Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/19



unhealtliy. The climate  of  California  is  reliable; though her  women  may  be  fickle,  her  winds  are  not. Rain she  sends  at  rain-time,  and  this  having  passed prayers are  of  no  avail.

Thus along  the  centuries  seasons  come  and  go,  while over all  diurnally  sweeps  the  half-tropic  sun. In the broad arch  float  flocks  of  light  clouds,  or  spread  out  in long  fleecy  folds  between  which  at  night  silently  sails the melancholy  moon. From the  sparkling  white  on alpine  domes  the  gray  and  golden  sunlight  smiles across the  amphitheatre,  enfolds  the  lustrous  clouds which send  shadows  crawling  along  the  mountain- side and over  the  plains,  nods  with  its  earliest  rays  to sleepy  ocean,  dances  back  from  sea  to  snow-peak; then, palpitating  in  purple,  it  rises  from  violet-banks and grizzly  hills,  and  mingles  with  the  russet  haze  of the  horizon,  or  creeps  in  tenderer  tones  through evanescent mists  into  deep  canons  and  murky  ravines, and glows  warm  and  tremulous  over  the  sombre shades below.

Before descending  to  the  more  practical  affairs  of life  in  this  region,  I  might  point  you  out  some  of  the so-called wonders  of  the  arena-rim  ;  though  I  may say to  jou  that  long  since  I  arrived  at  the  conclusion that there  is  in  heaven  or  earth  no  one  thing  more wonderful than  another. With whatsoever  we  are  un- familiar, that to  us  is  wonderful  when  seen ;  wonder is but  the  exclamation  of  ignorance.

Yonder at  the  northern  end,  lonely  and  white, stands Mount  Shasta,  girdled  by  lesser  volcanic  peaks that look  like  pigmies  beside  the  monarch  of  the  north which lifts  its  front  so  proudly  above  the  solemn  forest- sea that  beats  in  mournful  monotones  upon  its  base. To one  not  cradled  amid  such  sio-hts  its  awful  orandeur beside our  puny  life  is  crushing. Standing in  the  clear atmosphere, unrivalled  and  apart,  like  Orion  it  catches from over  the  eastern  ridofe  the  first  ravs  of  morninof, and flashes  them  far  down  the  vista;  while  at  evening