The morning call., 1890-07-13

size and the wild winds that often sweep
over st. Helena mean through them with
voices like wall for the lost opportunities of
communion with nature. Down into the
gofges of a canyon overlooked it seemed only
the dominion of precipices and waterfalls,
bold head lands and steep declivities, then an
lneXtricable labarynth of hills and valleys,
forests and streams, until the eye rests
upon the beautiful Locomomi Valley-a
vision of beauty and verdure, in a land of
hills; the cloud, floating high above the
valley, only enhances the beauty of the
scene and one naturally sits and drinks in
the sublime view indescribable by human
tongue until the eye is weary with behold
ing and the mind is surfeited with beauty.
The wavy slopes of the distant
hills are lifted up to hang forth the
flaming hnes of the forest in the
clearest light; the lines of the ridges and
valleys gently break the change of view,
and the russell hues of the harvest fields
tone down with delicate bendings of light
and shade. The intervening eight miles
between the point of observation and Mid
dletowh in the clear atmosphere seem but
few rods. The scene is one of enchant-
ment, for there, by the side of st. Helena
Creek. spreads out the village OF Middle
town. as diamond in golden crown. The
whole aspect reminds one of the Garden of
the Lord. Upon the distant hills flocks
Craze and dispOrt themselves amid The fair
scenes, where the breezes touch the flowers
and wait their perfumes across the Wild
forest, swayed by the winds, and attuned
as living orchestra of myriads of harp
strings, swept by angel fingers. A little to
the westward and over the heights
OF intervening mountains, may be seen the
bold, clear ut form of Uncle Sam-Or as
the Indians delighted to call it, Kanocti-
sixteen miles away and lowering over the
southern waters of Clear Lake as protect
ing spirit. 1t has weird appearance, as it
stands isolated from Its fellows, and de-
faced by the scars formed from the seething
outfiowings of its lavas in the ages long
since passed. Its western base rests upon
fair vale. Across the left or western side
or the mountain, in the far distance and
bases laved by the bright waters of the Eel
River, the spectator plainly dlScernS dark
blue Sanhedrim.
A LOOK WESTWARD.
Turning westward the Mayacamas Noun
tains are near by, and stretch away toward
the northwest until swallowed up among
the Coast Range. Russian River, flowing
through a valley of the same name, crawls
down from the mountain gorges of the
north and skirts the hills of SOnoma until,
finally tired of the southwark course, it
turns to the west and is lost among the
western hills. Away across range of
mountains is caught glimpse of the ma
jestical, inimitable, vast ocean, stretching
away toward the lands OF the far east I'M
til the earth's curve curtains it with
the gray tlntS in the blue sky.
And, allowing the eye to run
southerly il rests on the sentinel by the
Golden Gate, Marin's Tamalpais, and lying
in a haze of smoke and fog TO the south
west is the great metropolis of the West.
But bark ! Coming up from the valley be-
low and across the intervening spaces one
hears the whistle of all incoming train to
the village below, which breaks the reverie
aud reminds him to no longer delay his de-
parture from these enchanting scenes, which
have filled the soul with joyous ecstacy, and
he retraces his steps down the mountains
side, leaving the crest TO be burned by the
summer sun, chilled by the wintry night
winds. swept and beaten by the storms of
oncoming centuries. W. E. READ.