The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-02-14
AN ALPINE YARN.


man found myself in the Rhone valley,
in Switzerland. wasn't at all a prac.
teal sort Of youth, like you fellows, and
I'm bound to say was just idling about
there, staring at mountains, finding out
the places famous in history, sketching
and all the rest of it, but l enjoyed my
self uncommonly in my own way, and
so one evening / got to Brieg, which
you may or may not know is an old
town ON the Swiss side of the celebrated
Simplon pass leading into Italy.
was good deal too late to clash
with many British tourists The fact is
it 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, might
easily do it, spending one night at the
hospice on the way.
The hotel proprietor who told mo 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. "
l laughed at this. / flattered myself
that my revolver and | 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 n
blue sky and thin mist which did not
hide either the snow or the high Alps
of Brieg toward the mountains, feeling
as one does feel in youth on the eve of
"a 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 good looking Italian accost-
ed me. was in the humor to be socia-
BILE and readily accepted his offer to rest
a moment or two in his chalet, which
was close by.
1t was here that / 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 l very soon
saw that she felt an interest in me, and
the realization quickened my pulse, /
can tell you.
Well, rested longer than intended
and was mighty vexed to have to stir at
last.
"If might hope to call again when
return, said as l held the girl S
hand for moment in mine
Her face satisfied me she was inter
ested in me- and yet when her father,
with a cheerful sort of grin, said that
he meant to accompany me for mile
on 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, F"
| say, but it was deal more than that
She began to cry, in fact, so that 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 he
didn't appreciate that domestic scene,
and 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
beaming upon me. There was 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 IL, ,00C
feet above the Saltined stream, which
brawls from the high Alps at the bot
tom of this fearful ravine. We were
on the old road, just mule track
scratched in the side Of the perpendicu
lar rocks only four or five feet wide anC
with this alarming precipice to tn,
right
One of us had to precede the other
and it was l who took the lead.
was still thinking more of the pret
ty girl than the scenery when l felt {
cruel blow on the back of my head. /
laid me down in an instant more THAI
half unconscious. was robbed-watch
purse, passport and all except the re
volver, which ] carried on the hip
Then the wretch tilted me over tn
rock, and it seemed to me l was dead.
But of course | wasn't dead, thougl
| it was well on in the afternoon befor
| could stir to realize it. l had caugh
in ono of those gnarled old fir tree
which grow out from the Simplon rock
almost at right angles to them. My God
what position it it was, to be surel
fearful depth of sharp mountain sid
below me and the Glisshorn's s preoipic
across the ravine, with the roarin
stream in the gully.
Well, gentlemen, l got out Of tina
hole-I don't much care to think hoy
and late in the night | crawled bac
to Brieg, looking, as they told me, lik
a dead man. But | said nothing abou
my adventure, for though | owed ca
terina's father something considerabl
in the matter of vengeance / was Loaf
to do anything to cause pain to Caterin
herself. You see, l knew now whl
her entreaties had meant, and l love
her all the more for her tears ON my b,
half.
The next day. bruised and aching {
l was. / returned to Sion. had pla
in my head.
staid at Sion fortnight until Wi
fairly fit again. Then | returned
Brieg disguised out of all relation
the other fellow who was supposed to
rotting in the icy cleft through whie
the Saltine runs to the Rhone.
Another thing. had got from Gen
va pair of excellent handouts. Yc
can guess for whom.
This time l spent the night in di
= ferent hotel | did not care to run Il
slight risk of being detected in my di
guise. 1t might have been awkwar
Won see