The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-10-14

ing between the lofty SUBMITS but a
vast vat-white, smooth, binding, icy.
1t was three weeks since Ulrich had
been down at the edge of the abyss
where he gazed down upon the village.
He would go there previous to climbing
the slopes leading TO the Wildstrubel
Loeche was now also under the snow
and the houses were not discernible,
being covered by this white mantle.
Then, turning to the right, he reached
the Loemmern glacier. He moved for
ward with his mountaineer's stride,
striking with his ferruled baton the
snow that was as hard as a stone. And
he searched with his piercing eyes the
black and moving dot far away upon
this immeasurable sheet
As he approached the edge of the
glacier he stopped, celebrating wheth-
er or not the old man had really takeW
this road; then he walked along the
ravines with a quicker, a more nervous
stride.
The day was ending the snow caught
the tinted hue of the horizon. q dry,
freezing wind whistledl' brusquely over
the crystal surface of the snow. Ul-
longed appealing cry. His voice was
waited in this deathly silence far away
over the immobile and profound waves
of icy foam, like the cry of a bird
over the pillows Of the sea; then 1t was
silenced and no response was heard.
He started off again. The sun had
sunk behind the Cymes, which were
still purpled by the reflections from the
a. he.
gray and the young man was seized
with fear, 1t seemed to him that the
silence, the cold, the solitude. the hi
bernal lethality of these heights would
penetrate him, would stop and freeze
his blood, stiffen his Joints and make
Of him an icy, inert being. He began
tn run, speeding toward the inn. The
old man, he thought had returned dur
ing his absence. had taken a different
path and would mostly likely be seat
ed before the fire with a dead chamois
at his feet
Presently he caught sight of the inn.
Ulrich hurried forward and opened the
door. Sam leaped toward him. but
Gaspard Hari had not returned
Dazed, Kunsi looked around the room
as though he expected to find his COM
panion hidden in a corner. Then he
reignited the fire and made the SOUP
| hoping to see the old man enter at
| any moment.
From time to time he stepped out to
see if Hari were coming. The night
was here. the pallid night of the noun
| tains the pale night, the livid night,
| with the last fine, yellow streak, ready
to disappear behind the SUBMITS at the
| extremity of. the horizon.
Then the young man stepped back,
| sat down, warmed his feet and hands,
conjuring up, the while all manner of
| accidents.
| Gaspard might have broken a leg,
| fallen into a hole or made a misstep
| and dislocated his ankle He might be
| lying at full length in the snow, stiff
| ened, benumbed with cold, in terrible
distress. lost, crying, perhaps for help,
| crying at the top of his voice in the
| silent night.
But where? The mountain was so
vast,so craggy,so perilous in that vicin-
| ity. especially in this season that it.
| would require ten or twenty guides to
| search continuously for eight days to
| find man in this immensity
| Vlrich Kunsi, nevertheless, resolved
to start out with Sam if Gaspard Hari
did not return by ~ or 1 o'clock.
He made his preparations.
He put two days food in a bag,
buckled on a pair of climbing irons.
rolled long, thin, strong cord around
| his waist, examined carefully his fer
| ruled alpenstock and the hatchet which
was used to hew foOtholds in the ice.
Then he waited. The wood cracked
in the fireplace, the big dog snored in
the light of the flames; the clock, with
the regularity of heart beats, licked in
its case of sonOrous wood
He waited, listening intently, shiver-
ing whenever the light wind grazed the
roof and the walls.
He was startled when it struck mid
night. Then shivering and chilled, hc
placed got of water over the fire in
order to have a cup of hot coffee be.
fore starting out.
AS the clock struck one he arose
reused Sam, opened the door and start.
ed in the direction of the Wildstrubel
For five hours he scaled the rocks by
the means of the climbers, cutting foot.
holds in the ice, making headway con.
stantly although at times out of breath
clinging to the end of his rope, whilJ
his dog remained at the bottom of ar
incline too steep to ascend. 1t was
about o'clock when he reached one OF
the SUBMITS where Old Gaspard fire.
quently came in search of chamois.
| He waited for the break of day.
The sky began to whiten above hi.
head Suddenly, from some invisible
point, strange light illuminated
| brusquely the vast ocean extending fol
one hundred leagues in every direction
of pale Cymes. One would have sait
that this vague light emanated from
the snow itself and suffused the spac,
between earth and heaven. Little by
little the highest SUBMITS in the dis
tance became tinted with a rosy flesh
colored hue, and the red sun appeared
from the rear of the ponderOus Ber.
nese Alps.
| Ulrich Kunsi started off again. Ht
moved forward like a hunter. bent
watching for footprints and other signs
saying to the dog; Look for him, sam
look for him!"
| He again descended the mountain
looking long and keenly into every
cavern and at times shouting a loud
| prolonged tone which quickly dieC
away in the dumb immensity Ther
he placed his ear to the ground. Think
ing he heard a voice, he hurried for,
ward, shouting anew, but hearing
nothing he sat down, exhausted, in de
spair, Toward noon he ate a luncheon
throwing some food to Sam, who wa'
also tired out Then he continued thO
search,
As night came on he was still walk
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