Once or twice of a night we would see a steamboat slipping along in the dark, and now and then she would belch a whole world of
sparks up out of her chimbleys, and they would rain down in the river and look awful pretty; then she would turn a corner and her lights would wink out and her powwow shut off and leave the river still again; and by and by her waves would get to us, a long time after she was gone, and joggle the raft a bit, and after that you wouldn't hear nothing for you couldn't tell how long, except maybe frogs or something.
Instantly Murchison pressed with his finger the key of the electric battery, restored the current of the fluid, and discharged the
spark into the breech of the Columbiad.
The
spark may smoulder and go out, or it may glow and expand, but see!
The
spark remained stationary for a moment, then moved back again in the direction from which it had advanced.
The mica dust from the shore, rising under our feet, flew like a cloud of
sparks. The bottom now rose sensibly, and we soon arrived at long circuitous slopes, or inclined planes, which took us higher by degrees; but we were obliged to walk carefully among these conglomerates, bound by no cement, the feet slipping on the glassy crystal, felspar, and quartz.
The young man was able at last to find some
spark of dignity.
Rose looked with all her eyes, and saw the
spark grow into the likeness of a golden vase, then green leaves came out, and then a crimson flower glowing on the darkness with a splendid lustre.
She came into the room with an erect head and a cold eye; she said, with an unmerciful emphasis on the word, "If you mean to go, Valeria, the carriage is here." Any woman with a
spark of spirit in her would have "meant" it under those circumstances.
And as they continued to fall upon him, the
spark of life within flickered and went down.
His sister sat in the darker corner by the fireside, now looking at him, now looking at the bright
sparks as they dropped upon the hearth.
He then stood close to the fence, with his head near one of the boards, and Scraps called out "Krizzle-Kroo!" Then Ojo said "Krizzle-Kroo!" and the Glass Cat said "Krizzle-Kroo!" The Woozy began to tremble with anger and small
sparks darted from his eyes.
As these ruffians turned and turned, their matted locks now flung forward over their eyes, now flung backward over their necks, some women held wine to their mouths that they might drink; and what with dropping blood, and what with dropping wine, and what with the stream of
sparks struck out of the stone, all their wicked atmosphere seemed gore and fire.