Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-10-26

we sparks from a monster dynamo
''e yellow. forked and chain light
'''"s one sees from the valley during such
" s'oIin' but an intensely brilliant, blue
iuisating light that seemed. so to speak
W Sh'urate the cloud as sponge is satu-
rated with water. Accommodating the
i!aShes of electricity was the crashing Of
,ne thunder, following peal upon peal.
me the incessant discharge from a chou
'",u cannon, the sound rolling, booming
o'"o"'s ana re-echoing from peak to
peak Oh the mountains until finally lost
III the distance And all the while the
ram was coming down in torrents as
,"oueh all the sluice gates of the clouds
hau peeh opened and the pent-up waters
ol the universe turned loose. So dense
was the cloud that not an object could
be seen twenty feet from the cabin.
suddenly as the storm broke, Just as
suddenly did II cease.
AFTER the cracking Of the lightning. the
crashing Of the thunder and the rafting
OF tne ram on the iron roof of the cabin
the intense stiffness following the pass
InE OF the storm was almost oppressive
10 me the experience was unique and i'm
presSlNe and viii linger long in my mem
Dry.
inc storm had ceased, but the cloud
sun capped the summit of THE Hump
shutting out from view all the world ex-
cept the little circle less than so feet in
diameter OF which my cabin was the
center.
slowly the forms Of trees and rocks
began to dimly appear. But whether the
cloud was rising or settling. It was hard
to tell Now. a soft diffused yellow light
began to penetrate the cloud. growing
stronger, and more brilliant, as "Old
sol climbed higher in the heavens until,
rs n swirl OF wind came rushing by, the
cloud suddenly parted, revealing the sum
nit of THE Hump" some two hundred
feet above me. standing out clear cut,
rugged, and brilliant in the sunshine;
ana overhead, patch of blue large
enough to make several pairs OF Dutch
mans breeches."
After the break. the clouds rapidly set
tied until they came to rest several hun
drcd feet below me. And yet. not to rest
for. all about me. far as the eye could
reach, was n rolling. tumbllng. bilowing
mass of white, looking like an immense
sea. tempest tossed and whipped into
foam by the fury Of gale A stud
ded with innumerable islands-green or
black. according as the sun touched them,
or left them in shadow-wherever the
mountains pierced above the clouds; and
here and there, against n peak puff OF
wind would drive mass of cloud to break
it, and scatter It, and toss it high In the
air. as a storm tossed wave is broken
and scattered and thrown high against
rugged rocky shore.
The picture was grand. and glorious
beyond compared picture seldom seen
by such as dwell In tho valleys--a pic
ture to be appreciated only by such as
dwell upon the heights.
I,V midday the clouds had rolled away
and all the hills and valleys lay visible
below me, green. peaceful, and beautiful
in the sunshine. while. to the eastward,
dimly outlined against the sky, lowered
NJ. Washington and the companion peaks
Of the "Presidentiar' range,
AS the sun began to sink into "the
dear, hopeful West" far away against
the eastern sky line, great masses OF
thunder-clouds made up assuming all
manners of fantastic shapes, piled high
in the heavens, and drifting slowly south
ward. The day begins to wane. Deep
shadows appear in the clouds. There is
flash and, here and there form miles
and miles, north and south, the mass
is brilliant with flame. Slowly the storm
drifts along the horizon. The flashes
of light become more brilliant az DARK
ness comes on. ard then fade. and dis
appear, as the storm passes beyond the
range Of vision.
To the north, while | have been watch
ing the eatern storm. the sky has grown
luminous with a clear, white light. But
have paid little attention TO this Now,
| turn to look the light spreads away
into the northeast, and as far around into
the west. It mounts to the zenith. Bands
OF light, like thinnest gauze rise and
fall and float In shimmering wells across
the sky Beams of delicate emerald green
shoot high in the heavens, across the
background Of white waver, disappear
and again shoot mp to the heights Black
against the background of light, are sill
houetted the peaks Of Mansfield" "Ster-
ling" "Bevidere" and the billowing mass
Of hills and mountains to the north. The
night bird, no sound breaks the stiffness.
II is Il 90 p. m. All alone 7 sit entrance
by the beauty Of the night.
Now the lEht I'm the north begins to
flicker and fade Slowly the sky dar-
kens. The shadows deepen. 1t is night
upon the mountain.
| pick my way back to the cabin. AZ
ter all the glory | have seen. light de-
vised 10y man seems a sacriledge So in
the darkness, | roll into my blankets to
lie and think. and think. until Natures
sweet restorer. balmy sleep" shall lure
me away into THE Land of Dreams"
And so has passed day on "Camel's
Hump wonderful. glorious red-et-
ter day, never to he forgotten,
n CHlCUAHCO.