The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1900-06-07
that she would scale the Matterhorn,
set about it systematically from the be-

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 a gymnasium two or three hours
day with dumbbells and on trapeze.
She made con6dant Of DR. Kimbal
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 up 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 bor-
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 Tot 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 carriage
to Zermatt At each advance her heart
beat faster. She was approaching the
rocky autocrat of the Alps. whose sharp
peak, IA, 900 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 determina-
ton 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 glorifed
her sex by putting the top of the Mat
terhorn under her feet in 1871, and of
Felicite Carrel, the daughter Of guide,
to be sure, but girl who had scaled
the soaring crest of this redoubta BILE
Mont Cervin. If they could do it, why
not she?
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 a 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 more 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 a 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
posture 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 dark]y 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 in the morn
ing they resumed their course. Already
Miss Rodney was realizing that climb
ing dizzy Alpine height was no child
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 a 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 a glorious view.
In the afternoon the Hut was reached,
and there Miss Rodney and her adju-
tants passed the night. The conduct of
matter Of fact. In the morning the last
stage Of the ascent was to be made. The
Hut is some 1900 feet above the
SchTarzsee 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 60 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