Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-24

years, bat still young. One Of them, after Q
survey Of the other guests 1t the table, re-
marked in quite audible English to her COM
panion: II wonder where those two English
men are? Wo shall have to be awfully careful
what we say" Then C. snickered and we
we're discoTered. They were from . western
city IN the states, and we knew they were
school teachers, though they said not Q word
that was intended to bctray their identity.
The people whom one meets at an Alpine
hotel. away from the great centers, such as Luz
cerne, are more interesting than those one gen.
orally meets elsewhere in Europe. There 10
less OF dress and greater ease OF manner and
familiarity of intercourse; less of conventional
restraints which elsewhere operate a. insspara-
BILE barriers.
DIFFICULT WHEELING.
The Rhone valley below Drieg, where the
railway terminates and the pass over the
simplon into Italy begins, possesses few attrac-
fractions for the cyclist The roads are far
from good and there is . good deal Of low
marshy land which breeds millions of mos
quitoes and nasty little flies. 1t is the forte
OF the latter to get into your ewes and swarm
into your mouth every time you open it to ex-
press your feelings. The only other sensation
some wooded foot hills. formerly the haunts Of
robbers. OF course that was long time ago,
but one member of the band still survives and
keeps the Hotel des Alpes ut yiesch. He nearly
starved us and charged US about one-third
more than We have ever paid elsewhere. It
has been our experience that the charges are
generally highest when you least expect, and
1t Is safe plan to ask In advance what you will
be expected to pay. Even then you must
mentally add another count to cover some
thing you have forgotten. Above Brieg the
scenery becomes more pleasing, the valley has
contracted and instead of ploughing through
myriads Of mathematical flies and mosquitoes
IN the low lands, you are following along a
crevice in the side Of the mountain, among
messy rocks. great trees and running streams
OF icy, sparkling water.
THE VILLAGES
assume . character peculiar to the upper val
leys; houses built of squared logs dove-tailed
at the corners, but SO closely fitted and care
fully finished that one does not at first detect
the exact manner of construction. The ground
noor IS not used save as a store room, or for
the animals, and access is had to the upper
stories by means of an outside stairway which
terminates in a balcony. Potted plants and
bright clean curtains OF white are to be seen
at the windows and evidence the refined tastes
OF the people and the neatness and the COM
forts OF Swiss village home. In the midst Of
the village the village church, its walls stuc-
coed stone. rears Its white bell tower with bull.
bous. eastern-shaped roof. There is usually
only ore church. for the inhabitants are either
nearly all Protestants or nearly all Catholics
the former in the upper Rhone
valley.
THE RHoNE GLACIER.
As You round bend and see the Rhons
glacier before you at the end of the valley the
hotel seems almost at its base, but when. lean
ing your machine against the side of the build
ing to rest, you have started to go and gather
some OF the ice and walk and walk, you learn
Tor the thousandth time that you are too mex
perienced to correctly judge mountain dis
tances. From the foot OF the glacier issues the
whitish blue stream which then and there be-
comes the Rhone river. Great masses of ice.
broken from the parent mass, lie in the young
stream, while an azure blue cavern marks the
place OF their detachment. The best descrip-
ton can give is to liken it to q frozen water
fail whose surface by the action Of the elements
has become scanned and ridged. forming crevas-
ses both wide and deep which have become the
tomb Of not few adventurous climbers and
creating hiilocks steep and slippery.
OVER THE FURKA PASS
There II . satisfaction in showing the
skeptical that they are in the wrong.
So we took especial care to render our
selves conspicuous at the window of our room
in the Hospenthal ''Gasthaus EUR Post when the
diligence from over the Furka pass drove I'D to
deliver the mail to the post Office occupying
portion OF the lower floor. that its con-
ductor and driver might see that We had really
gotten over the pass ahead OF them Crossing
passes has monotony which the bicyclist
feels more than any other traveller 1t is push
your machine and walk; then when you have
reached the summit, your troubles take a new
'orm and IT ID brake and back pedal down the
other side. The Furka pass, next to st. Bernard
o the highest in the Alps.