The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-11-02
Laughter and Tears.
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The car was almost due at the sum-
NIT of the Gornergrat The chill air
from the glacier fields pressed a slim
ulating finger on the pulses. The ice
of the surrounding glaciers was dull
green and deep.
The Little Traveller, wound to the
neck in a thick plaid shawl, stood
waiting with her aunt. They were
going down on the last car which made
the trip that day. They had wished
to spend the night on the top, for
Elizabeth, the captain of this brief
summer outing, had but to give the
orders and Die Tante obeyed like a
soldier
But, alas, the money was lacking.
They had added once and again the
columns in their account book, and
the result came ever the same with
the tiresome infiexibility of mathe-
matics. The two hungry sight-seers
were at last enjoying Switzerland af-
ter months of longing. But their rule
must be kept-So many marks day,
and prices at the tip-top houses have
all the rarity of the altitude where
they flourish So this pleasure must
be given up.
For once l am almost satisfied"
sighed Elizabeth. 1T would be too glori-
GUS to see sunrise here, TOO. We must
be content with our half-loaf."
The electric car came slowly creep
ing up the steel way bringing noise,
a disturbing element, a taste of mod
ern improvement into these silent
heights.
Elizabeth's green touring hat bore
a puff of feathers on quivering wire.
Each time they trembled, if you cared
for Elizabeth you must look to see if
she, too, trembled. zone look, dear
Aunt, one long look to fix this picture
in my mind. How dull the four walls
and the sewing will be after this feast
of ice and snow. Just see how clear
the air is and how near the other
peaks look. I am going to that rock
to look at the Matterhorn. There is
time to spare. The car is not UP yet,
and it waits before going down again.
Come"
The rose color of the afterglow on
snowy summit defieS the common
sense. Even the solid fields of white,
sloping down the channels between
soaring peaks, these have chilled
sorcery of their own. Imprint the
scene on our mind, Elizabeth. 1t
will always stay. 1t is, as you say,
so hauntingly beautiful and remote.
The dependence, the finiteness of
daily life is the chain by which the
spiritual delights must be confined.
And no joy is sufficient to itself, even
observation of the Gornergrat piano.
rama. The little Swiss watch, a deli
cate toy, the price of which had
shortened the pleasure trip two
weeks, the watch pinned on Eliza
beth's breast, continued ticking and
ticking, leading time captive and lead
ing Elizabeth and her aunt from the
rock with it's mighty outlook back to
the little station. The car stood
ready for the descent, with perhaps
a thirty seconds to spare.
The morning of the same day
George Werner, a young student,
had arrived at Zermatt. His face
was long by nature and now it was
long from fatigue-and what else?
Perhaps it was fatigue alone He was
always jolly in conversation, therefore
he must be always happy A smile
came quickly to his face when he met
friend. When left alone it died
quickly away. But always his inter-
est in others was there.
Young blood must flow a little fast,
er at seeing the noble view which is
the hearts desire. George had dream
ed of this hour, and now as he sat
on the ascending car, here was reali-
ty. His reddish hair blew back from
his temples, white from the confine-
ment of study.
The summer was almost past, but
near the summit there were no plants
to mark the change OF season by their
brighter coloring. The stony bed of
the new steel way was hardly ad-
iusted, and barrenness ruled under
foot.
But raise your eyes, George. There
stand the rnonarchs of Switzerland.
The eyes AUST be kept always open.