Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-11-13
A TALE OF THE FUTURE.

mo, Sill. / VIII nOt-l never pct. once
only in my life did [ make a bet for a
large sum and ] lost that in such a hui
initiating way fi.at I registered a VOW not
to be bitten a second time"
You quite raise my curiosity. AS
there is no chance of our settling by a
friendly bet the little dispute as to what
exact species of abomination u friend
the costermonger is hawking, you should
at least let me have the benefit of your
first and last experience in that line"
II is ali old story, now; but if you will
light a cheroot and join me in an another
bottle of Forzato, l shall let you into the
secret of my dislike to betting"
The speakers were both Englishmen,
and had met by chance at a little auberge
IN an outofthe-way village of the lower
8ngandine. Having dined together, they
were having their cigars in the veranda,
when some trifing difference of opinion
brought on the conversation given above.
AS 500 as madame the hostess had sup
piled their wants, the elder Ofthe two be-
gan to relate the following incident with
an air OF yeracity so strongly marked
hat his listener found it impossible to
doubt the accuracy of what he said:
"The time [ speak of is some twenty or
nve-and-twenty years ago, when the AL
pine Club was still in its full glory.
Things were very different then from
what they are now. The Andes Associa-
ton had not yet been formed-destined as
1t was utterly to cast into the shade its
Alpine predecessor. There was no rail-
way over Mont Blanc, and the idea of a
lift to the hotel on the top of the Matter
horn had not yet been started; in fact, if
I remember rightly, the hotel itself had
not been built. l was at that time a
aaaember of the Club, and few more en-
thusiastiC individuals could have been
found amOngst the number of its adj
mirers. Innumerable were the articles
that | contributed to its Journal, giving
appalling accounts of the adventures I
had met with in scaling peaks and climb
ing down p~recipices, and other little per
fOrmances of that nature. Immense used
to be my delight and pride at being able
to inscribe the magic letters A. G.. after
my name in the visitors books in Swiss
inns. Astonishing used to be the get up
in which [ started for the most ordinary
mountain walk, girt about with a variety
of ropes, and ice-aXes, and spectacles,
and belts. | can speak jestingly of these
little vanIties now, but it took a very
severe and a very expensive lesson en-
tirely to ure me. And the way it came
about was this: There was to be all an
nual dinner of the Club held at the Crys-
tai Palace on a certain day in May, soon
after | had taken my university degree.
This dinner | had set my heart on attend
ing; but when the afternoon of the day
arrived, l received a letter from some
-country-cousins, saying that they were
coming up to town that day, and begging
me to meet them at the train. This was
pleasant; but, as there was no help for
it, | endeavored to calm my rutled tenn
per with the assistance of my hookah,
and so far succeeded that | was not ac-
tually rude to my relatives, while escort
ing them across town. When l had thus
done my duty, | began to consider what
to do with myself, and what particular
establishment | should favor with my
custom for dinner that evening. Just as
l had settled this important matter, who
should | meet coming round a corner
but my friend Jack Hilyars the very man,
of all others, | should have wished to
have come upon at the moment Jack
was as good a fellow as ever breathed-
pleasant and light-hearted, but with plen-
ty of stuff in him for all that. AS luck
would have 1t, he had not yet dined, SO
we arranged TO nave a quiet little dinner
together, and a good chat in the smoking.
room afterwards. We had finished the
second course, and were discussing
She wines and dessert, when a
stranger entered the room and
seated himself at the table next to me
Now, all my life l have been a physiog
nomist-not, perhaps, ia the ordinary
sense of the word, as | do not assert tina
I can read a mans general character from
his appearance-but this can tell at thu
first glance, whether a man is potential,
my enemy or my friend. In this Judg
ment at first sight have never yet fount
myself to be mistaken. The very momen
the stranger entered the room where w
sat, | conceived an intense dislike to hin
"A feeling that that man, if ever he wer
to cross my path, would prove a deter
mined and formidable foe. At a glanc
we could see that he was an American
The sharp, eagle face, the slouching gait
and. above all, the intensely free-and-eas'
manner indicated his nationality beyond
the shadow of a doubt. Putting thre
chairs together, he stretched himself alon,
them. and set himself to stare calmly ant
persistently at Jack and myself. We wer
partly amused and partly annoyed at tn
insolence of the man; but, as we had fin
ished our wine, we adjourned to tn
s~mokingroom. Soon after, the America
followed us into the other room, and real
ed himself up against the mantelplect
while he gave out, for the benefit OF al