Litchfield enquirer., 1881-05-12

against it's genuineness, in the hope, as 1 fancied, that should hand it over to nina hope which, by the way, proved altogether fallacious. .
 . It chanced to be an unfortunate season for a novice making his debut in the higher Alps The snow was lying late and deep in the passes while latteriy a rainfall and a low temperature conspired to make them unusu- ally impracticable. The gloom of the season had cast it's shadows upon Wildheuer's cherry face when we met him by appointment at the Bear Hotel in Grindelwald. His face bright ened, though, when he and Cox got 10 talking over old times and excursions; and the hope that springs eternal in the human breast ani mated them with the prospect of new adven- tures Of course Cox insisted on James being present at these exciting consultations. He wished to put the youth in heart for noun taineering; he was persuaded that enthusiasm must prove contagious and he knew, besides, that that daring yet sagacions guide was a perfect treasure house of mountain experience. So far as James had tried anything above the snow line, be did not appear to take very kind ly to the work. We had taken him over some smallish things already, and in proportion as he mounted above the snow, spirits and cour- age seemed rather to desert him. Even on lodges that were far from dizzy for average mortals, he showed neither the confidence nor the sure-footeduess of the chamOis. And at a sldden turn on most practicable path round precipice, he would puf and blow, and show changes of colour. that were more than mere shortness of breath should account for. Yet never for moment did Abraham profess to loose faith in his pupils capabilities No woman eager to make the best of some un- worthy object of her affections was ever more ingenious in inventiDg excuses: and there must have been something touching to the most cynical mind in the hopes with which he clung to his protege ....
 So he had all the air of having arranged most agreeable surprise when one evening at the Grimsel. when the weather showed signs of amendment he intimated to the youth an expedition for the next day.
 I've have only showed you the fringes of the Alps yet, young fellow but if the weather holds up to-lnorrow have real pleasure in store for you.
 Whereupon MT. Lurchers face was pie ture. With the shadows and the ghastly lights fitting about it, it reminded one of mountain top in a summer thunder shower. Intense disgust and deadly apprehension were most vividly depicted turn by turn but at the same time, the predominating sense of self-in- terest induced him to control his feelings and brace his mind for the worst. In internal soliloquy he probably said to himself that there was no dsputing his benefactors crotch cts: by insisting upon backing out of this af- fair, he would have run risk he hardly cared to encounter and if he were bound to go through with it, it would be as well to assume the serenity he was as far as possible from feeling.
 l know not what Abraham may have thought; at all events, he made show of seeing nothing. And he went on with unim- paired cheerfulness-
 "Yes, Whichever half believes in some fine weather at last and if he should turn out to be in the right we are going over the Strah- leck. We shall take it easy: make our start in the afternoon, sleering in the little hut over the Aar glacier; and the morning after, if all goes well, you shall climb the ice-wall and cross the Strahleck. So you had better turn In early, and see you have good night" E Judging by MT. Lurcher's looks next morn- ing, should say he had paid the usual at- tention to such kindly and well-meant advice He may have enjoyed snch rest as .he crini- nal the night before his execution. And though knew he must have been drag on the party in any case as it was, felt moral conviction that we should have good reason for gratitude if we ever got him to Grindel- wald. l should have said as much to Abra- ham had not already taken my part and re signed myself to my destiny. And if did not uosO N Ous Wltu SoA, lt was HO use LdlhlQS to Wildheuer, who had shrugged his sheul- ders with eloquent significance when he heard that Lurcher was to be one'of us. Widheuer already saw how the land lay but he was too loyalty devoted to Abraham to protest against any of his fancies, unless indeed. it had been question of life and death.
 We made out, tant 6ien q1e naal, the mount ing to the rickety hut under rock overhang- Ing the lower Aar glacier. That was mere drudgery, or little more. And James, who, as have said already, was sufficiently wiry Of body, had plodded up the slopes of yield ing snow, though at considerable expendi- ture of shorts and groans But perhaps he might have accommodated himself with bet ter grace to the inconveniences te which we had to submit at our night quarters It was bitter cold after sunset, and we had driving showers of hail and sleet. which were forced by the fierce gusts of the wind through the n- numerable chinks and crannies. The supper was unsatisfactory, being tepid or cold, as we had the choice between trying to nurse up fire i4 the open, and stlt1ing ourselves with wood smoke within the cabin and the wine of the Valais, as it always has, had the subacid navour of earth, and was iced into the bar gain to most unprlatable temperature. As suredly there was no Dutch courage to be drawn from it, and nothing but the exhiIara- ton from adventure in prospect could have sent one cheerfully to some mouldering hay that was to do duty for bed.
 Abraham threw himself down on the unsa vory truss. and was locked almost instantane- ouslv in the arms of Morpheus. For myself, can only frankly confess that 1 seldom if ever sleep in such circumstances and had I cherished any hopes of having a tolerable plight, they would have been speedily dlssipat- ed by the neighbOurho0d of Lurcher No doubt our tiny bed fellows were lively, and the melancholy bowling of the winds was any thing rather than soporifc. Yet Lurcher need not have bemoaued his fortunes aud cursed everything in general in such dis tinctly audible Key. To be sure, pulled him up very sharply, though taking care to abuse him Tn a whisper, for fear of awakening my friend But neither remonstrances nor threats could calm his restlessness and all the time my imagination would run riot in interpreting the probable course of his thoughts. When Wiidheuer came to rouse us in the morning I felt more kindly towards MT. Lurcher than ever. .ess ss. - A hurried snack of bread, cold mutton, and coffee, and we took our fresh departure at 2:3O. Happily the weather had continued to clear, and some drifting veils of gauzy vapour hardly dimmed the glories of brilliant morn or the sparkle of the stars where the heavens
 
 glacier to mount by the naoraine in the middle. It was rough and fatigueing scramble but nothing more. We had to find our way somehow over the huge blocks, that were sticky and slippery after the recent seet None Of us was much inclined for converse tion; and except for an occasional mysterious sound from the solemn recesses of the snow- slopes. or the murmuring of the rills in their subterranean channels, the only interruption to the silence was an occasional growl when any of the party missed his footing. Mir Lurcher lost his legs more often than any of us, but still he picked himself up and pro- ceedcd.
 Suddenly there burst upon us transforma- tion- scene that inspired us with fresh life and spirits. The summits that had been silvered by the moonshine caught the first faintness of rosy flush that gradually spread and deep ened. The reflection of the dawn came lower and lower, while the moonlight was still sleeping on the opposite crests; and then the sun appeared in ali hic clorv over fhe brand