The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-08-28

else, but will be eternally grateful to
you"
: up the Bernina! You never would
be as foolish as to start with that for q
first a~scentp" |
"I should not choose to, but I'm
determined to go up it this year, and
so is my friend Langley. He has got
into training already In the Tyrol, and
well, I'm never SO much out of it,
you know"
Jeni looked at the wiry, muscular fig
ure of the speaker. and believed him.
"Come, now, you won't refuse me
this" Stanley persuaded. "Tm ready
to start TO night; and instead of your
reaching your wife tomorrow evening,
why, it will only be the evening after;
for 1 suppose you will go down in the
diligence now you are q married man.
You'll do this to oblige an old friend. I
am sure"
"Yes, I will do it, If you think that
everything can be got ready and an
other guide found; for if your friend is
going we must have q second guide;
and then" he added suddenly, chow
about your friendP Is he safeP I do
uOe LhC SOihS NY ohO oCihiho WAeh OIL
untried man."
'.You may trust me that he is all
right. / am no fool to risk your life and
mine with a fellow who does not know
what he is about. Langley lisa member
of the Alpine Club. and has this sum-
mer been up the Ortler Spitz and Monte
C~ristallo."
81 trust to you, MIR. Stanley"
And they fell to arranging details of
the expedition.
The Piz Bernina is the highest noun
tain in the district, but by no means the
most difficult to ascend, and Jeni, who
had once been up it in mid winter, tax
ing twenty-seven hours without any
rest over the expedition, thought lightly
of it, now that all the conditions were
favorable. After some discussion he
decided to leave the preparations to
Stanley, who thoroughly understood
such matters, as he vas anxious to keep
a promise he had made long ago, and
visit that afternoon a cousin of his wife's
in the neighborhood. Stanley sugge sted
as a second guide a man called Hardt,
whom Langley had brought with him
from the Tyrol, and to this Jeni on
sented.
81 sent on my ropes to Coire yester-
day. Jeni said. Twill you see that
Hardt brings. sufficient and strongp'
Stanley promised to do this, and every
thing else, and Jeni having arranged to
call for him at one q. M, the two men
separated.
Jeni was vexed with himself, now the
whole thing vas settled, for he disliked
having to telegraph to his wife, and he
disliked, too, having, for the first time
in his life, entrusted the preparations
to some one else; however, there vas
no help for it now. He went to the
telegraph Office and sent off the follow
ing telegram: s.Sorry, but cannot come
till the $40 p. m. train on the 9th"
And then he dutifullv started to see
| Christmas cousin, because he knew his
little wife would be sadly vexed if he
failed to do so. He did not get back
before $3.50 D. m, when he threw HIM
| self on his bed, and, with his useful but
acquired faculty of going to sleep and
of waking at any given time, he slept
until midnight.
The two gentlemen and the two
guides met punctually at the rendez-
vous; it was too dark, in spite of the
lanterns they carried, for Jeni to exam
inc the faces of Langley and Hardt, but
he saw that both were young and heavy,
powerful-looking men. He asked Hardt
If he had everything that was neces-
sary.
"Yes, everything"
"You are sure?"
.tQuite sure"
"Then let us be off,"
And in the silence which character
ICES lei at the beginning of any long
undertaking, they started, skirting the
small dark Lake of st. Moritz and
through the pine woods toward the
foot of the Bernina. When daylight
broke they were climbing slowly up its
snowy slopes; Jeni was the only one Of
the party who knew the mountain, but
he had not been up it that year, and he
found the snow, after the long hot
summer they had had, unusually soft,
and consequently firing; they could
not make as rapid progress as usual.
Jeni broke a long silence by announc
ing a fact that was by no means en-
couraging.
This will be the longest ascent o
the Bernina I have ever made"
"What, twenty-seven hoursp
"Except that one, of course, which
was follyi!"
They were toiling over a long snow
slope without much incline, and Jen
seemed impatient and more out of tenn
per than Stanley had ever seen him.
..I'm afraid, after all, you are abusing
me for having kept you from your hom,
to-day" Stanley said.
al am thinking that I did wrong
onA otrrrol1u T IN, not rn1ooca1 ryif1
myself"
"At least you are giving Langley an,
me a great pleasure"
This slope is interminable," Jen
exclaimed shortly afterward; .'let u
turn sharp to the right, it must b.
shorter"
The tour men were roped together
Jeni leading; they followed him over
ledge of rock, on to another steepe
snow-slope; Jeni did not usually eros
it, but the mountain had changed a lit
tie that year, and he deemed it advis
! able to do so.
AS far as Stanley could tell-and h
had reason enough to remember after
! ward every detail-they were all at
tending to the business in hand. Tn
rope was not too slack, there was moth
ing careless in the gait, and indee'
there could not have been, when Jen
| took one of his long, striding steps
and the snow beneath him gave way
suddenly-he did not sink in it as the
had been doing all along, he droppe
right down till only his head was Wis;
BILE.
T '.For Heavens sake stand firm,
/; gasped Stanley, and the three strong me
planted themselves in the snow, an
. pulled with all their might on to tn
T rope. Surely they would be able t
4 hold up Jenia Ay, SO they would; bur
as he moved and tried to raise himself
3 the rope gave a sharp snap and brok
in two, just between Stanley and Jen
, and with a ringing cry of despair til