The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-08-30

wv bShNNAt AO'C 'H'S'A 49,
would bestow upon her husband, and
but then he dreaded any and all pain
for her, and since she loved Jeni, and
he was good fellow and loved her,
too, it would obviously distress her less
to part with him sometimes than to be
separated from him for always.
And so all Sargans was en- fete for
Christmas wedding. 1t was on the LIST
of July, her eighteenth birthday; Jeni
had put off going to the mountains that
year until later than usual, that he
might take his bride with him for
holiday honeymoon. The villagers
in after years used to tell, with tears in
their eyes, how that wedding was the
prettiest sight they had ever seen; the
handsome young couple coming out of
church hand in hand, and Christmas
father, with his irOn-gray hair and stern
though kindly face, walking 50 proudly
with Jeni's grandmother behind them.
Christina WAS quite mountain bride,
for at Hans special request she wore in
her hair a wreath of soft "Edelweiss,"
which he had gathered for her with con-
siderable trouble-the first blossoms, as
he believed, of the season.
The evening after their wedding, the
young couple went by train to COire,
the terminus of the railway in that di-
rection, and the next day very long
drive in the diligence brought them to
Jeni's usual headquarters, the village of
st. Moritz, in the Engadine valley.
Jeni had been very extravaganza, and
had taken the banquette of the dill
gence; he had always walked up, other
years, but Christina was not accus-
toned to being obliged to walk to reach
a given point, and now he had married
a wife he must take care that all things
were made pleasant and easy for her.
Now, although she was a Swiss girl,
Christina had never seen any really fine
snow mountains until the numbering
diligence, with its five strong horses,
reached the top of the Julier Pass, and
began to drop down the other side into
the Engadine vallev-then they burst
upon her in their matchless, indescriba-
BILE grandeur, their dazzling sheets of
whiteness standing outagainst the clear,
cloudless evening sky, while the rosy
tint of the strange, beautiful "Alpen-
gluhn" shOne upon some peaks of the
mighty Bernina chain, and turned the
whole scene into a fairyland. Hans
looked at it with pride as well as pleas
ure, for he felt somehow as if the
mountains belonged to him, and al
though he well knew their power to de-
strOy, their ayalanches, their treacher-
Gus crevasses, their changing slopes,
he was proud of a knowledge within
himself, which made him able to defy
their dangers, and, by mounting to
their highest SUBMITS, claim them as
his own possession.
Christina clasped her husbands
hand Il had notimagined they would
be so grand" she said; "but shall
not like to know that you are on them.
Hans; they do not look made to be
climbedp'
'Wait till you have tried one your
self, my girl. l mean to make
mountaineer of you before the summer
is over"
And to a certain extent Jeni sue
ceeded. Christina was not naturally
either very brave or very strong, but
the fact of living at st. Moritz, 5000
feet above the level of the sea, in the
pure, bracing air only to be
found at such u height, gave her, for
the time being at least, fresh energy
and power, and climbing with Hans
help was, after all, very easy matter
He made her begin so slowly, he ar
ranged so cleverly that she should not
walk in the heat of the day, he gave
her his arm and supported her when
they came to any place, which, to her
inexperienced eyes, looked dangerous
or difficult, and, of course, he did not
take her anywhere which was in reality
either the one or the other.
AS rule he was employed as guide
every other day; sometimes, during
August, he went out every day; but if
the excursions were long ones he did
not care for this, andif they were short
and easy he generally sent some
younger and less able man than him
self He only once left Christina for
more than twenty-four hours, which
was when he was away in the Tvrol
with an Englishman called Stanley for
nearly a week; but then he had been
guide to Stanley for three years run
ming, and the two had become firm
friends, as well as willing companions.
Stanley came to see Christina when
they returned from their expedition,
and charmed, although he confused
her, by his warm praise of her husband.
''He is one of the best fellows | ever
met" he said, "and | hope you may
have long and happy life together, for
you deserve it,"
Stanley was bachelor of keen sus-
capabilities, and very strong impress
sion was made upon him by the young
Swiss girl and her stalwart guide hus-
band
That first happy summer came too
soon to an end; all the visitors had left
the high valley by the middle of Sep
TENDER, and heavy snowstorm happen
ing to fall then, Hans and Christina
were obliged to cross the Julier Pass on
their way home in sleigh.
The next year Christina was not able
to go to the mountains with her hus-
band. She sighed and lamented little,
as was natural, but looking forward to
the future was brave and good about it,
and after her little boy was born, early
in August, Hans came home Just for
week to see her. She was STAYING at
her fathers house, but although Hans
knew she was wen taken care of and
cherished, he found it far harder than