The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1907-05-10
CHAPTER 1.
The Tragedy.

MY feet touched the narrow ledge
was safe But Willoughby? Brave
Wiloughby?
tried TO call to him. No sound
came from my lips. | was too ex.
hausted. The last atom of strength
was spent For the moment | was
paralyzed-body and mind. could
only lean helpless against the noun.
miuside, 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 II 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 futtered over the over.
hang II struck the icy ledge OF the
iutting rock TO which | chung Then
slowly II fell over untl it swayed
loosely in the wind, stll suspended
from my body.
did not attempt TO draw It in. /
was 100 exhausted for an exertion so
slight as that II swayed gently TO
ana fro, and 1t seemed to me that
IRE entity an unseen force would grasp
+ and pull me headlong TO destruction
t0 The glacier below IN the mean.
while Willoughby was started.
N0w ! dared not cry out could
only look up and wait. still struggling
iercely for my breath But II ! had
been 100 exhausted to warn HIM. to un-
ia-un that rope from my waist. how
wa % give him the assistance he
would surely need presently?
t tone fell, and then another. as he
fought for n foothold could hear
h'm breathing deeply, though as vet |
could nor see him. stood rigid. look.
iae upward. a prey TO such fears. to
such terrors as no man can imagine.
Sow he came slowly into sight. his
feet feeling with infinite caution. The Z
GIflcu.ties Of the descent were appall /
inr Even for me. supported by the /
toIo held by Willoughby from above. /
they had been all but impossible. VII. (
lolghby WAS no amateur; but without
Save him. IL must be death for MS
hath But, and this was the agonizing
thought when the crisis came, would
the awful stimulus release my impris.
o.ea viii? Or would horror still hold
me-
and SUN he came. | could almost
touch him now. He was actually near
mc-and then, what had feared, what
mad known must happen. did happen
his feet lost their foothold. lie was
haneing by his arms over the ragged
DlNe-green glacier that yawned TO re-
ceire him thousand feet below
A moment he struggled frantically
Then he hung absolutely still.
Can you reach me?" he painted.
Brace yourself and reach me il you
can But be quick"
did not move was not afraid to
die with him. though the world has re-
fused 70 believe me. | did not move
because ! could not Horror for the
moment bereft me of my very reason
q mink and act. My will was frozen.
aly brain was numb.
Then the nightmare passed. Sud
denly ! wa. calm. | took in a deep
breath | braced myself against the
tfm cliff for the shock as he should
lail into my outstretched arms
But at that instant Willouchby S
quietly loosened his hold-even while h
Gathered all my poor strength for d
That last fight: and before he per. &
lshed he cried one word, without pas
Sion. without despair: y
Coward" a
His body brushed my own as It fell d
heard It strike brutally the glacier
below Then there was stiffness. |
Tie was dead. and lived e
The stiffness was awful-and a soil
'uae stlll more awful--vast. savage. q
ana frozen, and always the Wilderness
q The eternal SHOWS. And Il en- dark. 81
ness came. Il
Hours later guides found me still u
Flng there saw them scraribling d
oward me. gazed at them stl2idly. as
haiiferently. When they called I did h;
lot answer. They bore me back to yt
re Alpine village we had left the day ne
lelore. There were black nights of
''lrlun. And in my delirium | cried: "
might have saved HIM. am a
murderer. He died cursing me as a
'oward"
ana so they judged me. When | si
- convalescent and crawled into the pr
uhahine again. It was too late 60 bu
iNne excuses even II wished PEG. nc
KS had already passed sentence Iii
40 one spoke to me. | was looked
x askance If any pitied, II was pity tv
"pered with scorn. More than once
KODAK was snapped in my face. IN
rs 2 curiosity. | was coward.