Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1880-02-21

gallant: but | submit to my bachelor
eaders if there is any thing extraordi-
larry in this fact that in twenty minutes
he two occupants of that mountain dill
renee were tolerably acquainted.
We spoke, of course, in German. We
noted the green fields at the edge of
the singular costumes of the
men passing us, and who hailed us with
q "God greet you!" as they tipFc1
their broad-brimmed hats. We thought,
too, how chilly they must be, even on a
day like this, with their open red jack
cts, brooches only to the knee, and stock
ings only to the ankle. Still more inter-
esting to us were the women, trudging
along in their short black petticoats
and dovc.g gray stockings, though the
muddy roads sometimes interfered with
any exact discrimination in the shades.
What struck us both as gerry singular,
however, was the great similarity of our
German accent. Miss Shelton-Miss
Margot Shelton, to be more explicit
for had seen her name on the ticket
as | passed it to the cOnductor-was
perfectly certain | was not a Swiss,
much less an Austrian, and / was equal
ly confident my fair companion was not
a native to the Alps. Her German bore
too strong an accent for that. alter
ward learned she had thought my own
q little curious. Once, just for the sport
of the thing, shouted something to the
driver in English. How astoniShcd |
was to hear Miss Shelton add to it a
phrase as English as my own! We held
breath to explain, and i'll alnAIa no Time
at all discovered that we were both
Americans. Stranger discoveries fol-
lowed they always do. Miss Shelton's
father had been volunteer Captain in
our army, and myself had been within
rihe-shot of him when he fell at Vicks-
burg
Her mother, a native of Bleiberg,
took this only daughter and returned to
her old home, stopping at the solicita-
tons of friends, first for months, and
now it had been years. In a moment |
recalled what had been puzzling me for
an hour had seen the name Shelton
before somewhere
Who was pensioner 1904 but Elsie
Shelton-why had | not thought OF
that?-wife of Captain Shelton, killed
at Vicksburg in June 1868. How ex,
temely singular! we both exclaimed
Mrs. Elsie Shelton. | was soon in
formed, was not remarked.
The object of my journey was accom-
plished. might return home at once
| did not, however. Besides, Miss
Shelton insisted that should go and
visit pretty Bleiberg, her mother anc
herself. | was easily persuaded.
Why had the Consul's letters not beer
answered? / asked, as we made n turr
in the road. &c." said Miss Shelton
"mother and | were both coming mex
week to L, to visit relative there
and so she proposed answering in per
son. Besides, she is not so poor that sh'
cares dreadfully whether Uncle San
stops the ten dollar or so amonth or not
She always gives half of it to the Post
masters children and the rest to me fo
pin-money. Why, do you know,I bough
these very gloves with some of tina
money at Innsbruck only two day
ago." and here the pretty hands an,
the gray kid gloves nestled coquettishl.
on her lap. By noon the church steepl
of Bleiberg was in sight and in an hou
the driver blew a shrill note OF so OF
his horn, the villagers FASTENED to tn
windows of the houses as our four pant
ing ponies passed on a gallop, and tn
little old postmaster lifted his blue ca
and gave us salute all round. Mrs
Shelton was living with friend, the
absent, in substantial two-stOry ston
/. house not far from the post.
"This is Mr.. - said Miss Shel
ton, laughing, as she presented me t
her mother, ga real American; and
just think, he has come to ask, mamma
if you are married" The good looking
embarrassed little widow soon unray
, elled the nonsense with which Mis-
Margot was seeking to overwhelm us
, and | was welcomed with unaffecte
cordially.
When the dinner was over | strolle
: out through one of the loveliest stu
ated villages of the Alps. The vieN
, down the valley we had just assemble
was enchanting. Behind the prett
, town, and edged by a green meado'
, sloping upward, was forest of tai
dark frs, and above this an alp, anglin
| up the side of steep mountain, know
) to all tourists as the Rigi" Of tn
Kernthal.
1t was on the 25th of February, bl
the sun seemed as warm as in midsun
ner. The grass, SO wonderfully greer
was high enough for pasture, and VII
D lets and daisies peeped out everywhere
1t was L" dangerously warm, in fact,
e muttered the little postmaster in IL
b. blue cap, as | handed him letter
D post to the Consul at L, sayin
: every thing was well, but l couldn't pc
n sibly be back on Saturday" DANCE
t ously warm, because there had not bee
: so much snow on the mountains in fiji
: years US now, and already people bega
n to hear of avalanches falling out
:, season."
S Bleiburg, however, is safe enough,
thought to myself, as | glanced up Il
e sides of the old peak, where, SUI
e enough, there were oceans of snow al
y ice glistening in the sunshine. But
was a mile away, and between pref
e Bleiberg and it swept, like a dark vei
n the forest of tall fir-trees. Besides, no
2 could a village that had slept a hundrc
s years be walked up now to an adventu
g just to CRAFTY young Americana
"I don't like tits too warm-ar
+ there's no telling" continued n
would-be pessimist of a Postmaster g
y haven't lived in these regions well MIG
e to fifty years for nothing. Showing a
}. winter, and hot sun and daises in Fe
g ruary, aren't natural. 1t means av,
s lanches to somebody somewhere"