Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1895-09-20
AN ALPINE YARN.

Il was some four and twenty years
ago. Ium sorry to say, when "a a young
man ! found myself in the Rhono valley,
Ia Switzerland. 1 wasn't at all a prac-
teal sort Of youth, like you fellows, and
I'm bound to say Twas just idling about
there, staring at mountains. finding out
the places famous in history, sketching
and all the rest Of Il, but l enjoyed my
self uncommonly in my own way, and
90 one evening 1 got to Brieg, which
you mny or may not know is an old
town on tho Swiss side Of the celebrated
simplon pass leading into Italy.
/ was a good deal too late to clash
with many British tourists. The fact is
" 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
che pass up TO Berisal. II / chose tn
walk into Italy tho next day, I might
easily do It. spending one night at the
hospice on tho way.
The hotel proprietor who told 10 this
added with q wink:
But you must DO careful, saTo. There
Is bad characters about. There has been
found several dead bodies in tho Saline
tho last year, aud they was all with
empty pockets"
laughed at this. l 1attorcd myself
that my revolver and l could account
for any moderate dangers Of that kind.
As for concerted b~rigandage, tho time
for that had long gone by.
The next morning was lovely, with q
blue sky and a thin mist which did not
hide either the snow or tho high Alps
OF the heavens above them. / strobe out
of Brieg toward the mountains, feeling
as one docs feel in youth ON the eve of
a splendid excursion.
had got to the last little cluster of
dark colorod houses before the pines on
the slope on the north side of the Gan
ten when q good looking Italian nocost-
cd nee. l was in the humor to be socia-
bic ans readily accepted his offer to rest
. moment or two in his chalet, which
was close by.
It was here that 1 saw the girl who
Il my wife, though she is not o girl
now, as you may suppose. l lost my
heart to her rs N does now and then
10 a girl. I'm not going to describe her
Al she then seemed to me-you fellows
can hardly expect it-but 1 very soon
saw that she felt an interest in me, and
che realization quickened my pulse, !
can tell you.
Well, / rested longer than 1 intended
aud was mighty vexed to have to stir at
last.
"If l might hope to call ngain when
! return" / said rs l held the girls
hand for q moment in mine.
Her faco satisfied mo she was inter
ested ia me, and yet when her father,
with q cheerful sort of grin, said that
no meant to accompany me for a mile
or two, ito show you tho old road,
signor, which ia much shorter, " she
mado objections which struck mo at the
time as very odd. "Mado objections, -
soy, but it was q deal more than that.
Shs began to cry, il fact, so that 1 SEQ
Onded her and tried to persuade her ia
Their that ho had better stay where he
was.
The man insisted, however-politely
enough, l must admit-and so we start
WI nO AOONAlAE AhNAAGA MAAht 10 AD
didn't appreciate that domestic scene,
and I feeling as if I'd willingly give
up tho Sipplon and everything else to
spend o day in that quiet chalet, with
that pretty girls gentle, kindly face
boaming upon me. There vas a sadness
about the girl that won me as much as
anything else.
But we hadn't been gone more than
half All hour from the chalet when
understood what it all meant.
By this time we were about II, 00C
feet above tho Saltined stream, which
brawls from the high Alps at the bot
tom OF this fearful ravine. We were
on the old road, just a mule track
scratched in the side of the perpendiou.
lar rocks only four or five feet wide and
with this alarming procipico to the
right.
Ono of us had TO precede the other,
and IL was / who took the lead.
was still thinking more of tho pref.
ty girl than tho scenery when l felt a
cruel blow on the back of my head. Il
laid me down in an instant, more than
half unconscious. Twas robbed-watch,
purse. passport and an except the re.
yolver, which / carried on tho hip.
Thon tho wretch tilted me over tn,
rock. and It seemed to me 1 was dead.
But Of courso l wasn't dead, though
IL was we'll ON In the afternoon bcfor,
/ could sliz TO realize it. ! had caught
in one of those gnarlod old fir tree
which grow out from the Simplcu rock
almost at right angles to them. My God
what q position it it was, to be surel A
fearful depth Of sharp mountain sid'
below me and the Glisshorn's precipiol
across the ravine, with the %roarinl
stream in the gully.
Well, gentlemen, / got out Of tina
hole-I don't much care TO think how
and late in the night l crawled bacl
70 Brieg, looking. as they told me, likI
q dead man. But l said nothing abou
my adventure, for though / owed Ca
terina's father something considerable
in the matter Of vengeance ! was loatl
TO do anything to n pain to Catcrini
herself. You see, / knew nov VIVA
her e~ntreaties had meant, aud ! love'
her all tho more for her tears on my be
E.Ie