Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-12

mustache which stuck out like a public hair
brush. made him veritable daisy. The femi-
nine section OF the display was short fat. but
not fair, and nearer fifty than forty. A pair of
stout, exceedingly hgh-topped, boot-like
shoes were fully Displaced beneath her skirts.
| wnlle upon her head rested stiff felt hat, and
from the manner in which the powder was dis
trlDuted 1t was evident that her toilet had been
| hastliy made by the uncertain, Pickering light
! OF candle. These two persons looked so ut
! terly funny and ridiculous as they paraded
about or leaned pensively on their alpenstocks
| that they excited universal attention and re-
mark even in the motley crowd about them.
but 10 return to the sunrise. Just as every
| body had gotten his expectations geared up to
the highest pitch, and to the music of the
| tlnkllng COW bells the sun seemed about to
peep up over the mountains, a large cloud
| thrust itself in the way and spoilt it all. Not
fully convinced that they had been disap-
/ pointed, most of the assemblage lowered about
| until the appearance of the sun far up at the
| upper edge of the cloud removed all doubts.
| So We were obliged to content ourselves with
| the view, which alone was well worth the time
and trouble we had taken. Thirteen lakes and
| as many villages and towns are visible. includ
| ing Lucerne and Zurich. The lakes of Tug,
Lucerne and Lowerz seemed to lie directly
| beneath US, and one would fain think he might
toss with ease pebble into them. After suffi-
cICntIy drinking in this beautiful panorama we
adjourned to breakfast at a neighboring hotel,
and by 10 o'clock we're back i'll Arth, curied up
III bed asleep.
PILGRIMS AT EINSIEDELN.
Upon the recommendation of Mr. Catlin we
| determined TO visit the monastery town of
Einsiedeln. away up in the mountains to the
northeastward from Arth and seldom visited
Dy tourists SO there went, in sections.
Delay occasiOned by a wrenched tire on the
writer's machine and misunderstanding as to
the road to be taken resulted in a separation of
the party eight miles out, and everybody
looked IN the wrong place nobody was found.
Inc sequel was that upon the arrival OF the
larger section of the party the writer. supposed
10 be lar III the rear, was discovered support
ing his agile frame in the doorway of palatial
inn, having arrived two hours previously.
Einsiedeln is composed chiefly Of inns and
more pretontious hotels for the accommoda-
ton OF the pilgrims, who number about
, !7o'ooO annually. The monastery was founded
In the time of Charlemagne. Its length is l43
yards, Az OF which are occupied by the church,
, an imposing structure but rather gaudily
decorated on the interior. Just inside, near
the MAN entrance, is a collection of rude
crutches and other contrvances, said to have
been cast off BY diseased and crippled pilgrims
VINO have been healed by species of faith
cure process. On the evening following
arrival we attended service, which was most
novel and interesting Ill its details. Upon
entering, In the darkness. broken only by
solitary candle here and there at some
altar. we did not at first discover the
congregation seated in the farther por-
ton of the church. Taking seat on
the outskirts, we observed that every
body held In his hand candle. precisely for
what purpose we could not guess. A clock
upon the pulpit struck the hours and quarters,
and upon the hour of eight the entire body
arose silently and passed to the rear where,
from the candles of priests and sisters stationed
there. everybody lighted his own, after which
two lines were formed and, with priests at in
tervals between, marched slowly around the
church, singing in chorus without accompan-
ment very solemn. dirge-like hymn. This
continued for perhaps half an hour, when all
resumed seats and listened to what was appar-
emily very eloquent sermon in French. We
could not but observe that the congregation
seemed to be made up almost exclusively of
the poorer, ignorant class; in fact. the
vast majority of the pilgrims are of this class,
many beng sent by the wealthy sort of
proxies for themselves At almost any hour Of
the day pilgrims may be seen arriving. many
OF them walking in. the men carrying packs, and
men and women alike armed with stout sticks
looking far more serviceable than the rather
ornamental alpenstOck III vogue among anna
teur mountain climbers. We observed party
with red crosses pinned on their breasts,
marching in procession to a convent some
miles distant and singing as they went.
OVER THE MOUNTAINS.
Leaving Einsiedeln, after a short preliminary
run through a shallow upper valley, we coasted
down long, winding descent of 16 kilometers
90 miles) to Schwyz, thence to Brunnen near
which, on the opposite side of the lake of Uri,
IS the historical meadow of the Ruth, and along
the northern shore of the lake of Lucerne to
Gersau, which for four hundred years, until
1873, was an independent state, with popula-
ton Of less than 500 inhabitants, the smallest
in the civilized world. From Gersau we
crossed by steamer to Beckenried and
there fell victims to pension, as the boarding
houses are called We were the only guests,
but contributed enough to run the establish
ment for a week. Oh, Pauline! Pauline! little
did we think when, sitting side by side. we held
your little hand in ours and your sweet lips
gave lessons in the soft italian tongue, that it
would all go into the bill under the head of
steaks and chops!
We now approached the Brunig pass after
hurrying by several lakes and villages among
the latter the village of STAINS, on which. owing
to its peculiar situation. the sun from Novem-
Der IL to February shines for one hour only
in the morning. The Brunig pass is esteemed
one OF the finest of the minor passes of the Alps.
Fine old trees, rocky cliffs and narrow thread
like water falls abound, and a magnificent view
is afforded of the village and lake of Lungern,
which lie two and half miles up the mountain,
one mile from the pummit which is 1896 feet
above the level. Descending by a road
overlooking the valley of Aare, passing in sew
eral places beneath overhanging rocks, we
reached BrienZ; then riding along the shores
of the lake of Brienz we arrived at Interlaken,
10 miles in fifty minutes.
TOURISTS AT INTERLAKEy.
The population of Interlaken seems to be
composed chiefly of tourists, who are hurrying
hither and thither making preparations for
some one or another Of the numerous excur-
sions for which the town is a center. One of
the principal excursion points is Lauterbrunnen,
which lies to the northward, up a narrow val
ley into which, in July, the suns rays do not
penetrate until o'clock in the morning, and
in winter not until noon. We rode-yes! and
walked-there one morning in the mud; for the
mild and equable temperature" of Interlaken,
which the guide-book mentions, has given us
an almost continuous, chilling rain during our
stay in the vicinity. Looking up the valley.
we had distant view of
the snowy Jungfrau, while near at
hand numerous brooks plunged down from
the rocky heights. The most beautiful of
these is the StaGbbach ("dust broOk''), which
has sheer fall of $50 feet, descending in fine
spray, almost mist, ere it reaches the bottom
and is waited about in fantastic forms BY the
passing breeze. Our attention was attracted to
a small barn, where sign displayed informed
| the passer-by that genuine live channels might
there be seen for one franc. We we're not
| tempted to invest. We know all about the
chamois, having first met him up in Germany
| there or Whereabouts. We can't say Just ex-
| actly where we met him, but we know we met
him. although we were never able to find him.
Mark Twain's chamOis is what we have refer
ence to. We don't like to make it any plainer