The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-02-02
lYrtHn Jar he I~nielt,geror.
THE OLD SIUICE bon.


A3iIS CIID SlIUICE BJN. gM
ny III MAXWELL,
Tho ktaiiltc heights stand Siiil against tho sky,
Drenr with their solitude; and strong below,
a raGing torrent wildly hurfips by,
DOWN from tltcpld peaks OF eternal snow,
Lpo,ninE ugainAt the east, The nllgrJ How
Y lhlt Swiit strTnlu Is fTcttcd by the innsg
Of tlllen rockE, which through the ling mo
Have crninbled from the cliiia Tho torrents
pms,
With furious Foer mud rush, cleaning Ike broken
glass.
Lone Is the scene, md drcary, waste mud cold.
This mural ullrS rise sheer oil either Side.
BGll3cen them tyiant floods dominion hold,
Dash now with roge, now softly, calmly glide
lhF44nSh widening pools, by suthcGins belutl.
Then Hlunglng Into shade AMI gloom Oyaln.
The echoes for u thousand yeRrS have died
~ murinurs from tho walls OF that Wild glon,
WIN voice al. times like storms, Ut times liko
words OF men.
lllnlt buried In the loodworn rocks md sands,
lneFu Hes to'day.though seldom human ego
pisG9rilS II now-ihe work Of human hands.
HAL buried where the small branch irtCklcs by,
And Joins the curbleSs torrent, while tho sky
Is d9shed Il moment back, then blurred, there
The old slulco box, warped by tho years awry.
IT'S resting there, bid from MI mortal eyes,
N"'NNaH 4" ,NASAS HAbuh'HlLib
meet the skies. g' '
It hath n story. It Is brt the snmc
As thousands lying buried In the sands
VI zone rarines thnt scarcely bear II name,
30 long forgotten now, but human hands
once toiled IN that !onc plOcc. The sky OK.
Above as blue as then, tho clouds ms gray.
ne NOicCS nre no more. On distant strands
Are graves where some nrc Wondering In do,
..- Nll ! "...f .#H.. H..' .#... .H.... .
few rcnain of oil, mud they arc far away.
The cold r4rinc Is silent now md lone,
save That the torrent roars md chidCS forever.
Inc echoes answer from tho clils OF stone a.
Tint fret tho mndueSs OF the rebel river.
rs Ike II ruin. dull md vast. But never
shall come again the days Of long nso.
inc miners campfire nGycrmOru shall culver,
Reelected from the stream TINT whIrls below;
gi,lihst the cii!lS above, these cleaning lights
shalt glow.
Gone never to rct'l:n! Forever gone!
INC hope, the promise! Gone tho wondrous
That saw such dreams rise like n summer
dawn.
Then vanish like a dream and pass awayl
Gone all! All buried ii.the pGsps decay
4 memory yet remains and TINT is NIL.
Inc Voices speak no more! Silent for aye!
Tho livelonE summertime the shadows iall
Across the Geld rayinc from mountain wall to
wall.
Tho buried yearsl Tho buried hopes and
Buried forever! Der TINT drcary scene
The sunlight yet fails softly with It's glenmg,
But brings no chcerfulncSs. The dull rocks
lean
L~ike.erumbllng gravcstones: mud the sands be.
tween
Are packed bylwlnter rains: and all Is drcar
II the far wlldncss OF that darl; ravine,
lDcTe lives q sense OF sadness and OF fear.
me miner has boon gone for many II weary year.
The old slnicc'box lies where the golden sands
Ohcc inred the dreaIner-lured him iOra day
Then disappointed him. The empty hands
rolled on, rewarded not; then passed nway,
. IlSSeu Ike the Eleumillgs that n moment play,
iHSS Ike the hopes thu. were, but arc no
more. "
sTis leg us nolhingness the same us they.
Sail Is the light, the breeze on that far sho re
Where silence dwclls alone, save torrents cease.
less roar.
Yet stu the granite SUBMITS loom to heaven,
Crumblsng with age: nnd SHOWS arc piled on
Among The crags, by earthquakes rent aud
riVcn, III ="
Piercing the deepness OF the summer sky.
The dark irvine is hushcd: and shadows lie
Along the solitude, and Nil Is lone,
The memories OF days that cannot die
Come back again; the whispering breczes
moan
Where lies the old s!uice-box, half hid meath
sand and stone.