The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1907-10-03
CHAPTER Z.
The Traqedy.

w lCCt lOuCutu Tue naINOW ACA6Gs
J was safe. But Willoughby? Brave
NVilloughby7
tried to call to him. No sound
c'lme from my lips. was too ex-
hausted. The last atom of strength
was spent. For the moment l was
paralyzed-body and mind. l could
only lean helpless against the noun
tainside. gasping for breath. And al
most Immediately Willoughby's voice
came. quite cheerfully, quite steadily:
"All right? Bully for you. Look
out, here's the rope. Now IL l have
decent luck. Be ready to bear a hand"
Again tried to cry out, to warn him.
II he would wait five minutes, three
minutes, one minute, might be my
self again. Still no sound came from
my frozen lips.
The rope fiuttered over the over
hang. IL struck the icy ledge of the
jutting rock to which l chung. Then
slowly II fell over until 1t swayed
loosely in the wind. still suspended
from my body.
did not attempt to draw II in.
was too exhausted for an exsrtion so
slight as that. II swayed gently to
and fro. and it seemed to me that
presently an unseen force would grasp
II and pull me headlong to destruction
TO the glacier below. In the mean
while Willoughby was started
Now ! dared not cry out. / could
only look up and wait, still struggling
tiercely for my breath. But II l had
been too exhausted to warn HIM, to I'M
tasten that rope from my waist, how
was l TO give him the assistance he
would surely need presently?
A stone fell, ard then another, as he
fought for a foothold. 1 could hear
him breathing deeply, though as yet 1
could not see him. / stood riItd, look
ing upward, a prey to such ears, to
such terrors as no man can in agine.
Now he came slowly into sight, his
feet feeling with infinite caution. The
difficulties of the descent were appall-
Ing. Even for me. supported by the
rope held by Willoughby from above,
they had been all but impossible. VII.
loughby was no amateur; but without
assistance-no, ! could not hope to
save him. II must be death for us
both. But, and this was the sgonizing
thought, when the crisis cams, would
the awful stimulus release M impris-
Oned will2 Or would horror still hold
me?
And still he came. I could almost
touch him now He was actually near
me-and then, what had feared, what
I had known must happen. did happen.
His feet lost their foothold. He was
hanging by his arms over the ragged,
blue-green glacier that yawned to re-
ceive him a thousand feet below.
A moment he struggled frantically.
Then he hung absolutely still.
Can you reach me?" he painted.
Brace yourself and reach me If you
can. But be quick"
did not move. | was not afraid to
die with him. though the world has re-
fused to believe me. l did not move
because ! could not. Horror for the
moment bereft me of my very reason
to think and act. My will was frozen.
My brain was numb.
Then the nightmare passed. Sud
denly l was calm. took in a deep
breath. braced myself against the
grim cliff for the shock as he should
tall into my outstretched arms.
But at that instant willoughby
quietly loosened his hold-even while
gathered all my poor strength for
that last fight; and before he per
lshed he cried one word, without pas
sion. without despair:
Coward"
His body brushed my own as II fell.
{ heard II strike brutally the glacier
below. Then there was stiffness.
He was dead, and lived.
The stiffness was awful-and a soli-
tude still more awful-vast. savage.
and frozen, and always the Wilderness
Of the eternal SHOWS. And then dark
ness came.
Hours later guides found me still
lying there. / saw them scrambling
toward me. gazed at them stupidity,
lndifferently. When they called l did
not answer. They bore me back to
the Alpine village we had left the day
before. There were black nights OF
delirium And in my delirium cried:
81 might have saved HIM. am a
murderer He died cursing me as a
coward"
And so they judged me. When
was convalescent and crawled into the
sunshine again, 1t was too late to
make excuses even II | wished. Peo-
ole had already passed sentence.
No one spoke to me. | was looked
at askance. If any pitied II was pity
tempered with scorn. More than orce
a kodak was snapped in my face.
was a curiosity. ! was coward.
CHAPTER ".