Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-11-14
A NIGHT IN AN AVALANCHE.


Contrary to all arrangements and ex-
pectations of the dear old uncle who had
reared me, had not got further along
In life than to third-class clerkshlp in
the State department at Washington, and
this only because l could write a fine
hand, and make fancy capitals, said nv
disappointed uncle.
believe uncle was thoroughly
ashamed of my getting into the depart
ment at all. He would a hundred times
over have preferred that I had been a
farmer. But when the hard times came,
and when the hard times got harder, and
the old farm, gong under a mortgage,
was only rescued by my savings as a
thlrd-class clerk, uncle sank his shame in
his gratitude, and my fancy writing was
ridlculed no longer.
Still, 1t was weary work, reading and
copying endless dispatches of the chief
clerk to our consuls in Europe, and all
that without any apparent hope of ever
Becoming chief clerk myself. One day
was copying dispatch OF the secretary
to the CONSUL at Z. It was to the
effect that from that day on he would, in
accordance with his request, be allowed
$1,000 year for clerk hire.
ale viii want a clerk, then, of course
said to myself, "and If 1 could secure
the situation, l might be happy still" 1
didn't want promotion so much as
wanted a change. That evening dis
patch Of the department, copied in my
best hand, lett for Europe, accompanied
by private note of my own to the con-
sui. AS specimen of my writing, I re-
ferred to the inclosed gdispatch, and in
formed the learned consul that I could
speak the German language, having
learned it evenings during my stay in
Washington. Perhaps the last remark,
and not my fine writing, settled the bust
ness. Clerks who can speak foreign
languages are in demand with our con.
suls.
In six weeks from that day 1 had
peeped into the great cities OF London,
Paris and Brussels, and was now stand
ing at the clerks desk of the American
consulate at Z.
The business was not burdensome.
With the office open but five hours day,
we were happy. [ had beautiful times
so did the consul.
Among the Washington letters last
winter was one from our worthy com
missioner of pensions, asking the consul
to investigate and furnish evidence that
certain widows and minor daughters oil
United States pensioners living in his
district had not married, and thus for.
feited their claim to further aid from the
government.
All the certificates except 1904, were
Endorsed, and were ready to be returned
This pensloner," said the consul to
his chief clerk, one morning, els proba.
bly, either dead or married, and am
determined to find out which. 1t is not
so wonderfully far from here to the vii
lage of .Bleiberg, and if you have an in.
clinatiOn you may take the next train
and go there. Come back by Saturday,
and, Of course, make the expense as tri-
fling as you can"
had long wished for a stroll of some
sort into the magnificent valleys of the
Corinthian Alps, and here seemed my
opportunity.
was twenty-five miles still from Blei-
berg, when transferred myself and nv
hand vallse from second-claas railway
car into first class mountain diligence
It was wonderfully beautiful vale y
was to ascend to Bleiberg. There are
no finer mountain prospects anywhere
1t seems to me some times that all the
ornamental work of the creation has
been expended on Switzerland and thu
Tyrol.
Usually when in the mountains, rode
outsids with the driver or up in the i'm
perial, perched like leather bonnet OF
the top of the vehicle. determined full
ly to do so this time.
How capricious is the mind of man,
reflected, on entering the station and see
ing young lady IN velvet jacket anc
gray kids buy inside coupe No. 1 fo,
Bleiberg. In minute and half I hac
changed my mind, and was the owner O.
coupe ticket No. 2. There was but on,
passenger besides myself. In twent,
minutes the two occupants of that noun
tain diligence were tolerably well &C
quainted.
We spoke OF course, in German VIVA
struck US both as rather singular, howev
er, was the great similarity of our Ger
man pronunciation. Miss Shelton-Mis
Margot Shelton, to be more explicit-fo
had seen her name on the ticket as
passed it to the conductor perfect
~ certain that I was not a Swiss, nue.
less an Austrian, ana I was equally conf
dent my fair companion was not nativ
of the Alps. Her German bore too stroni
an accent for that. I afterwards learne'
that she thought my own little curious
Once, just for the sport of the thing,
shouted something to the driver in Eng