The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-06-27
A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE ON
MOUNT GEMS.
[CoNcLUDED.1.

A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE ON
MOUNT GEMS.
[coNCLUDED.1
A pleasant femme dc chan,Jre gave me n nice
room, and brought us some breakfast / un-
dressed the children, bathed them, and nut
them to bed. They were soon sound asleep
did the same for myself, and tried also to
sleep, but in vain. My anxiety for M tor
tured me; and the painful tension of my nerves
during the night caused them to throb fiercely
1 crept quietly out of bed and dressed myself.
Thekla's full brown eyes opened on me as
stopped down by the bedside to get my walk
"Dear child" said, as the little creature
held up her arms to clasp around my neck,
"maman is fevered, and needs air. Will
Thekla take care of brother Ernst?"
The self sacrificing child assented with a
bright smile, and whispered, "Oui, chere pc
tite maman;" and l hurried out of the hotel
into the streets. 1 wanted to see something of
this town, in which lie Maistre was born, and
ramble through tho streets and up the noun
tain roads where he had roamed in his youth,
and dreamed visions more than realized in his
eventful life. Military renown, successful au-
thorship, and long married love were his; a
soldier and q philosopher, studying all things
and knowing nothing, as he said in the light,
graceful epitaph he wrote for himself a few
years before his death:
"Ci-git, sous cette pierre grise,
&ayier qui de tout etonnait,
Demandant d'ou venait la bze
Et pourQuoi Jupiter tonnait
II etudia maint grimoire
Ii lut du matin jusqu'au sor,
Et but a la fin Ponde nore
-.'- Tout surpris de ne rien savoir."
went out of the Faubourg de Montmeillan,
and followed the left bank of the Lysse for
some distance. First came to village; then,
snnsf he r,,fn 80 l. II
the stream crossed 1t, and soon after entered
beautiful mountain gorge completely shut in.
High steep rocks swept up, seeming like the
pedestal of the dentated mountain in the dis
tance. A poysoiins guided me around a paper
mill to see cascade which came tumbipe
down the cliffs, and spouted out in Jets through
assures in the rock; and all around the rocks
were hung with brilliant iccles that glittered
and sparkled in the sunlight superbly. ,
"C'est le Bout du Monde" said the peasant
woman, naively. I gave the woman some
sous, and dismissed her. On looking at my
watch l found it was only nine O'Clock. The
diligence would not leave until two. 1 had
only been an hour and three quarters walking
there, so gave myself up to the luxury of
dreaming in this beautiful spot for an hour or
so. returned to the gorge, and paced rapidly
up and down the path covered with snow.
The shadows Of the fr-trees lay long on the
ground, and the glitteIing snow flashed in the
morning sunlight, as if cut into a million of
facets, perfect sheet of diamonds. The peaks
OF the dentated mountain lay white and 10y
against the palpitating blue sky. My fancy,
being under the influence of sorrow, was NOR
bid, and 1t drew many contrasts between the
ice peaks and throbbing heavens and my own
broken life. thought of Ms lot and my
own. l could not be rebellious with that
strong, fresh mountain air, washing like waves
n nuaET INV hal kwRwu 1zla- NJ
when thought
"--o'er loss of days no more to be
or actions dropp'd to dreams-and dreams to death
And then-Eternityl"
feel what is called resignation. I have no such
grace given me. / may meet with a hundred
rebutfs and disappointnents, and be desperate;
but still stand, with armor buckled on ready
| for fresh action. am enduring and submits.
sive, but not resigned. How strongly and
| firmly planted my feet on that rocky, snowy
road, as paced rapidly to and fro, looking up
at the cliffs and the shut-in gorge, which,
doubtless, was "te Bout du Monde" to the in
nocent peasants of the placel 1t was solemn,
! sublime spot, well fitted to dream in, and fancy,
might readily weave woofs and webs, of sombre
but grand contrasts, filling memory's store
house with material for the use of the imaeina-
ton at more healthy seasons. I seemed sur
rounded with
fragments of a crystal world
Long shattered from its skyey course"
MONDAY approaching warned me of the ne
cessity of returning toward tho town, and I
retraced the road on the border of the Lysse,
which had led me to this beautiful spot in the
morning. 1 found my children up, dressed,
and the maid spreading a nice dinner for US in
the little ante-roOm.
"Oomme tu es fraiche chere petit maman,"
cried the two children, leaping in my arms,
and smothering me with kisses.
My walk had sharpeRed my appetite, as we'll
as frightened my cheeks and eyes, and we
hastened to our dinner. That through, we
hurried down to the diligence, in order to be
seated before tho other passengers arrived,
As 1 stepped in after Ernst, the boy made
lament, and my foot pressed something hard.
"Oh, mon coteau, mon coteau!' he cried.
"Here it is" l said; and 1 stopped down
and picked up the knife from the straw, where
he had dropped it. slipped it into my pocket
In the hurry Of the arrangement, intending to
put 1t in the sac de NUT after getting seated,
for 1t was heavy thing and quite in the way.
1t was one he had just received from America
as present; it was regular Western bowie
knife, and he wanted TO take il on to show TO
his little cousins at Turin. We had lust got
seated when in trooped the other passengers.
There were not so many as tho night before,
and some were new ones. An old peasant
woman was among them, and mado room for
her beside Ernst. Ny German ncighbor, | OBJ
served with great satisfaction, had left also.
Toward sunset we reached st. Jean, where
the pass of Mount Gents commences. Ths
children looked ont of the window, and Ernst
left his seat to see something on the roadside
which had attracted his sisters attention.
When the diligence was ready to start, as Ernst
returned to his seat, we found it occupied, and,
to my surprise and dissatisfaction, recognized
In the new conner the German who had annoved
me so much the preceding night. He had evil
IDENTIFY been travelling from Chambery in some
other part of the diligence. noticed, also,
that every one had left the interie,Ue except
the old woman, who was asleep in the farthest
corner. My heart seemed to stand still for an
instant. He said nothing, but, as my eyes
met his, noticed in his expression that he
observed my annoyance, and explted in II.