The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-10-14
AMID THE ALPS.


"By the way, Rawdon, what became of
that meerschaum Of yours I" asked him,
as We sat one night over the campfire.
"What mcerschaumi"
"The one you bought of the old Ger.
man general at HolstOin. secured It's
twin"
~ may answer your question by ask.
lug what became of yours returned
Rawdon, putting out the smoke.
"Minel That pipe of mine did vast
amount of travelling, If you care 10 know.
II looked with It's fiery eye askancc at
the pyramids; dipped with me along the
serpent borderpd waters of the Nile
buried its small pile Of incense along the
storied Rhine. 1t yearned pensiyely and
dropped an ash by the ashes OF Hercu.
laneum and PompGii. It wended tie way
past the lighthouse Ofthe Mediterranean
ltlowered about Mecca and Medina, and at
last, when in poetic mood, by tile Gas.
plan, immortalIzed by Moore's liquid
verse-mY lips relaxed their hold aud my
pipe fell into the sea-"
"Quitea history" remarked .Rawdon.
"Aline committed suicide"
LARGO laughed.
"Truth, said RawdOn. "As stood on
London Bridge, my heretofore faitiul
pipe leaped from my lips into the Thames.
A clear case OF voluntary suicide"
"You had quite an adventure after l
left the party, Fltzhugl wrote me-"
"lIad II Let mo see 1t was soon after
You left the party that we made the rs.
cent attempted It, ratler-of Mont
Blanc1" @
"Yes, that was what Fitzhugh spoke
ofin his letter. What about 1t ALT"
"one eau hardly hope to do Justice to
any thing which ono tells of Switzerland y
began RawdOn, after pause Of thought.
"The country must be seen to be appre.
ciated, and It must be seen by an artist
eye and appreciated by soul endowed
with deepreliplous sense of the miracles
which God alone could create, to got the
faintest conception Of It's wild, wonder
full, aud magnificent scenery. So sudden
and varied are the changes which the eye
belolls, that 1t seems more like fairy
land floating in the unreal mirage Of a
dream than like anything real"
"Aye."
%rhegreat height and magnitude of the
mountains, glistening with eternal snow;
the awful chasms opening between them I;
the bolt upright precipices; the dark
rayines, with here and there a shadowed
pool orlake, and the fertile valleys bloom
Ing in luxuriance, combine to make u
picture Of rare excellence, aud of unsur-
passed wondrous beauty"
"Well 60 on, Rawdon."
"Seen on clOudless day, the sparkling
glaciers, piled up and pointed in rare and
fantastic form, dazEling the eye and fll-
ing the soul with wonder. Here snow.
white city lifs It's spires and glistening
pinnacles In frozen silence, like mighty
petritaction. There, huge columns, like
leaning towers Of marble, catch tho suns
glare on their polished surfaces. Again,
one sees groups of marvellous statuary-
figures standing, leaning anything-and
seemingly In death-like repose."
"But about your adventure, Rawdonl"
ut was not much Of an adventure" he
Ietorted. ave had passed the winter at
Geneva, small few Of us, finding 1t pos
sessed among Its citizens many Of the
most learned and scientific men OF Europe.
From this place the view Of the Alps is
unsurpassed. Toward Spring, parties Of
travellers going through the place made
us restless and we also started. AS our
party moved on toward the hamlet where
we were intending to tarry a few days
and await prOpitious time for ascending
Mont Blanc, was SO unfortunate as to
get mounted on the most treacllerous
steed In the lot. Never did Pegasus
throw his rider with less warning than
my beast Of horse threw me. escaped
with, as l thought, the trillng injury Of
asprained wrist. But got deceived In
Judging that sprained wrist was but q
triile, for my hand began to swell and
grow discOlOred, as for my thumb, It
might as well have been q pine knot, for
all the feeling there was In 1t; twas my
right hand, too. The rest waited several
laysfor me to make the ascent with them /;
but finding that my hand mended so slow
ly, they grew impatient, and went on
NtHuut uU' ~ ulu uOt lHuoh lhhttolt lVi
parties were coming up every week or
two, and / should not lack company.
The tediousneSs Of my stay at the inn was
very much frightened by the kind Atten.
lions of my hosts daughter, pretty Jennie
Dessonnard.n
Rawdon paused.
W became impatient Of the delay" he
continued, '.iust as you, LARGO, are getting
Impatient because / don't talk quicker.
No sooner did cautions people suggest thc
impracticAbllity Of my attempting tht
ascent at all, urging as objections M
dangerous season Of the year, and thf
incoonvenlent stiffness of my wrist that
made up nymind to risk the undertaken
az all hazards, This unhappy trsit u
character lies dormant, or Is active n n
every nature" '
"what do you mean about the danger.
Gus season
"Well, / was detained by the lllpO.,
longer. than you think for, LARGO: n,
summer and the season were alike over
That wound Of mine had complicalion,