St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-10-04

Floats a voice which seems to say,
Loves. alas!
Also pass.
As the summers pass awav!
The PrJrSsO"'S .StOrU.
Between eight and ten wears AGO. |
embarked in 4 long vacation campaign
among tie Alps Of Savoy. | was alone.
Ny object was not amusement, but study.
| occupy a professors chair, and | was
engaged III the collection of materials for
a work on the Flora of the higher Alps ::
and, 10 this end, Travelled chiefly ON foot.
Ny route lay far from the beaten paths
and passes. | often journeyed for days
through REGIONS where there Were neither
inns nor villages. ! often wandered from
dawn till dusk among sterile sleeps un-
known even to the hcrd>mcn of the up
per pasturageS. and mtsoddcn save bv
The c!"mois and the hunter | thought
myself fortunate those times if. toward
evening, | succeeded in steering my way
down to the nearest chatlet, where, in
company with half savage molntaineer
and herd OF milch goats, | might find
the shelter Of Il lattered roof, and a sup
per OF black bread and whey.
On one particular evening | had gone
farther than usual, in pursuit of the Sen
ycio nitiori>, a rare plant, which | had
hitherto believed indigenous TO the south
crn valleys of Monte Rosa, but of which
succeeded i'll here finding one or two
indifferent specimens. 1t was a wild
and barren district. difficult to distinguish
with any degree OF precision on the map !:
but lying among the upper detilcs OF the
lal de Bagncs. between the Mont Pleu-
rrur and the Grand Combin. On the
"d>tc vt rock rt"own +" which i
had climbed, there was no >ign of human
habitation. Above me lay the great ice
fields of the Gratfenierc and Corbin. To
my left the sun was going down rapidly
between forest of smaller peaks, the
! highest Of which. as we'll as | could Judge
from O,'crwaid's map. was the Mont
Blanc de Chcllon. In ten minutes more
.hcsc peaks would be crimson in one
short half hour it would bc night.
10 be benlghted on an Alpine plateau
coward the latter end of September is not
Il desirable position. knew it by re-
cent experience, and had no wish to re-
peat the experiment. | therefore began
rctracing my route as rapidly rs | could,
descending in Il northwcs.eEly direction,
and keeping a sharp lookout for any
chalet that might offer shelter for the
night. Pushing forward thus, | found
myself presently at the head of a little
vcrlamt ravinc, chancled, As it We're, in
the face of the plateau. hesitatcd 1t
seemed, through the gathering darkness,
as if could discern vague traces of a
path trampled here and there in the deep
4ra>s. 1t also seemed as if the ravine
tended down toward the upper pastures
which were my destination. By follow
ing it | could scarcely 90 wrong. Where
there Is grass, there are generally cattle
and a chalet and | might possibly find
a nearer resting-place than | had antici-
pated. At all events, | resolved to try it.
The ravine proved shorter than | had
expected and, instead Of leading i'm
mcdiately downward, opened upon sec
ond plateau, through which a wcll-worl
looiway struck of abruptly to the left.
Pursuing lhis tootway with what speed
| might, came, i'll the course of a few
more minutes, to a sudden slope, at the
bottom of which, in basin almost sur
rounded by gigantic limestone cliffs, lay
a few fields, and a chalet. The rose
tints had by this time come and gone
and the SHOW had put on that ghostly
gray which preccdeS the dark. Before
could descend the slope, skirt the lake
and mount the little emnence on which,
the house stood, sheltered by its back
Ground OF rocks, it was already night
and the stars wc.e III the sky.
| went up to the door and knocked
no one answered, opened the door
all was dark. | paused-held my Dreatl
, -li>tened-fancied could distinguish
low sound, as of some one breathing.
knocked again. My second knock wa
followed hy 4 quick noise like the push
j ing back Of Il char, and a mans voic
j. SAID
who's there ,"
a traveller" replied, seeking shell
ter for the night
/ y heavy tootstep crossed the floor,
sharp flash shot through the darkness
and | saw. by the Pickering tinder,
!, mans face bending over a lantern. Hav
inc lighted it, he said, with scarce
glance toward the door, Enter, travel
d Ier,' and went back TO his stool besid
the empty hearth.
;, entered The chalet was Of bette
t sort than those usually found at 50 grea
an altitude, consisting Of dairy an
+, houseplace, with a lott overhead. .
table and three or four stools occuple
- the center of the room. The rattel
- were hung with punches of dried herbs
d and long strings of Indian corn. A cloc
= tickeI III a corner; kind OF rude pale
. upon trestles stood in Il recess beside I'll
d tresslcs; and through a lattice at ii
% u farther end, | could hear the cows fec
ing IN the clubhouse beyond.
Somewhat perplexed by the manner