Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-06-14
SJ1onlhs' Column.
WHAT A DROP OF WATER
HAS TO SAY FOR
ITSELF.

nature, and whenever have chance,
unite with other dlops, and then we
play, as we'll as we can, our part in
the world.
We start on our course from some
little springlet far up amongst the
moss covered rocks of the lonely
mountains. From our humble home
we 60 tripping along merrlly, this
way and that way, singing both in
sunshine and shade, as you should
do, and all the louder as we dash over
the rocks opposing us.
Our mission, as your own, is sim
ply to do good. We brighten the
valleys, we 60 through and Stake the
thirst of birds, beasts and man. We
strengthen as we run, and soon are
stout enough to turn colossal wheels
which to multitudes give employment.
We help them to make fabrics of all
textures, colors and dimensions. We
grind the farmers grain, cut up his
timber into boards, and bear them
on our shoulders to the market.
On coming to the sea, we take in
as much salt as we can TO keep us
fresh but when we freeze, we cast
the salt away. We do an extensive
business in the deep. We carry heat
from cline to cline, to regulate the
temperature we furnish happy homes
for millions, from the infusoria to
the leviathan we make highways
for the nations, and we bear proud
navies on our breast. Our greatest
enemy is the wind which sometimes
lashes us into froth and foam, and
lifts us into pillows, tumbling over
burdens we are bearing, and crushing
them into fragments on the hidden
rocks. But to the winds, just as to
you, the Master often cries :-"Peace,
be still - then we as well as you have
rest.
When our work in the sea is done,
the air uplifts us on its wings gently
heavenward. Our salt we leave be-
hind us, for what use have we for
that in the SKYE We float away over
the hills and the valleys and they call
us vdpOr. AS we come into the cold
little more, we huddle together and
they call us clouds. Sometimes the
sun sees fit to fringe our robes with
gold, and then the very dullest peo-
pie even cry How beautiful p
So at the close of the day, we some
times just for amusement take upon
ourselves the shapes of mountains,
rivers, cities, castles cleaning in tints
of crimson, emerald and cerulean.
When we have huddled together so
closely that the air can not sustain
us, we can do no better than to tum-
BILE down in raindrops; but this we
never think of doing unless there Is
frozen cloud, which they call cirrus,
right above us. When we descend
in showers the thunderbolt sometimes
attends US, and O, what a magical
change we make How the dropping
flowers lift up their heads, and shed
their perfume! How the parched
ground drinks in the genial baptism
How the buds swell out to bursting
How the corn blades broaden How
the birds sing over the rills and riv-
ulets, full to overlooking! We enter
everything we touch, and 0, the work
we do, waking all nature into life and
loneliness We loosen the hard
crust of the earth, creep into The
rootets of the trees, creep up be
tween the wood and the rind, an(
steal out into every branch and twie
and bud and leaf and flower and fruit
They call us sap; but sap makes
sugar, cherries, plums and pumpkins
The sun is very fond of us. HI
takes us up in his arms by day; bu
just as soon as he is out of sight a
night, we steal back to our mothe
again, and cover the flowers wit
sparkling deaU. We are never idle
unless you pen us up, and then W
pay you back for it in mosquitoe
and malaria. If you heat us he
enough, we turn to steam the Sam
son of this wonder working world.
If you send spark of electricit
through us, we separate into Oxygen
in which your knife blade burns lik
sky rocket; and Hydrogen, wit
which you puff up your balloon.
Sometimes we crystalize, and the
come falling softly from the clouC
in flakes of driven SnOoU. So Ossia
seeing this, exclaimed: -"Tl
Daughter of Snow came in all h
beauty, like the moon from cloI
in the East LONELINESS was arour
her as light. Her steps were like Il
music of songs" Every single fal
of US is exquisitely cut into a gem
perfect symmetry; but varying ev
in its shape according to the tempe
AZURE under which we crystalize.
For very sport, we form the de
cate crystal pictures on your wi
dows; tracing, as with fairy finge
patterns of almost every thing Que
Nab herself could fancy.
Then again we hang, as well
white pillars and stalactites, o,
the cascades, or sweep down
mountain-side in the tremendous
alanche, or crystalize into the glitt
ing iceberg, tumbling from the Arc