The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1906-12-01
:ASeriousTrespass:
[Original.1


keep straight on till you come to
the coast. Farther on you will pass
through defile with towering cliffs on
either side. Do not on any account as
cend the rocks on the right, for up
there Is Livallia, the summer palace or
the car"
The words were spoken to Frank
Huxford Of Chicago, globe trotter,
mountain climber, grain operator. club
man. horse jockey, anything, every
thing that versatile American Is ca
pable of taking up. though how he
managed to crafty SO many tastes in
one lifetime no one could find out. He
had asked the way of man who had
answered In the Russian tongue, but
Huxford understood never a word, so
he proceeded In the direction the man
pointed, trusting to luck to find his
way. He soon struck dense wood.
from which he emerged In the defile
mentioned by the man Of whom he had
inquired. On either side were cliffs,
and his climbing instinct led him to
attack an almost perpendicular ascent
on his right 1t looked plain enough
from below. but on the route he was
In the midst of dense scrubby trees
and could neither see nor be seen by
any one.
He emerged at last on plateau,
where he stood wiping the perspiration
from his face and enjoying the view.
Presently he lowered his eyes, and at
the foot of the cliff where section of
the road was visible he saw soldier
leaning lazily on his gun. On another
exposed section he saw several senti-
nels posted at short distances from one
another.
Walking inward from the edge of
the cliff, he came to finely finished
road and in another moment heard the
patter Of pony's feet on the hard
surface. and a phaeton containing a
Young woman and two little girls came
round point of rocks. The lady was
driving and. seeing Huxford, refined
In the pony and asked him some
thing in Russian which he did not
understand He took of his hat and
made a bow in true American fashion
and replied In English. for. his jaws
not having been fashioned In Infancy
to utter bone cracking sounds. he had
| not learned the Russian language. The
young woman burst into a laugh and
said in English. with British accent:
81 asked you whether you have seen
the Count Ehminoff go by here"
II have seen no one go by here. l
have Just climbed up from below"
The laly's face grew grave. DO you
mean," she said. that you have en-
tered here except by the gatewayw
81 came from the road down there"
The lady paled. But how did you
pass the guardT'
THAT accounts for a chain Of SOL
diers / saw below. l didn't know
there was guard"
"Great heavens! You are In the
car grounds. How reckless my
countrymen are"
'T'm not your countryman unless you
are an American"
Americans are just as foolish as
our Englishmen. Do you know that
you are in a frightful position?"
"Oh, I've climbed the Matterhorn'
This is nothing. Do you suppose
can't get down where have come
upg
'You passed the guard by one chance
In a hundred. You can't expect p win
that chance again"
| xx-;II onclcorixa fo Mic vaofocfu FOR
trespassing"
you will not see, his majesty. You
will be arrested and treated as would
be assassin"
Both paused in the conversation, and
both did great deal of thinking in Q
very short space of time. at the end OF
which the lady said:
"Get in here quick"
The children were on the back seat
and Huxford got up in front beside the
lady. He had scarcely done so when
there was clatter Of horses hoofs
coming, and a gentleman on horse
back, followed by a groom. met them
Both he and the lady drew rein.
"Ah, count she said in Russian, 81
feared we had lost you. The childreI
would have been greatly disappoint
ed"
II would join you. but see you are
full" replied the count, looking inquir
ingly at Huxford
This is my cousin, just from Eng
land, the Hon. Hubert Granger" Their
in English she introduced Huxford t.
the count.
What further she said was in Rus
sian, and Huxford did not know wha
1t was till he saw the count dismoun
and by pantomime offer him his horse
The lady told Huxford that she hat
expressed his wish to visit the oppo
site cliffs. and the count had Offered
his horse, with his groom to point thu
way. Huxford, having aIighted. made
an American bow to the count, {
French bow that he had learned IL
Paris to the lady and mounted thu
| ro,xo<so cfoo6 Thor, ba vipo nodo fxvt