Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-11-03
On Mountain Heights.


Everything glittered in the early morn
ing light-the distant Alpine peaks, the
sparkling roofs Of the chalets, the dews
on the mountain grass.
Tie air was clear, the sky blue, the
snow brilliant. As one breathed a sense
if freshness, of purity and of life thrilled
through ones whole being and tingled to
the finger tips.
On the height Of Dent Jaune a gun
aopaded. signal enthusiastically echoed
in the villages below. Dent Jaune is
rarely attempted The ascent is most
perilous The fraying. deceitful rock
crumbles under the climbers feet and
breaks away from his bleeding fingers.
1t has only been scaled four times within
record But Saxon Harvard had now
done il, succeeding in the first effort that
had been made this season. The eyes of
those who were early astir were centered
upon the stern and jagged summit where
the hero and his two guides now Stood
visible only, however. to those below
through a powerful glass.
High up in the heavens the early sun
lit the tips of the bare rock. Not even a
patch of yellow lichen nor spot of moss
could live on the barren cragS. but their
feldspar formation impaired to them
marvellous briliiancc. and their detrltus
and gravel shimmered and glittered as
though they had been sprinkled with the
dust of diamonds. \ sense of gayety
ard pride, the satisfaction that accom-
panics Il great success. possessed the
youthful climber. He looked around at
the infiuite wealth Of view, at the innu-
merablc peaks white with eternal snow,
at the thousand submits of Switzerland,
which appeared to arise out of 4 sea of
cloud, flushing in their awakening and
gloriied by the first shafts of morning.
Since Saxon Harvard left school climb
ing had been his sport. He had scaled
the .Iungfrau. the Matterhorn. Mont
Blanc and Il dozen others of less renown.
but this ascent of the Dent Jaune gave
him a keener pleasure. The feat was
rarer one, the risk Of life was greater,
and, though the peak was not of great
height, its ascent was most difficult.
Then ne had luck in the weather. He
had never seen the world before under
the influence of such Il glamour.
Below all was yet lost and din: the
lower world was i'll mist and drapery of
cloud. but as he looked this planet earth
seemed gradually to become born into
being under his eyes. The clouds melt
ed. Day. moment by moment. stole low
er down the heights. The mountain
peaks, snow clad, appeared to grow up
out of the gloom and mystery of the
neither world. The cathedral emerged
in silent majesty out of a disappearing
cloud. Dent Noire doomed like gaunt
specter in the dawn. The Dent du
Midi, crisp and white. stood out in the
blue. Above him. beyond, afar, the null
peaks of snow white noun
tains: Immediately about him the naked
rocks with their marvellous morning
hues and everywhere the scintillation
and glitter of the feldspar. Every cloud
now vanished. The visible earth was
green in the valley; the hundred chalets
of the villages. the winding roads, the
somber gorge. the cascades foaming from
the mountain sides and falling by many
a cataract into the yet lingering gloom
in the valley. where the main torrent
pursued IT'S turbulent course. became con-
tinuaily more and more distinct-a vast
spread beneath his vision.
From BonaveauX a party was ascend
is,s to meet him. He discerned them
ascending like little stream OF ants.
Taking his ak, he Clipped upon smooth
surface of the summit one name-Eya.
Then he descended.
Some of his relatives then visiting
Switzerland. his father, his sisters, legit-
imately proud of his feat, We're labori-
ously climbing the zigzag mountain path
above Bonaveaux. With them were
porters carrying luncheon baskets and
some people from his hotel-people whom
he had never seen before and never de-
sired to see again. They had organized
a picnic in his honor. He was to be
lionized.
As modest as he was plucky. nothing |
could be more disagreeabie TO him than
TO be feted. He decided to avoid this |
party who had organized mountain
breakfast in his honor. and. instructing |
his two guides to continue their descent, |
be struck path which led him little |
way up again toward the glacier.
Skipping along as nimbly as chamols, |
be traversed a narrow path until he ap- |
preached the Caverne Verte.
From its depths reverberated a song. |
The voice was unmistakable. 1t was |
Eva's. Rounding the crag which formed |
one of the sides of the cavern, he saw her
as she sang. Size was alone. as she |
thought, in the stiffness.
Eva, always beautiful, was yet more |
lovely when she sang. Then her whole
soul was made visible upon her face. |
Her eyes put on the splendor of genius. |
her complexion became transparent, and |
her spirit was made luminous upon her. |
SIZE looked like nymph of the noun
tains in that green and lofty solitude. |
He was awed by this apparition of beau
ty. Should he speak or pass?
He listened. The melody ceased, and |
Le entered the cavern, each 10 welcome
the other with Juvenile shout of joy.
They talked at once and together in the
glory of the morning. of the attitudes, of
all that was high and noble and exalted,
Of the aspirations OF life, of it's opportuni-
tics for duty. She. Of his heroism, of no.
bility. of bravery nnd of the grandeur of
a courageous life; he, of her beauty, of |
the loveliness of art and of the sweetness
of song, of the uninterrupted heights in
the domain Of thought. of ambitions that
enter only the dreamland of youth.
Eva fixed upon him her great, ardent