The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-04-09
TWICE SAVED.

l lU1 NA VID,
Frank de Vaud was climbing up
particularly stiff part of particularly
stiff hill. Sometimes he called in the
assistance of the Alpine-stock he held
in one hand, but just as often he clam
bered on and up without it. He was
handsome and well-made man; any
one could see that at a single glance,
though he was but chamois'hunter.
His face and hands were bronzed with
the sun and exposure to the weather,
but in his cheeks the red blood Of
health mantled, and his dark eyes
looked ever so soft and good-natured,
and when he smiled, as occasionally he
was doing now, there was right
merry twinkle about those same eyes,
and he showed a set of teeth as white
and even as bats.
Why was Frank de Vaud smiling?
Well, one reason was this-he was
singing, and the song he was singing
necessitated an occasional smile.
Parenthetically, let me tell you that it
spoke volumes for the strength and
vigor of his lungs, that he could sing
at all while climbing so steep a hill.
But he had,-I am bound to say--one
other reason for smiling, for Frank
de Vaud was going to see pretty, little,
bright-eyed Johanna, the goat-herd's
daughter, and Johanna loved honest
Frank, and he knew it right well.
They were going to be married before
great many months were over, and
his chief reason for visiting her cot
tage tonight dwelt a long, long
way up the hill--was to press her to
"Name the day, the happy day."
as the song says. He stood at length
on the lower edge of a kind of broad
table-land. A ravine ran right down
through the very centre of it, a gorge,
canon, call it what you like, only so
deep was it that you could barely see
the tips of the giant spruces and larch-
es that grew in it.
Other trees grew sparsely here and
there all over the table-land. High
up on the far-off horizon rose the
snow-clad jagged peaks Of the Alps,
tinged with the carmine of the setting
sun, and the clouds and mists that en-
veloped them beneath were also tipped
with red, shading off lower down into
purple, then into gray. But it wasn't
on the mountains, nor on the clouds
either, that Frank was gazing, but on
the charming little chalet still lower
down. 1t was half buried in brushy
trees, and there was smoke curling up
from it.
On went Frank de Vaud, continuing
his song. He said kindly good night
to bevy of girls who were waiting
for the cows to come home. Still
higher up he met the COWS themselves,
and stood aside till they passed.
Then he must shake hands with the
berdsman, and the herdsman laughed
and said:
81 know where you are off to, Frank
| Vaud, l know. We will soon all have
a dance. All! 1 know; ha! ha. don't
deny it, We all know. Good night,
Vaud."
Well, Johanna was waiting for him,
and they met as true lovers who are
betrothed, and soon to be wed, usually
do meet. They did say that Johanna
was the prettiest girl in all the canton,
and think they were not far wrong.
Her dress became her so, too, and the
modest way her hair was done up, and
her sweet voice, and her deep blue
thoughtful eyes, and the blush upon
her bonny face, and and-but therel
suffice it to say, she was charming
little mountain maiden, and no one
could blame Frank bit for loving
her.
But could she name the day, think
you? Not she.
"0h! ! don't know" she always ans
wered bashfully. "Well, then," she
added on this particular evening. "say
in six months time"
"Ohl dearest, we don't know what
might happen before then" said Frank.
somewhat thoughtfully.
Frank de Vaud was right.
"But,' he said, remember, darling.
I'll claim you to the very day. So be
ready"
Frank de Vaud was out almost
every day in the mountains. A very
daring hunter. hei And very success
! full one too. His gun. though, was not