Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1908-07-10

nothing in the presence of the idle
sport of nature. If you wish to feel
your heart contract and the dread
sense of weakness under your short
ribs that every human feels some time
during life, unless that life be as
placid as a country brook; IL you
would In your Utmost soul quail at dan
ger so vast and awful that your mind
can not grasp, but only stupidity wop-
der at them, dangers that you can
not combat, that you can only shrink
from because of their infinity-in a
word, IL you would realize for a while
the most utter sense of fearful dan
gers against which no human power
can avail you, go up to the top of the
Washington monument during a thun-
derstorm.
1t Is not pleasant experience. In
deed, it would be terrifying to any
one. But you are fond of strong SEN
sation, or experience during which you
live years in minutes; If you have the
spirit that makes men hunt tigers and
fight duels, you will enjoy it-after it
is all over.
You go up the dark shaft in the
elevator. Below you Washington, the
beautiful, is spread out like mosaic.
Over on the Maryland hills the sun is
still shining holly on the green trees.
but the vivid colors of the city are
dimmed by the threatening shadow
cast by the black, sullen cloud that
comes tumbling and raging from the
direction of the five o'clock sun. Be-
hind it is nothing but blackness, and
far back in it's track you can see the
delicate, wonderful, veil-like fringe
that Is formed by the torrent of rain
falling several miles away, where the
cloud has passed.
The trees are wrenched and twisted
by the gale and seem to shrink in
terror from a dread enemy. The clouds
of dust grow thicker and thicker, and
the flags floating from the tops of
buildings stand out stiff like bits of tin,
blown straight away from their poles
by the wind. The vague roar, not I'M
like the swish of the sea, only con.
tinual and growing louder and louder
each moment, rises to where you are
You begin to thank goodness that you
are up above all that, when there is a
crashing report like the voice of
six-pounder. You look quickly toward
the black cloud 1t is almost upon
you. 1t looks so solid, so much like
a great mass of black iron, that you
almost fear its impact against the
white marble box you are in. The
earth has disappeared. Only the tops
of the high buildings, and the trees,
and the majestic white capitol rise
above the thick gray cloud of dust.
A burst of white light, so bright that
1t half blinds you before you can shut
your eyes, sends your blood bounding
in your heart. Then in the space Of
quick breath after the flash comes
a crashing crash that seems to signal
the wrecking of everything in the
world in one instant. The simultane-
Gus discharge of 10000 cannons could
not give more overpowering impress
sion of awful destruction than does
that one thunder crash. Everything
seems shaken. The black cloud is
upon you. In a moment you will be
in it's midst. You can see its whirl-
ing, surging, rioting wreaths of vapor,
tangled into one great black mass,
seeming so solid that if you threw a
ball at it it would rebound.
Another binding white flash de-
prives you momentarily of the power
of sight You feel the sudden damp
chill of the cloud on your cheeks, as
though you had been struck in the
face with a wet handkerchief You
are in the very midst of the storm
cloud. Peal after peal of thunder
shakes the air till your ears ache with
the heavy blow of the sound waves
All around you, through the great
mass of the cloud the lightning dances
and flashes, weaving a network of
fire through the cloud. You make sure
you will never escape from the burn
ing white meshes of that awful net.
You feel tap on your shoulder.
The elevator has come and you had
1Ot nCdIu IL lOI Tic IOdI VI Tue SIOTIus
The man had to tap you on the
shoulder to turn your attention from |
the narrow window where you stood. |
You get in the cage and go down the !
dark, silent shaft, where the electric |
lights twinkle along the black inside
of the walls. The noise of the storm is
gone, and nothing but the crash of
the heavier thunder peals can reach |
your ears. When you are out in the |
rain in the city streets everything
seems commonplace. This Is only an
ordinary shower, you tell yourself. But
that feeling of awe. of fear, and help
lessness comes over you again, faint
reflex of what you felt up in the top
Of the monument, and you can't shake
it of.
One never forgets such an expert
0QCC