The Princeton union., 1891-06-04
WITHIN AN ACE.
A THRILLING EXPERIENCE.

, THRILLING EXPERIENCE.
Readers, have you ever come within
an ace OF numbering man who never
did you the slightest harm? If you
have you will appreciate the follow
ing true store; and ifyou have not
you will, nevertheless, admit that I
am justified in speaking Of my adven-
turs as "a Thrilling Experience"
good many winters ago business
had taken me to Milan; and intend
ed, as soon as could get away, to
push further south, and bask in the
sunshine OF Genoa or Naples But
|L'homme propose, ct Dieu dispose"
and thus it came about that, in the
midsta of my plans, the telegraph
brought me a message that matters
OF extreme Importance necessitated
my presence in London. Recognising
the urgency, I resolved to start at
once, but little did I dream how near
that resolution would bring me to be-
ing a murderer. The great tunnel
under the St. Gothard was not then
completed, and, in spite of the bitter
weather, | decided to cross the Simplon
Pass, and go down the Rhone valley
to Geneva, where I had an hour or
two IS hllsinass to TRANSACT ss .z4a
| When I made known my intention
OF crossing the Simplon, the landlord
of the hotel where I had been staying
in Milan warned me against doing
any such thing, for the weather, he
said, was fearful, and avalanches had
been falling for many days. How
ever, [ was undeterred; for as an old
traveller I knew exactly what cred
ence to give to alarming reports of
that kind. And so, packing my traps
and paying my bill, I took the after
noon train for Aroma, where I would
get the diligence for the Pass Aroma,
as most people know, is superbly stu
ated at the foot OF sweet Lake Mag
giore.
In the long summer days it is a
scene of constant hustle and confus-
ion. But as l emerged from the little
station on that bitter winter evening
the place was like the village of the
dead. A frozen stiffness was over the
land, and the steel-blue lake was
maddening in it's stony placidity.
The sky, of a hard blue, was cloud
less, and the sun was just disappear
ing behind the western mountains.
Then suddenly, as if the wand of a
magician had passed over the scene,
all was changed. Warm, soft coloring
glowed where a few minutes before all
was colorless. The blue sky famed
with q golden glory that blending into
emerald green tinged with crimson
where the regal sun had disappeared.
This coloring was suggestive Of a
dream picture, for it was so utterly
unlike anything that art can produce,
and across the shining waters, all
afush now with . a glowing light,
hoated in rich, mellow cadences the
poetic "Angelus," and above it rose
from various quarters the musical
voices OF the workers in the fields and
4 vineyards, as they paused in their
labors at the summons of the bells,
and solemnly lntoned a prayer.
In five minutes more another change
had come. The sunlight had entirely
gone, the coloring faded. The 'sAnge-
lus' ceased, the voices were hushed,
the lake was like steel once more. and
all was cold and dead. Shivering and
famished, took my way to the soli-
tary Albergo, and consoled myself
with such barren comfort as it afford
ed, forI learned that the diligence
would not start till midnight.
1t had struck twelve when the old,
numbering vehicle rolled out Of the
courtyard Of the diligence office, and
went gathering over thoroughly paved
street Of the village. I was the sole
passenger, and occupied the coupe. A
week before, this very diligence had
been attacked and robbed, and
amongst other cheerful stories that
the people Of the Albergo had told me
in order to beguile the tedious hours
away, was that Of a commercial
traveller who had been robbed and
, murdered on the road two years
previous.
& As / remembered these things in.
stinctively felt for my revolver, which
. / invariably carried strapped round
q my waist on such journeys. As we
left the friendly lights OF ethe village
& behind, and gained the dark lonely
y highway which skirts the lake for many
miles, think all the stories that ever