The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-01-13
AN ALPINE YARN,

IL was bOIno lOur stutt bWSHey years
ago, 1 am sorry to say, when as young
man found myself in the Rhone valley,
in Switzerland l wasn't at all prao-
tical sort of youth, like you fellows, and
I'm bound to say was just idling about
there, staring at mountains, finding out
tho places famous in history, sketching
and all the rest Of it, but enjoyed my
self uncommonly in my own way, and
30 one evening I got to Brieg, which
you may or may not know is an CID
town on tho Swiss side of the celebrated
Simplon pass leading into Italy.
was good deal too late to clash
with many British tourists. The fact is
IL was December, and had the hotel to
myself But the winter that year was
altogether abnormally late, and there
was, they told me, hardly any snow on
the pass up to Berisal. If chose to
walk into Italy the next day, I might
easily do it, spending one night at the
hospice on the way.
The hotel proprietor who told me this
added with wink:
"But you must be careful, sare. There
is bad characters about. There has been
found several dead bodies in the Saline
the last year, and they was all with
empty pockets.
laughed at this. f1attered myself
that my revolver and I could account
for any moderate dangers Of that kind.
As for concerted brigandage, the time
for that had long gone by.
The next morning was lovely, with a
blue sky and thin mist which did not
hide either the snow or the high Alps
or the heavens above them. I strobe out
of Brieg toward the mountains, feeling
as one does feel in youth on the eve Of
O splendid excursion.
had got to the last little cluster Of
dark colored houses before the pines on
the slope on the north side Of the Gan
ten when q good looking italian accost-
ed me. was in the humor to be socia-
BILE and readily accepted his offer to rest
q moment or two in his chalet, which
was close by.
1t was here that I saw the girl who
is my wife, though she is not girl
now, as you may suppose. lost my
heart to her as one does now and then
to girl. I'm not going to describe her
as she then seemed to me-you fellows
can hardly expect it-but I very soon
saw that she felt an interest in me, and
the realization quickened my pulse,
can toll you.
Well, / rested longer than I intended
and was mighty vexed to have to stir at
last
eff might hope to call again when
I return" 1 said as I held the girls
hand for moment in mine.
Her face satisfied mo she was inter-
ested in me, and yet when her father,
with a cheerful sort Of grin, said that
no meant to accompany me for mile
or two, "to show you the old road.
signor, which is much shorter" she
made objections which struck me at the
time as very odd made objections, !"
/ say, but it was deal more than that.
She began to cry, in fact, so that I Sec
onded her and tried to persuade her IA
ther that he had better stay where he
WAS
The man insisted however-politely
enough, must admit-and SO we start
ed, he looking rather wild, as if no
didn't appreciate that domestic scene,
and I feeling as if I'd willingly give
up the Simplon and everything else to
spend day in that quiet chalet, with
that pretty girls gentle. kindly face
boaming upon me. There was a sadness
about the girl that won me as much as
anything else
But we hadn't been gone more than
half an hour from the chalet when !
understood what it all meant.
By this time we were about II, 900
feet above the Saltined stream, which
brawls from the high Alps at tho bot
tom of this fearful ravine. We were
on tho old road, just mule track
scratched in the side of the perpendicu-
lar rocks only four or five feet wide and
with this alarming precipice to the
right.
One of us had to precede the other,
and it was / who took the lead.
was still thinking more of the pref
ty girl than the scenery when felt a
cruel blow on the back of my head. 1t
laid me down in an instant, moro than
half unconscious. Twas robbed--watoh,
purse, passport and all except the re-
volver, which carried on the hip.
Then the wretch tilted me over tho
rock, and it seemed to me was dead.
But of course wasn't dead, though
it was we'll on in the afternoon before
I could stir to realize it. l had caught
in one of those gnarled old fir trees
which grow out from the Simplon rocks
almost at right angles to them. My God,
what position it it was, to be sure! A
fearful depth Of sharp mountain side
below me and the Glisshorn's precipice
across the ravine, with the roaring
stream in the gully.
Well, gentlemen, I got out of that
hole-I don't much care to think how
and late in tho night crawled back
to Brieg, looking, as they told me, like
a dead man. But l said nothing about
my adventure, for though l owed Ca
terina's father something considerable
i'll the matter of vengeance | was loath
to do anything to causo pain to Caterina
herself. You see, knew now what
her entreaties had meant, and loved
her all the more for her tears on my be-
half.
The next day, bruised and aching as
was, returned to Sion. had plan
in my head.
~ F. L