Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1898-02-10

two, and he found himself dangling by
the waist over the awful space be-
meath. For a moment he heard moth
ing but the soft kissing sound of snow
sliding over snow. and felt gentle
blows as Jumps fell from the broken
edge above. Dazed and shaken by the
fall, he dreamily watched the pellets
of snow flying through the air and his
hat floating slowly downward to the
| glacier beneath him, and he wondered
IL II would be pleasant for him to float
down In that easy way. He suddenly
realized his position, when he heard
lAaufmann cry out:
"Mein Gott! Er list todt!"
Then the horror of the abyss be-
meath him seized his mind, and he
struggled to lay hold of the rope by
which he was hanging. Looking Up
he saw Miss Jeffreys lying on the edge
OF the broken cornice, helplessly fixed
in that position by his weight. which
was dragging her down with him to
the certain death which awaited them
on the ice beneath.
"Kaufmann," shrieked Pollard,
cant you pull us up? / am power
less"
''Ach, nein! Climb on de rope. l
hold de rocks an shall slip soon. My
brother ISIS far down." And he gave a
loud cry for help. which echoed in the
rocks and down the gully. Pollard
seized the rope and slowly began to
t1,,II hf,,,o 90 ;,,o nttt N
rope was small and wet and he could
not grip it with his benumbed fingers.
II can't climb up" he cried, despair
ingly to the guide. Where are the
others?'
MY brother come in four or five
minutes, but / slip before; / no stand
we'll" And once more he shouted to
his brother, who was plunging flu
riously up the slope.
Mary" suddenly called out Pollard.
dropping all social formalities in his
extreme peril, "can you pull me up?"
mo, l can't. / am held down in
the snow and can't move" she answer
ed in terrified voice. II can see Kauf-
mann slipping. 1t will be all over
before the others come
Pollard dared not look down. The
space was SO immense that it made
him dizzy. Suddenly he felt the
rope give and then stop.
Il slip soon now" gasped Kauf-
mann.
Mary" Pollard called out with a
ring of determination in his voice, lis
ten to me. When you go down tell
them it was not Kaufmann's fault. It's
an accident. I've long wanted to tell
you how love you, and to prove my
love to you. / can show you now"
Even as he spoke he began to cut
furiously at the rope above him with
his ice-axe. Already the red strand,
woven into the centre of the Alpine
rope, was showing, and the thought
flashed into his mind that it was not
the rope he was cutting, but the thread
of his own life, and that another blow
would separate him from love and
hope, and all that he held dear.
Il knew you loved me and l pitied
ycu," cried the helpless woman. cts
too late now. Why give me any mes
sages? We shall all die together. o
Robert! Robert" she sobbed in de-
spair.
Tell my mother how it happened"
answered Pollard. Tell Barton | never
hated him, although l knew he would
win you" Then raising MS voice he
called: Are they coming KaufTann%
mo; two minutes-and l slip now"
he called back.
Hold on, then" he shouted back,
bravely; and in lower voice, Good
bye, my Lowell"
Another tremor in the cord and sud
denly the strain was taken off. Kauf-
man gave a gasp of relief, while the
woman half buried in the snow Shrek
ed with terror. Cautiously the guide
made his position firm and dragged
her toward him. Then he saw that
the rope from her waist was hanging
loosely over the edge, and in a hor-
ror-stricken voice, he asked: Where
is de Herr?"
Hysterical sobs were his only an
swer, and as he drew the loose rope
toward him and saw the frayed ends,
he muttered in amazement, Colt in
Himmel! He cut de rope himself" and
he reverently raised his hat and cross
ed himself.
An Englshman and his wife always
come to Zermatt each summer, some
times only for day, but they never
leave without laying a wreath on that
grave. In the early spring, when the
first flowers have blossomed in some
sheltered nook, little bunch is al
ways on this spot; and even late in
autumn, when the snow is low upon
the mountain side, the little Kauf-
MAINS try to find tender nosegay to
place upon the grave of the good
gentleman who fell to save our faith
er."-Nickell Magazine.
Buying By Sample.