Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-01-29
To her always e profound spectacle of
mountain nasnifcencc, it seemed to day al


granite. approaching cacl other so closely ut
their towering SUBMITS that trees growing
in opposite clcfts of tho rocks intcrmingled
their branches and pointed the soaring
Gothic arch of a stupendous gateway She
raised her eyes with quickly beating heart.
She knew that the ntcrlacing trees above
her were as large rs those she had just quit
ted She Lncw also that the point where they
met was only half way up the cliff, for slo
hal once gaZcd down upon them. dwindlcd
to shrubs from the airy summit she knew
that their shaken cones fell thousand feet
rerpcnlcuIary, or bounded like shot from
the Scared walls they boWbardcd She re-
membered that one of these pines, dislodged
from its high foundations had once dropped
like II portcullis in the archway, blocking the
pass, and was only carried aitcrward 10y as
snult of steel and fire. BENDING her head
mechanically, size ran swiftly through tho
shadowy passage, and halted only ut the be-
ginning of the ascent on the other side
II was here that the actual position Of the
plateau, 81 indefinite of approach. began to
he realized 1t now appeared an independent
elevation. surrounded on three sides by
gorgos and water courses. so narrow ms to bc
overlooked from the principal mountain
range. with which it was connected 10y long
canyon that led To the ridge At tho outlct
of this canyon-in bygone ages n mighty
river-it had the appearance of having been
slowly raised by the diuvium of that river,
and the dcbre washed down from aboyc--a
suggestion repeated in miniature 10y the arti-
fcid plateaus of eXcavatcd soil raised before
the mouth of mining tunnels in the lower
tanks Of the mountain. 1t was the real2a-
ton of n act-often forgotten by the dwell
ers in Eagles Couri-that the valley below
them, which was their connecting link with
the surrounding world, was only reached by
ascending the mountain, and the nearest road
was over the higher mountain ridge Never
before had that impressed itself 80 strongly
upon the young girl II, when she turned that
morning to look upon the plateau below her
| II seemed to illustrate the conviction that
/ had been slowly shaping itself out of her re
! Elections on the conversation of that morning
| 1t wa, possible that the perfect understanding
| of higher life was only reached from q
height still greater, and that to those half
way up the moIrSlin the summit was never
ns truthfuly revealed as to the humber
jewellers in the valley.
] do not know that these profound truths
prevented her from gathering some quaint
| ferns and berries. or from keeping her calm
gray eyes open TO certain practical changes
that were taking place around her. She had
t,... IL
phcrc that seemed to prevent tie passage Of
the suns RAYS, vet without diminishing the
transparent quality Of the air. The distant
snow peaks were as plainly seen, though they
appeared rs if in moonlight. This seemed
due to no cloud or mist, bat rather to a fad
ing of the sun itself the occasional furry
of wings overhead. the whiring Of larger
birds in the cover, and n frequent lrstlng in
the undergroWth as of the Passage # some
stcalthy animal, began equally To attract her
! attention. II was 50 different from the ha-
bitual silence OF these sc.late solitudcS. Kate
had no vague fear Of wild beasts: she had
been long enough IA mouutainecr to under
stand the general immunity enjoyed by tbs
unnolesting wayf1rer, and kept her way I'M
di-maycd She was descending an abrupt
trail when she was stopped by a sudden crasl
in the bushes. 1t seemed to come from tho
opposite incline. directly in line with her
and apparently on the very trail that she
was pursuing The crash was then repeated
again and again lower down, rs Of n descend
Ing body. Expecting the appari;ion of some
fallen tree, or detached how hlcr buratn.