Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, September 12, 1920

I awoke this morning early – I looked out and saw a big thunderhead to the southeast on which the first pale light of dawn was reflected – From time to time lightening played in the depths of it; the silence that attended this lightening was startling and profound – One expected thunder but none came; the hour itself was deathly still, rendered doubly so by the absence of expected rumblings.

The days itself came bright clean and windy – A brilliant glitter of September yellow – Towards sunset time, clouds came again, huge masses that overpowered the earth – One huge mass that spread over three fourths of the eastern sky, turned yellow & white by the lowering sun, was a strong {?} to that body of light, for it threw down a glow that was more noticeable than the true rays from the west. The clouds piled up into a dashing storm of wind & rain –

Long after it became clear and dark, and the stars came out in the blue-black sky, and the cricket chorus was in full swing, the last remnants of the storm piled up to the east, their tops lit up with a pale ghostly light so that they looked like great white mountains – With the same intense silence, lightening fluttered from within of the these(sic) clouds. 

Charles E. Burchfield,  Sept 12, 1920 –