The Mena weekly star., 1907-11-28
A TOUCH OF NATURE.

&H#t n 0G~ss M ANfA ~A>h<>
 During the early hours of recent
 ight Mena emerged from the rain
 buds that had for two days lowered
 ose to her mountain tops and hill-
 les and over the valleys between,
 aedding copious showers over all
 ;eation. The full round moon
 ione forth in especial glory be-
 ause of the clear mountain atmos-
 here that had been so thoroughly
 ,eansed and purified by Natures
 Iwn shower
 q All this has occurred numberless
 mes back through the ages, and
 Till be repeated after even the
 memory of the men of today has
 assed away.
 But there was a scene following
 his ordinary but always beautiful
 henomena that is not so often wit
 essed, and the pity is that but a
 ew should have seen it, for no pen
 ould paint the picture 80 that even
 fraction of it's beauty could be un-
 lerstood.
 At early dawn, before the frost
 lad melted from the leaves and grass and housetops and boards, the coming sunrise was heralded by that glorious coloring that only Nature .an give the clouds when conditions are perfect. The atmosphere on the highlands around Mena and over the mountains all around was so clear that the tree-tops at the highest points could be distinguished clearly one from another. But look to- ward Mena showed another and very different picture.
 All over the city, all over the val ley so far as the eye could reach, there appeared to be a vast and beautiful lake. No tree-top. no house, nothing could be distinguished through the cloud of fog that lay in the valley as smooth at times and as still as a silvery sea in a calm. The mountains beyond shone out sharp and clear, the colorings of he green pine, the brown oak and red gum leaves being perfectly distinct and clear. It was as though during the night a mighty flood had come and filled all the valley with a beautiful sea of water.
 In little time clouds of white were seen to spurt upwards as though mighty spouting whale was sporting his native element. The upheavals rose few feet and then gracefully settled back, lower and lower until they resembled the trail that boat leaves in passing through the water. They were caused by the locomotives passing to and fro in the yards. but created little stir and showed no sign of smoke, just white fountains that soon settled back to the common level.
 As the blood-red rim of the rising sun shone in the east, it cast it's rays in vari-colored track over the sea, which, as the day god rose higher, seemed disturbed by the ripping waves, causing all the colors of the rainbow to appear in radiant beauty.
 The city was still wholly unseen, the moon beamed as brightly as at midnight and shore line and noun tain tops shown as sharp and clear as if they held within real sea of water instead of fieecy clouds. But as the sun rose higher there were in congruous noises in the air, coming as it were. from the bottom of the sea. There were the growing of the roosters, the resound- ing blows of the busy hammers, the axes in the wood piles, and occasion ally steam whistle.
 But in little time the frost melted. the dripping of the water from the forest trees increased, the lowering moon became less clear, and the sea faded as a pretty dream, leaving in it's place real life, a pretty little city, filled with busy men and women and children, intent only on their duties. their anxieties and their joys all made brighter because the clouds had gone leaving nature at its brightest and best.