What Norman Saw in the WestOlin, Julia M. (Julia Matilda)
General
What Norman Saw in the West
Olin, Julia M. (Julia Matilda)
Christian life -- Juvenile fiction; United States -- Description and travel -- Juvenile fiction
Norman had his first experience of seasickness, and retiring to his
berth at five o’clock, he slept there till the morning. His mother was
very sorry to have him miss that magnificent sunset on Lake Michigan.
The rain had passed away, and a light breeze crisped the waters. The
boat had made its last landing, and the little town they were leaving
was glorified by its back ground of amber, deepening into a brilliant
orange. Every house and tree came out with marvelous distinctness, as
the sun dipped behind the western horizon, and painted, after he had
passed from view, a gorgeous picture as his parting gift—a gift not to
be lost with the fleeting hour, or to be confounded with other gifts
from the same source. It was marvelous in its beauty. Clouds of rich
crimson, fading into brown, were festooned on the serene radiance of the
clear sky. A wealth of celestial drapery seemed drawn aside to reveal
the far-off glory. As these kindling hues faded away, a cloud nearer the
horizon assumed the aspect of a woodland scene receding from the shore
of the lake. There were the headlands jutting into the water, the
nodding groves, the bays running into the land. It was difficult to make
all this extensive country only cloud-land, and the little company at
the stern of the boat gazed upon it till the gathering darkness hid it
from view.
It was a night of glorious shows; about ten o’clock the northern lights
threw up their quivering brilliant scintillations far up into the
heavens, glorifying the north with a bow of flickering beauty, even as
the west had been glorified with masses of magnificent clouds. The lake,
however, was almost too rough to allow many spectators to enjoy this
glimpse of northern splendors, and most of the passengers sought the
safe security of their berths.
Early in the morning Norman was called by his mother to come out on deck
and see the Manitou Islands, with their sandy bluffs and crown of green
trees. Norman looked at them a long time in silence by himself. When he
came to his mother he said: “I feel almost as if I had been looking at
the Holy Land; those islands were the holy land to the Indians, the
dwelling-place of the Great Spirit, not to be approached by mortals.”
“It made me very fanciful to look at them,” continued Norman. “The great
cloud of smoke that our steamer is sending toward the island, and that
now hovers over it, seemed to me an oblation to the great Manitou of the
Indians.”
There was a visitor from those islands; a pretty little bird that
lighted on the ropes, and jumped about the deck till frightened away.
They passed Beaver Island, once inhabited by the Mormons, who, the
captain said, seemed a very quiet, inoffensive people when they lived
there. He said they had been very kind in assisting him once when he ran
ashore near their island.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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