman; but Why
take her there The group Of adven.
,urr. stopped momsn, on the platform.
~i,h the opening into the misty cavern
for. back ground. and the arts, said that
the pic,ar. was. beyond oil po~er Of the
pencil. strange aud fantastic. There IL
nothing. after ell. that the human race
will no, dare for . new sensation.
The walk around uoAi Island n prob
ably unsurpassed in the world for won.
der and beauty. The Americans have
every reason to be satisfied With their
share Of the fall they get nowhere one
single grand view like ,hs, from the
C.n.ds side. bu, infinitely the deepes,
impression OF majesty and poser 10 OBJ.
tanned on Goa, Island. There the spec
ts,or /. In the mid., OF the war Of na-
ture. From the point over the Horse.
shoe Pail our friends. speaking no, much
bu, more and more deeply moved. stroll.
ed along in the lovely forest, 10 q rural
.ol.mni,y. in local calm, slmo', . 'e.
ela,iOn. e,eep, for the s'er.Presen, 'hud.
dering roar 10 the sir. 0a the shore
above the Horseshoe they FIRE. eomPre.
hended the breadth, the great sweep. OF
the rapids. The white eres. OF the
waves in the west were coming out from
under black. lowering sky; ell the fore.
ground WI. in brish, sunlight. dancing.
sparkling. lesping. hurrying on. eonverg.
ing to the angle where the water becomes
a deep emerald st the break and plunge.
The rapid, above are . series Of shelves.
bri,,lins with jut,ing rocks and lodged
trunks Of trees, and the wildness Of the
scene Is intensified by the ragged fringe
OF eyergreens on the opposite shore.
Over the whole island the mist, rising
from the esldron. drifts in spray when
the wind 10 favorable bu, on this day
the fores, was bright and cheerful, aud
as the s,roller went farther away from
the Grea, Fall. the beauty Of the scene
began TO steal away i,s terror. The roar
Was still dominant, but far OF and soften.
ed, and did no, crush the ear. The tri.
pie i,lands the Three Sisters in their pic.
ture.que wildns. appeared like playful
freaks Of ns,urs In . momentsry relax.
alton Of the savage mood. Here Is the
fines. view Of the river; to one standing
on the ou,ermos, island the great flood
seems tumbling out Of the sky. They
continued along the bank Of the river
The shallow stream races BY headlons,
but elose to the edge are numerous cd.
dies. and places where one might step ia
and no, be swept away. Al length they
reached the pOin, where the river divides,
and the water stands for an instant al.
most still. h-siia,ing whether to take the
Canadian or the American plunge. Out
. little way from the shore the waves
leap and tumble, and the two currents ars
like rsee.horsss parted on two wsys u
the goal. just st this point the wstsi
s~irls anil fingers, having lost oil III
fsneness anil haste, and spreads itself ou'
plseidly, dimpling In the sun. Il may Be
trsacheroas pause, this water may b a
cruel a. that which RACES below and q.
ults in catching . boat or . man and
bounding With tbs victim over the cats.
rsct bnt the calm vas very grateful u
the stunned and buffsted visitors upos
their jared nerves it wss like the peso'
Of God.-Charis Dudley Warner, %
HaYu'' Magazine for October.