The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-10

Thank Heaven you are mott he ex-
claimed. fervently. You are not one of
those women who make hideous their
womanhood by attempting what they are
not lifted for. Fancy you emulating that
creature Miss Grimm is always throwing
in my face-Olga Braun But ! was just
going to ask you question he went
on, after a short pause. You know
| Switzerland so well, and you seem to me
to be always watching people in your
quiet way. What do you think is the
first qualification of a mountaineer?'
THE first" she said, and there was a
wistful note in her voice that made its
| music almost painfully sweet; the first
l think, is to love the mountains. not to
! look on them as enemies to be conquered
but friends to be won; not only TO think
of the honor and glory of a difficult
ascent. of new path discovered, OF a
| record made; to ind the vast solitudes OF
ice and snow not lonely but peopled with
| beautiful dreams and thoughts that help
| There are so many qualifications, but ii
seems to me that is the first and greatest
to have the love of the mountains IN
| your heart
Valance did not answer at once How
was IL that she understood that, this
| quiet little girl? How was it that she
could put into words the vague things
that stirred within him, formless, imma-
ture?
Before he found words she was gone
with a hurried Goodnight"
IT VAS dark still when he stood on the
veranda in the early hours Of the next
morning, waiting for his guides.
At the light sound of footstep he
turned, and met the brown-haired girl
as she came out of the hall.
Il am u bad sleeper, and very early
riser" she said, in answer to his aston
ished greeting.
Have 1 your good wishes?" he asked
Yes, indeed she said. with a smile
y wish you auckland a safe return"
Before his guides turned the corner of
the street by the little church, she had
But she watched him from her window
as he STROBE off between his two stalwart
guides. not very stalwart himself, but
well-knit. with his refined artista face
in strange contrast to his rough clothes
and heavily nailed boots. Then she smil-
ed in her glass.
you are very foolish" she told herself.
You have never striven after so unwor-
thy an obiect-tO give a man a lesson,
y sigh battled with and mastered the
smile as she turned away.
Valance acquitted himself well during
| the first part Of the ascent. As has been
| said, he was not much of mountaineer,
! but he was level-headed and cautious,
and he Obeyed his guides in everything.
The passage of the glacier was made
with safety and celebrity. and then came a
short but ardunus bit of rock climbing,
which landed them on a narrow ridge,
OVerhanging PERCEPTIONS incline where
the track they had followed was Joined
by another the starting point of which
was about a mile beyond the village.
/ Here they made their first halt, and, as
tneE STOOD, ItSnlng against a huge rock.
/ Valance espied a solitary figure climbing
/ up the second track He looked more in
I tently, and saw that it was a women, and
that she sprang up the ice-glazed rocks
| like a channels
| At the same moment the guides caught
sight Of her and they raised their hats
almost as if they saw "A vision.
The Frauleln," one Of them muttered.
! 'Du leber Himmel. the Frauleini"
You know herr" Valance asked
Know her? 1t is the great Fraulein
| Olga Braun" the man answered, proud
| ~. The two men worshiped the ia
| nous mountaineer; they had been with
| her on that far-tamed ascent of hunchin-
! iinga which had won for her her MEM
! bership Of every Alpine club.
] Valance fixed his glasses on the wom-
ans figure, curious to see the much-dis-
cussed and by him cordially diapproved
| ana gave vent to a sharp exclamation. 1t
| was the brown-haired girl from the In
| ternational, his quiet, gentle ideal of
| "omahhood! She and the mountaineer
/ We're one ana the same person He could
! scarcely grasp the ovcrpowering revela-
! ton; 1t came upon him like a thunder
/ boIt that the two personalities should be
| ldehtlcal- lie wondered vaguely whether
| lesson.
lie leaned forward, his brain in a whirl,
the glasses close to his eyes.
Achtungi cried one of the guides.
Don't do that, mein Herr
But 1t was too late. The glassed had
| slipped from Vallance's hands. and, as
| he stopped to save them. his foot slipped
| on rock coated with thin ice. He lost
| his balance and fell over the side OF the
| preclpice; and at the same time the rope
/ broke between him and the foremost
/ guide.
He fell like a stone the length of the
| rope between him and the second guide,
! VINO braced himself, with feet planted
hrm and arms clinging to the rock. TO
| stand the strain. a seconds GREATNESS
suspense, and then a cry of horror from
both the guides-the rope had parted