The Portland daily press., 1897-09-04

oAo OuIueu 0DdL6S.g srs +.
Remember the name DOAN'S and take
no substitute. sA
further side. When tired, we walked,
gathering wild flowers of wondrous
beauty and new forms. Soon we saw the
scattered dwellings Of the valley-the
lower glacier near, and distant the upper
one, which we had resolved we must ex-
plore. We found it quite an art to choose
Alpen- stocks, when it was necessary, as
IN our case, to unite beauty with
strength, for ours were not..only to climb
the Mettenberg, but to cross the ocean.
We prodded the steel point into the floor,
and swung ourselves this way and that,
till we found those that bore our weight
without too much yielding; then with
skirts pinned up securely, jackets strapped
across our shoulders, rubbers instead of
nail-studded shoes, we started upon our
long and somewhat perilous tramp. Like
many difficult undertakings, the begin
ming was easy and in little more than an
hour we had assembled far above the rest
OF our party. Distant mountains covered
with their white mantle with masses of
Ice and snow piled at their bases seemed
but few rods from us, while beneath
our feet and all about us, vera wild flow
ers the entire way to the Bareggi Hut
The Mettenberg over which we walk ed
was clothed with wild scabiosa- large
spikes Of white and yellow bells-pink
of exquisite blue hairbells covered every
rock, and in o shaded nook we found for
get-me-nots. The sweetness of our bread
and cheese, the GOODNESS OF that water
which we drank from our hands, kneel-
ing by the spring that trickled down the
rocks, we need not dwell upon, for those
who have had like experience can easily
IL 49, Lx.4 10
still before ,them, description gives but
faint idea. Still further on, our path
was by the edge of an awful precipice,
high peaks surrounded us, whose sum-
mits were lost in the clouds, and below,
the valley was hidden by mists and vapor,
while the sun shone bright above our
heads. "Now ready for the glacier was.
the command, after luncheon and rest.
The way at first was over g reat boulders,
and rocky paths, till finally we walked
upon the ice-felds covered with stony de-
bris above. YEARLY we crept along when
suddenly we turned a sharp crag, and be-
fore us glistening in the sunlight was the
great Mer de glace, snow-white mingled
with dazzling blue. The sight restored
our tagging energies and there mid snow
and ice our clarion voices rang Excel
sior.' "Harkl here's an avalanche"
was said simultaneously as a Humorous
sound echoed and reechoed across the
mountains, followed by another and yet
another. Then down fell ice and SLOW
piling in feecy masses before our eyes,
and over and over on that memorable day
did we hear that tremendous boom. The
danger of walking over those CLASSY
since the foundation of the world was
now clearly manifest. Huge crevasses
CAPPED on both sides, 900 feet in depth
going down, down, farther than the eye
could see and revealing mighty walls of
INDISPENSABLE blue. We planted our
Alpen-stocks firmly in the ice, and swung
ourselves across chasms where one slip
meant-Eternity We stood on narrow
ice-paths looking into yawning CULTS,
feeling then and not till then, that we
had some comprehension of the Alps, and
of their silent awful loneliness. Surely
ION the heights the 1ittleness of our life
plane is most keenly felt, and every
yearning after good becomes intensified.
With many lingering looks, we turned
to leave, for the clouds growing heavier
as we descended, were condenslng into
mist, that any moment might mean rain.
W. was in advance when a startled
scream made her run Back, fearing some
catastrophe, although the cry seemed one
of pleased surprise; motionless stood a
| member of the party with most beatific
expression of countenance, while both
hands adoringly clasped small white,
centre with pale golden French-knots. W.
sank down in utter collapse, Instantly
| realizing that she had not two moments
before missed the opportunity of her life,
and left to be gathered by another the
! only reward an Alpine climber Graves
an "Edelweiss. - "There! there! way
up there are two more, !" the excited
young woman screamed, pointing to a
| rock on which could family be discerned
two pale gray leaves with many cleft
snowy flower in the middle. That rock,
| W. would testify in any court, rose
directly from the edge of the road and
was seemingly suspended over precipice,
and on the straight shining sides of that
boulder there was no apparent foothold
"Climb up, climb up almost shrieked
| the Irresponsible discoverer.6 s'Is thy
servant a channels that she can, do this
thing?" we asked bitterly, but Before the
traces of disappointment and envy had
been wiped away, by dint of using tooth
and nail, the ascent was made, and two
more treasures secured. The Swiss say
there's no way up without one down ;
but mounted on that dizzy height, fall
was destruction and for minute the
situation seemed serious but the Pro
fessor was equal to even greater emergen
cies, and with his timely help all diff
culties vanished With Alpenstocks
wreathed with flowers. triumphantly
bearing the Edelweiss badge, the insignia
of an Alpine climber, we marched to
Grindelwald, and back by carriage to In
terlaken, which we reached at ten that
evening.
| A succession Of sunny days made us &C.
cept most unwillingly a rainy afternoon
at Lucerne, but after Grindelwald and
the Mettenberg, Interlaken and the
Jungfrau. Luoerne's attractions were
diminished, save for its immortal Lion
which far exceeded, in noble proportions
our exnectation Ol1r view of the Rig