Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1861-02-15

to the Wengern Alp. Half in light, and
half in shadow, lay the quiet valley, dotted
over with farms, and traversed bv tor
rent that rushed milk-white, from its pris-
on in the glacier The three lads walked
briskly in advance, their voices Ginning
together every now and then in chorus of
laughter. Somehow my brother felt sad
He fingered behind, and, plucked little
red flower from the bank, watched it hur-
~ away with the torrent like life on the
stream of time. Why was his heart so
heavy, and why were theirs so light?
As the day went on my brothers mel
ancboly and the mirth of the young nen
seemed to increase. Full of youth and
hope, they talked of the joyous future and
built up castles in the air. Battisto,
grown more communicative. admitted that
to marry Margherits, and become master
mosaicist, would fulfill the dearest dream
of his life Stefano not being in love, pre-
ferred to travel. Christien being the most
prosperous, declared that it was his dar-
ling ambition to rent farm in his native
Render Valley, and lead the patriarchal
life of his fathers. As for the musical-box
trade, he said, one should live in Geneva
to make it pay; and, for his part he loved
the pine forests and the snow peaks bet
ter than all the towns in Europe. Marie,
too, had been born among the mountains,
and it would break her heart if she
were to live in Geneva all her life and
never see the Kander Thai again Chat
ting thus the morning wore on to noon,
the party rested awhile in the shade of
clump of gigantic frs festooned with ban
ners of green moss.
Here they ate their lunch. to the silvery
music of one of Cbristien's little boxes, and
by-and-by heard the sullen echo of an av-
alanche far away on the shoulder of the
Jungfrau.
Then they went on again in the burning
afternoon, to the heights where the Alp
rose falls from the steril steep, and the
brown linchen grows more and more scan
tile among the stonos. Here only the
bleacbed and barren skeletons of forest
of dead pines varied the desolate monoto-
ny; and high on the summit of the pass
stood a little solitary inn, between them
and the sky.
At this inn they rested again, and drank
to the health of Christien and his bride in
jug of country wine. He was in uncon-
trollable spirits, and shook hands with
them over and over again,
By nightfall tomorrow, said he, I shall
hold her once more in my arms! 1t is now
two years since | came home to see her, at
the end of my apprenticeship. Now | am
foreman, with salary of thirty francs a
week, and able to marry.
Thirty francs a week echoed Battisto.
Corpo dl Bacco. that is a fortune,
Christlen's face beamcd.
Yes, said he, we shall be very happy
and by-and- -by-who knows-we may end
our days in the Harder Thai, and bring.
up our children to succeed US. All !! if
Marie knew that should be there to-mor-
row night how delighted she would be?
How so, Christien? said my brother
Does she not expect you?
Not a bit of it. She has no idea that I
can be there till the day after tomorrow
nor could | if took the road all round by
Utterseen and Fruitgen. | mean to sleep
at Lauterhrunncn and tomorrow morning
strike across the Tschlingel glacier to Kan
derstee. If rise before day ybreak | shall
be home by sunset.
At this moment the path took sudden
turn, and began to descend in sight of an
immense perspective Of very distant val
leys. Christien flung his cap into the air
and uttered great shout.
Look he said. stretching out lis arms
as if to embrace all the dear familiar scenes !
| Oh! Look There are the hills and woods
/ of Interlaken; and here, below the preci-
pIees on which we stand, lies Lauter erbrun-
nen God be praised, who has made our
native land so beautiful
The Italians smiled at each other, think
ing their own Arno Valley more fair; but
my brothers heart warmed to the boy, and
echoed his thanksgiving in that spirit which
accepts all beauty as birth-right and an
Inheritance. And now their course lay
across an immense plain, all rich with corn
fields and meadows, and studded with sub
stantial homesteads built of old brown
wood, with huge sEeltering caves and
strings of Indian corn hanging like golden
ingots along the carven balconies. Blue
whortle berries grew beside the foot-way,
and now and then they came upon wild
gentian or star-shaped immortelle. Then
the path became a mere zigzag, and IN
less than half an hour they reached the
lowest level of the valley The glowing
afternoon had not yet faded from the up
permost pines when they were all dining
together in the parlor of little inn look
ing to the Jungfrau. In the evening my
brother wrote letters. while the three lads
strolled about the village. At nine O'Clock
they bade each other goodnight, and went
to their rooms.
Weary as he was, my brother found it
impossible to sleep. The same unaccount-
able melancholy still possessed him, and
when at last he dropped into an uneasy
slumber. it was but to start over and over
again from frightful dreams. faint With a
nameless terror. Toward morning he fell
into profound s'umber, and never awoke
until the day was far advancing toward
noon He then found, to his regret, that
Christ:en had long since gone. He had
risen before day ybreak, breakfasted by can
delight, and had started off in the gray
dawn, as merry said the host '.as fiddler
at a fair y
Stefano and Battiso were still waiting TO