Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-10-08
CHAPTER xxIII.-(Continued.)

CHAPTER XXIII.-lContinued.)l
The day dawned upon the plateau; ,
lev. struggling rays Of the Sun i.lnminat
"a the great glacier shove and turned IT
lead gray SNOW and Ice into 4 pure, warn
white, while the mists rolled away from
the high mountains keeping watch above
and below on the smaller glacier, and n
the edge Of . yawning c~revasse, lay tn.
body OF Philip Smerdon.
Two guides, proceeding over the pas
10 meet q party Of mountain climbers
reached the plateau at dawn, and sitting
20wn upon the stone to eat q piece Of
sread and take q draught Of cold coffee
saw his knapsack lying beside it.
What does It mean?" the one said K
the other.
1T ear DEATH" his companion re
piled. the railing il broken! Some one
AAs fallen"
Slowly and carefully, and each holding
% q OF the upright posts, they peered
over and down on the glacier, and there
they saw what wal lying below.
A whispered word suficed, q direction
given By q to the other, and these
hardy mountaineers were descending the
:snoraine, digging their sticks deeply into
the stones, and gradually working theil
way skillfully to the glacier.
is he dead, Carl?" the one asked Of
1is friend. who stopped over the prostrate
afor mand felt Of his heart.
"No; he lives. How has he ever fallen
here without instant death? But he must
Ale! See, his bones are all broken!' and
- he spoke he lifted Smerdon's arm and
touched one OF his legs.
Whist shall we do with him p the other
asked.
I'VE must remove him. Even though
he die on the road, it IL better than ia
leave him here. Let us take him to the
house Of Father Neumann. It IL but to
the foot Of the glacier"
Very gently these men lifted him in
their arms. though not so gently but that
they wrung q sroan Of agony from him
- they did 20, and bore him down the
glacier to where It entered the valley: and
then, having handed him to the priest,
who lived In what wal little better than
z hut, they left him.
Late that afternoon the dying man open.
ID his eyes, and looked around the room In
which he lay.
At his bedside he saw q table with q
eross laid upon it, and at the window OF
the room an aged priest sat reading a
sBreviary.
where am IT. he asked In English.
The priest rose and came to the bed,
and then spoke to him In German.
MY son." he said, what want Of yours
:an I supplyY'
TELL me where I am" Smerdon an.
swered In the same language, land how
Tong ! have to i've"
You are in my house, the house OF the
rE-e OF Sastrats. For the span Of you,
Vie none can answer but God. But, my
con, ! should do III II I did not tell you
that your hours are numbered. The doc
tor from St. Christoph has seen YOU"
Give me paper and Ink
my son, you annot write, and"
Il will WRITE" Smerdon said family,
even though | die In the attempt"
The Cure felt his right arm, which was
aot broken like the other, and then he
brought him paper and ink, and holdine
the former up on his Breviary before the
lying man, he put the pen in his hand.
And slowly and painfully, and with eyes
that occasionally closed, Smerdon wrote.
II am dying at the house Of the Cure OF
9astratx, rear the Schwarxweiss Pass;
from Z tall. Tell Gervase that I alone
murdered Walter Cundall. II he will
some to me- and l am still alive, l will
tell him all. PHILIP SMERDON."
Then he put the letter in an envelope
and addressed 1t to Ida Raughton. And
ere he once more lapsed into unconscious
ness, he asked the priest to write another
Cor him to his mother, and to address it to
IN hotel 1T Zurich.
They will be sent at once?" he asked
xaintly.
Surely, my son."