Telegram-herald., 1889-06-27
N AN ALPINE PASS.
The Monk francesca and tho
Twin Brothers


"a sad nizatl" sad ths monk Fraccesco.
A. ne went - the door of the hOspice Ia the
great ST. Bernard pass aud lOo4sd Out GA
me white, wa scenery. He stepued into
the path shoyeied through ths dFifts around
The dor, oat fld not venture far The air
had tAe kes1ness u knifs, as II Il had
beeu saas-2sled by ceaseless rubbing
against The great white cliffs that lowered
IN every direction
eyes, q bad nightp' said Francisco agaln-
sit viii DO dark soon"
He io0kei along ths line Of after and
Arctic drsafinoss, known a. the Great 81.
Bernard pass % distiDg guish IL frora the Lit
IL -. Bernard. aloag which Hannibal IL
thought ~ lave led his troops into Italy. IL
was ths whItsncss os The saow everywhere.
Zee were The foot- prints Of any thing ha-
maa Ia tbs Great ~. Bernard Francesca
suddenly tarued Win startled ar.
Harkl
Wss that the boom Of the cannon he
hsArdi NJ. IL was ths thgnder OF an ay-
eianche. loosensd ia = nel ghbOrlng mount
ain slope add now discharged into the val
iey. Tbs sanaon-Ake report suggested TO
Francesio the tune when Napoleon forced
his way through this cef4e. Hs took OG
kis guns from their carriages. lie laid them
IA logs roughly followed. To each sun-
loaded log hundred neu were attached.
Up, up, went ths invine.b.s army The
songs OF ths French braves echoed along
tne edge OK the dizzy cliffs. Did any point
Il The way seen inyiaclb.e, They attacked
70 with their hg1zas aud their trumpet
blasts, and 90 swept the grand army OF the
Little Corporal Did francesca catch Ia
tie hcarse cry OF tho wind alnoag the crags
the achoss of the French trumpctsi Fran
e.
French associationsi he shiyered, shrugged
his shoulders and turned away from the
contemplation Of tho drifts of alabaster In
the roaa and the towering plies that shrank
our Of sight az the twilight flung over them
tho drapery Of its shadows. lie couten-
plated with relief the stone building thas
was the hospice aad his hOme. he thought
with affection Of ST. Bernard OF Nosta ly-
Ing IA tho tcnth century. Witnessing the
trials Of pilgrims Iouraeying over the Alps,
be planted two hospitals, houses OF refuge,
IN ths two exposed passages that we know
as The Great snd Little 81 Bernard These
hospices were intrusted 20 The care OF
tho order OF s. Augustine. That IN the
Great 81 Bernard enjoys. n 1t be Joy,
The reputation u q location higher than
that Of any other babstation in Europe
The pass - over eighs thousand feet high,
bison Of any reasonable Arctic traveller,
add, II unrsasonAole, has ideas are not
worthy Of attention. Fraacesco had found
II cold enough TO worry uncomfortably lis
lanxs, aud the wearing LIE Of the hospice
had tested thoroughly his devotion To th,,
great order Of wa8cn hs was = humble part
IA francesca entered tho hospice, ho
met tn ths doorway a monk lately arrived
from Aosta and known 10 the brotherhood
as Antoai0. de was h&lslliny the rosary
dangling from his waist, and Vas appar-
entity - absorbed Ia that l. zht occupation
thst he I'D DOs aotice francesca. The two
monks passed one another IN silence. Loos-
Ing back N . aomenk, Francesca saw An
tonic gazing out 0t the door on the white,
sn0u-c0ysgsd pass, a. IL expecting some
body. ~He had eyes only for his rosary
when 1 passed him." thought francesca
They al say be : n queer mat and lives
IL kind q dream lad AL the tiIRe. l
have seen h.ln before. I believe It Is be-"
The mysterious hs' was = treacherous
friend of former years Moved BY curiOs-
ity, not by desire - bring an old debtor
20 a sense Of hls Indebtedness and take an-
gry payment for 10. Francesca had already
ques tioned Antoulo.
Are our friends wsH, down In Aossar'
inquired francesca
"Oursr' replied the sharp featured
stranger. he had n thin. peaked face,
with poiuted chin, and he looked hko in
cowi. "I-t-h0pe 40"
"Be dossn't seem 70 know any body"
thought francesca. 'Iu try him again.
He cleared ais threat as II he were shovel
Ing snow Ia the pass out OF The way. sld
began again.
~Ahem m-r1i used to live IN AostA"
"Did yolr replied Antonio, without con-
csvn.
Yes. snd I bad . strange experience
there" reuaar xsd Francesca THAI may
start you be thought Il started nothing.
snd Francisco went on. II trusted some
ricn-v % a frirn6 Tat shows confidence,
doesn'titlf francesca closely scrutiniresi
the irnpertarable V inside The monk cow
tefors bim
Yes. but money w- have nothing 10 do
" n. +" SAID ne stranger
Erancesco wiac-d az this mild rebuks.
bit Al lot asit n ais remarks.
.Thst Wa before wss monk. years
age. iu The vesr ~ Francesca halted
araiu sad .3oSsd ss his companion An
sout's face wa calm az ever Ny friend
sguzndered ny money, threw it away. voa
nav say showed him his fault and
Punished biruFf c2rsl essly inquired An
tonic. not hfsin his eyes
II soli hirs that houed some dsv - beahle
70 return good for eyl. and that vs should
meet again Then sharpen aT his gaze.
Francesca said silently; "And-we have
uet.T
Antonio I'd not sssm 10 thinx any thine
81 ne kind, FER hs guietly rsmsrksd fastsn-
ing his eyes en- his rosary " You wers
vsry kiad.r Then ae softly giided away q
his &c 4. sod Ike a shadow slipped into ne
shadow q - pisin. bare walls.
He tascs it verY quietly said Frances
so. ISN'T thas = tae man. The very face.
tae same 49,. the same pointed chin
narf - sustsniy exclaimed. "Taers are
rh- dcss Tmust icox after then
rhinkng 10 wcnid &c 1ors profitable -
sfrsrd CD these four footed creatures faan
e. try ~ Discover sac t~o- ioctea unknown
from Acsta. he iefs he spoG Come here.
lEh r be said. ii0usteiT, 50 a big St
Bernard tcg tfa is tln1r - start vru On
vour travels Coed fuyi Do Fcur best. aovvf
J. wii snow within three hours. or IN
much u-fsfassn"
TIE creatures h. addressed v8s a ra-
sueciuea 1f hIs raes Eis tstal lensth wa
sneut siE feet Hls splendid. massive heai'
bst Etrta - lvsnty Sax nlches. 1s iaases
o. ? a few inches sf = hei isht of ttrea fees
- tss shsu der. n wo4a haze raksa