The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-06-21

farm on hospitable cares intent, &C
companied by a merry train of atten-
dant maidens. Before five minutes {
had elapsed, I was installed by the |
side of the woOdfire which the sharp |
ness of the mountain air rendered |
agreeable, welcome guest, while the |
board was heaping with rustic dain- !
ties for the midday meal; and during !
the brief hustle of preparation, was |
at liberty to look about me, and take !
an observation of my fair hostess and |
her surroundings.
In her case, fair was no term Of |
empty parlance, for she was indeed |
very young and very pretty, evidently
a bride in her first year Of wedlock.
She was blue-eyed and light-haired,
with an innocent. sweet, art1ess face,
kindled with all the brilliancy of her
mountain complexion, brow of milk
and a cheek of roses; but across that
smooth and gentle brow there was
visible, scarcely yet well healed, for it
still wore slight reddish hue, long
scar like that of sword-cut; could it
have been imagined that SO gentle and
delicate being could have been ex-
posed to SO rude an sccident!
The companions Of this youthful
mistress of the place were all young
girls, younger than herself, one of
| whom in fact, with whom became
acquainted, mere toddliug prattler
of three years. She was already
seated on my knees, prattling mer-
rily, and playing with the charms and
trinkets which hung from my watch
chain, when the peasant whom had
seen at distance, on the mountain
bridge, made his appearances; fine,
active, well-clad mountaineer, Of some
six or ei9ht-and twenty years, VINO
greeted me with genuine upland
hospitality, and introduced me in due
form to his little wife, Adellne, and
her sisters Suzett and Marie Jenne,
and la petite Louison, who had already
advanced far into serious Irritation,
rather, l believe with my gewgags
than with my person; / spoke their
language we'll enough to chatter away
undaunted, SO we soon became, II not
exactly friends, on the most familiar
footing.
A petite rerre of admirable kirsch
served as capital preparation for a
delicious mountain dinner, at which
were produced all the delicacies which
the Alps afford. Exquisite trout from
the mountain brook, steaks, Of roe
buck from the hill, butter surprising
that which Jael served to Sisera,
though in wooden bowl in lieu OF
Fruyere, fresh strawberries from the
hills, with good sound wine of domes.
growth furnished forth a meal which
needed not a hunters appetite to
. SAVIOR it.
When our repast was ended,-we
lighted our pipes, and gathering
around the hearth, fell into natural
converse on mountain life, with lis
sports and pastimes; we talked of the
rife-a ponderous specimen hanging
F above the mantle-piece furnishing
forth the topic-of the gentle noun
, tain antelope, the soft-eyed chamols
and of the obscene mountain vulture
, the cruel hammer geyer, the thought
of which was suggested likewise by
the beak and talonS Of the largest
had ever seen, suspended as trophy
| beside the powder-hOrn and hunting
, knife of mine host.
! Some casual remark of mine cOncer-
ming this trophy, which called forth
blush on the brow of the fair wife,
and a half embarrassed smile on the
f lip of the mountaineer, showed me
! that / had casually struck on some
, thing whereby there hung tale
, which little badinage at length elici
ted, though the narrator protested
+ that it was small matter, and not
worth telling; yet, he added, as it hac
l., f{vr "a nd u
: strangers loved to hear of the wild
r mountain incidents, he did not grudge
;. to tell it. So after lighting fresh
!. pipe, and tossing off another modicun
of kirsch. he proceeded to relate, how;
$ fine April morning of that very year
o Adeline, who was then on visit t
O his old mother, now at the Grindel
4 valid, had set out to walk across thu
r hills to neighboring chalet, takin:
s little Louison to accompany her
n while he himself set out on chamoi
). hunt among the SUBMITS of the Faul
@ horn.
l. Fortunately, before noon the mist
e closed in SO thickly on the mountain
Y that he gave up the chase: and, fore
k seeing a cold storm among the hills
2 uuIIlcu uOWu. IL poSSibiO ~ oiitASIp tse
l. it, and convey Adeline safely hom
e before it should burst forth anon:
It the hills.
" 1t was too late, however, to antici
!, l~pate the storm. though not, he said
l. ssthank Heavenr' to avert wors
y peril. The girls way lay across tn
very bridge by which l had seen hin
" cross that awful gorge; and just as sh'
t was in the act of crossing It, with tn
: infant Louison in her arms, the storm
r burst around, upon her, in all its fur,
f hail. rain and wind, and blazin.
e lightning, and thunder that made tn
n very hills reel and shudder.
; At about quater of a miles dis
n lance, hesaw the terrible storm breal
It and deserted the tender form of hi
e betrothed darling, painfully, ant
e feebly, yet undauntedly, totterln'
across the slippery pine log, with he
e infant sister clasped to her undauntet
# heart. He hardly hoped to see he
q min hor UNIV acrocc fh of dizzy bridge