Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-07-25
CHAPTER. n
TnE.AscENT OF THE ROCKY AurocRAT OR
THE AIpa

thh'AsShSr oF THE ROCKY AUTOCRAT OF
| THE ALPS.
Miss Florence Rodney, having made
ZIP her mind as strongly as she could
| that she would scale the MatterhorD,
set about it Systematically from the be-
ginning. Her feeling that she could do
it was based on the fact that two or
three women had done it, She was in
perfect physical condition, her heart,
lungs, legs and arms all that healthy
woman could desire, and she was not
affected with vertigo from heights
First, she bound her uncle TO secrecy
about the matter. A Nassar woman
professor was going to chaperon three
or four girls on European trip, and
Miss Rodney arranged to go with them.
She took long walks, used to go to
some of the towering buildings in New
York and walk mp the wearisome flights
of stairs to the very top and practiced
in gymnasium two or three hours
day with dumbbells and ON trapeze.
She made confidant of DIR. Kimball,
who, after one professional duty protest
against it, entered into the idea enough
to give her the full benefit of his ex-
perience and advice. He suggested
what guides she had best secure, which
way to take mp the lordly peak. where
to stay and how much things would
cost her Uncle Josiah gave her about
the amount that he argued she would
spend at home, and Miss Rodney Dor
rowed some more from two or three
friends.
When Miss Rodney got to Paris, she
parted from the Vassar professor and
party under the pretext that she had
to meet friend in Switzerland. The
friend was the Matterhorn, but this
Miss Rodney did not explain to her old
teacher.
The young girl soon after found her.
self at Montreux. From there she went
to Visp and remained that night. The
next day she took mule and rode to
st. Niklaus and from there in a carriage
to Zermatt. At each advance her heart
beat faster. She was approaching the
rocky autocrat of the Alps, whose sharp
peak, $4,000 feet in the air, seemed to
await the coming of the adventurous
girl with silent disdain Sometimes her
heart misgave her. Then she had to fall
back on such revivers of her determine
tion as the thought of what Uncle
Josiah's perennial scorn and delight In
her discontinue would be if she failed.
She also fortified herself with the recol-
lection of Miss Brevoort, New York
woman, like herself, who had glorified
her sex by putting the top of the Mat
terhorn under her feet in 1871. and Of
Felicite Carrel, the daughter of a guide,
to be sure, but u girl who had scaled
the soaring crest of this redoubtable
Mont Cervin. If they could do it, why
not she2
Miss Rodney staid at the Hotel Mont
Cervin in Zermatt She secured the
services of the two most celebrated and
experienced guides for the attempt she
could get, paying them 100 francs for
the ascent. Some delay was necessary
waiting for weather that would be as
propitious as possible When such day
came and the guides announced their
readiness to start. Miss Rodney, al
though not professedly religious girl,
fell on her knees in her room and
prayed with simple earnestness that the
Lord who made the mountain would
help her to scale it, Then with rapid
ly beating heart she started on her at
tempt to get one mere petticoat victory
Of the Matterhorn. Her rosy cheeks
were slightly blanched, but the color Of
her will was not.
The party struck up the mountain to
the right of the Corner glacier. Before
long they reached wild and rocky Alp,
from which heathery upland sprang the
triangular peak of the mighty Matter
horn Off at the east was Monte Rosa.
Miss Rodney was regaining her COM
posure and her nerve. Her love of ma
ture reveled in the beautiful sublimity
of this mountain tossed region.
When they reached the Schwarzsee,
the lonely little lake sleeping darby in
its mountain bowl 5000 feet above
the sea, with the rough stone chapel
beside it, her eyes again rested on the
heaven piercing peak which had for her
thrilling fascination. The night was
passed in this spot At 8 in the morn
ing they resumed their course. Already
Miss Rodney was realizing that climb
ing dizzy Alpine height was no child's
play. She thought Of the gray haired
lady with reverence and she also re-
called again Felicite Carrel, the noun
tain girl, and her own townswoman,
Miss Brevoort There was ever slim
illus in the thought of these The whole
extent of the Corner glacier stretched
before her eye, whose vision extended
to the Gina di JAZZ toward the east. It
was glorious view.
In the afternoon the Hut was reached,
and there Miss Rodney and her adju-
tants passed the night. The conduct Of
the guides was perfectly correct and
matter Of fact. In the morning the last
stage of the ascent was to be made. The
Hut is some 1000 feet above the
Schwarzsee chapel. and from six to
eight hours are necessary to pass from
this point to the summit.
When Miss Rodney felt the rope tied
about her which bound her to the lusty
guides, there was something Of the
feeling in her soul that one may expert
ence as the halter is adjusted to his
neck. But the die was cast. Go up she |
would if go up she could.
There is no need to dilate on the
hardship, the terrors the dangers Of
that final stage. As one after the other
was surmounted her spirits rose The
guides were encouraging and some
times complimentary, but Miss Rodney
felt that those who had climbed the
Matterhorn had not told the tale too
wildly.
Toward the very top the last steps
are comparatively easy. and it was
with the strangest, most complex thrill
of her life that Florence Rodney stood |
at last. n conqueror, on the absolute,
gaunt, icy and rime rifted top of the
Matterhorn. She sat down and burst
into fit Of hysterical laughter. 1t was
done! No matter what Josiah Gardner
might do, there was satisfaction in
her achievement that in itself repaid
her.
Never had she experienced such an
hi,