Year: 1859




which occurred in the experience of distin-
guished legal gentleman Of Virginia.


A fine summer day was drawing to a
close as Mr.. t., after dining with brother
lawyer mounted his horse to ride home He
had been entertained with the gentle and
genial hospitality of the Old Dominion, and
felt that agreeable stimulus of the animal
spirits which follows in the train of mode
rate dinner among congenial friends. He
had delayed the moment of departure as long
as possible, though the ride home was long
one, because he would have full moon to
light him on his way, and the air would be
cooler after night-fall; so that it was with
none but the most agreeable emotions he babe
adieu to his friends, loosened the bride of
his horse, and turned into the road which
led through the forest.


To native sense Of the beauty and excel
lence ofnature, Mr.. T. added that refinement
of taste, which is the result of careful mental
culture, and buoyancy of feeling which ex-
cess had never dulled. He enjoyed the
serene silence of evening in the forest-the
varied lights and shades on rock and tree
and stream, and the peculiar air of majestic
repose which nature wears i'm the recess of
her woodland solitudes. The silence was
interrupted only by the sound of his horses
feet over the even road, and the occasional
note of bird, or the croak of a frog--a pre-
lude of the evenings concert The scent of
the evening air was delicious and refreshing,
after the heat of the day. In short, so pleas
urable were his emotions that Mr.. T. rode
along at very easy pace, and it was only
when the rapid increase Of the darkness
warned him of the approach of night, that he
began tourge his horse to greater swiftness.
Absorbed in pleasant thought, and shut out
by the loftiness of the trees from anv but
very partial view of the sky, he had not OBJ
served a heavy battalion of clouds, which,
after lying lazily along the horizon for some
hours, now began to lift themselves towards
the zenith, and emit an occasional angry flash
sure token Of coming storm 1t was in
deed approaching with rapidity which
Knocked every effort he could make to reach
place Of shelter before its outburst. He
rode rapidly, but each flash of lightning was
followed by nearer and nearer peal of thun-
der, and soon the darkness became intense,
the wind began to rise and the rain to decend
so heavily that our traveller was glad to re-
member he must now have nearly reached
large church, which stood on his homeward
way, in the large, old-fashioned entrance to
which he hoped to find temporary shelter.
With This view, he urged his horse to the
utmost speed, and so violent did the tempest
become, so close and incessant were the
flashes of tightening, so heavy the rain, and
so numerous the branches torn from the trees
by the wind, that he began to feel no small
anxiety to reach place of safety.


Atlength the lightning showed the old
church near at hand. He erode up to it, lis
mounted, and placed his horse so as to protect
him as much as possible from the storm,
entered the deep and spacious doorway
AS he leaned for support against the heavy
folding door, to his surprise it yielded to the
pressure; he opened it and entered the
church, glad to find himself in so secure
situation. He walked up the central aisle
and sat down in one of the pews near the
middle of the church.


1t was not possible for man of the sensi-
bility and unaffected piety of Mr.. I. to find
himself alone, in such situation, and amidst
such a manifestation of Almighty power as
this furious tempest afforded, not to feel
some degree of solemnity and awe. He sat
down, and gave way to the many solemn
reflections called up by the scene and the
hour. He thought of the many who had
once worshiped there who were now lying in
their last, long sleep in the church yard with
out. Once, upon their beds of down, how
slight an obstacle, how small vexation had
been sufficient to Danish slumber Now-all
the artillery of heaven, all the pelting of the
pittiless storm, moved them not jot. I'm
agination called up many form once as f.