midnight
The fire on Sagebrush sparkled like a single jewel in a vast setting . Far above and beyond the valley rose the opposite height , dark and indistinct -- a bridge between two worlds . To Virginia she was like an eagle , secure in his nest on the topmost pinnacle of a cliff , and looking forth upon his domain . Now she turned her face upward toward the deep , almost transparent blue of the midnight sky . It was set with myriads of stars -- great arc-lights , beacons at sea , flickering candle-flames . A star fell -- it was one of the beacons -- and came earthward , trailing glory in its wake . Then , the path blazed , another followed , and a third .