The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-08-30
Select Story.
AN ALPINE BRIDE.
From Household Words.

From Household Words.
Christina Schmidt was married to Hans
Jeni when she was only eighteen.
They were both natives of the village OF
Sargans. name some English travellers
may remember noticing on the line from
Coire to Zurich, though it is very unlikely
that they ever spent longer time there
than the two minutes that the train waits
at the station, for there is nothing to tempt
them to do so. 1t is commonplace SsSiss
village, in valley only fertile enough to
support about half of its population, and
obligino the rest to travel to the cities or
to emigrate to other lands.
Christmas father was one OF the richest
and most important men in the place. He
lived next door to the inn, in a good-sized,
imposing-looking, white house, part of the
ground floor of which he used as bake
house-for he was himself the baker
the other part of it as the shop to sell his
bread in. Before she married, Christina
had tried for little while to manage the
shop; but she did not like having to stay
in it all day long; just in case anyone should
come in and want to be served; and as she
was an only and a motherless girl, and her
father had INDUCED her all her life, he soon
engaged middle-aged woman for the busi-
ness of the shop, and allowed Christina
liberty to do as she pleased. She gener-
ally spent part of her mornings in the
bakehouse; not where the big ovens were,
and it was hot and her father too busy put
ting in the loaves to notice her, but in a
cool clubhouse, where her father mixed the
dough. and left it to rise. She liked to
watch him handle it so cleverly, and she
generally persuaded him, when all the black
bread for the village was done, to make her
a few delicious white rolls, such as she had
tasted once at hotel in Zurich. She
knew exactly when the said white rolls
would be baked and after working in the
house and getting the dinner ready (Which,
being true Swiss maiden, was pleasure
to herr she would trot down again to the
bakehouse just when her father was taking
them out of the oven, and would sit on the
steps of the front door and eat them. For
Christina was rather proud of showing how
she was spoilt and petted in having white
rolls made on purpose for her.
Her lover, Hans Jeni. many and many
time came to her as she sat there, and,
accepting one of her proffered rolls, leant
against door-post and looked down at her,
enioying his view of her small round figure
and sweet, innocent young face. She was
brown-eyed, browned-skinned girl, with
masses of soft hair of golden-brown shade,
growing artistically round her low forehead
She mig ght have passed unnoticedin crowd,
because size was small and unpretending;
but she was undoubtedly the belle OF Sar-
gans; and perhaps many larger place has
not boasted such popular one, because
Christina 'was kind as she was fair.
Her fortunate lover, Hans Jeni, was
twelve years her senior, and had known
and loved her ever since she was little
girl toddling by her fathers side He was
an orphan, brought up by his grandmother
to follow his uncle's calling; that is, in the
winter time, he lived at Sargans and carved
wood. but the summer months he spent in
the high Engadine valley as guide, coming
down from thence in the autumn, with q
pocket full of money and splendid stock
of health and spirits. He had spent his
first summer in the mountains when he was
fifteen, going up with his uncle, Peter
Jeni, who was a well-known Engadine
guide, and with him doing some of the
easier ascents, carrying knapsacks and pro.
visions to the foot of the mountains and
learning the first principles of glacier climb
ing. His uncle was well pleased with him
and told him that his head was steady as a
rock. that he had unlimited nerve, pluck
and energy, and that there was in him the
making of a first-rate guide. When Hans
heard that, he made up his mind that he
would not waste his capabilities. By the
time he was fve-and-twenty he had been
up every peak in the Engadine, and most
of those in the Tyrol, and by the time he
was thirty, Peter Jeni would proudly point
out to strangers his nephew and pupil as
the best guide in the east of Switzerland
and such he probably was. He was {
splendidly made man, tall and strong, witt
regular features, keen gray eyes, and fail
| skin sunburnt; and Christina answered hel
own question with an emphatic negative
when she asked herself if there was bet
ter sight in the world than Hans presented
as he started for the mountains, the yea
before they were married, in his suit o
strong gray homespun, his knapsaek mad
of chamois skin on his back, the rope coilet