The Jackson herald., 1907-08-22
CHAPTER {.
The tragedy.

l tried to call to him. No sound
can from my lips. / was too ex-
hassted. The last atom OF strength
was spent. For the moment | was
parnlyzed-body and mind. could
only lean helpless against the noun
tainside, gasping for breath. And al
most Immediately Willoughbys voice
came, quite cheerfully, quite steadily:
"All right? Bully for you. Look
out, here's the rope. Now IL / 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, l might be my.
self again. Still no sound came from
my frozen lips.
The rope fiuttered over the over.
hang. 1t struck the Icy ledge OF the
1utting rock to which | clung. Then
slowly 1t fell over until it swayed
loosely in the wind, still suspended
from my body.
! did not attempt to draw It in.
was too exhausted for an exertion so
slight as that. 1t swayed gently to
and fro, and 1t seemed to me that
presently an unseen force would grasp
1t and pull me headlong to destruction
to the glacier below. In the mean
while Willoughby was started.
Now l dared not cry out / could
only look up and wait, still struggling
fiercely for my breath. But II had
been too exhausted to warn hlm, to un.
fasten that rope from my waist. how
was to give him the assistance he
would surely need presently?
A stone fell, and then another, as he
fought for a foothold. ! could hear
him breathing deeply, though as yet
could not see him. | stood rigid, look
ing upward. a prey to such fears, to
such terrors as no man can imagine.
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 W!lloughby from above
they had been all but impossible. vii.
loughby was no amateur; but without
assistance-no. | could not hope to
save him. 1t must be death for US
both. But, and this was the agonizing
thoHSll. "lltH WOulu
the awful stimulus release my impris-
oned will? Or would horror still hold
me?
And still he came. | could almost
touch him now. He was actually near
me-and then, what had feared, what
] had known must happen. did happen.
His feet lost their foothold. He was
hanging by his arms over the ragged,
b.Te-green glacier that yawned to re-
'ceive 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 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. | did not move
because l 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 tho nightmare passed. Sud-
denly was calm. ! took in a deep
breath. l braced myself against the
grim cliff for the shock as he should
fail into my outstretched arms.
But at that instant WIlloughby
quietly loosened his hold-even while
gathered all my pour strength for
that last fight; and before he per-
ished he cried one word, without pas
sion, without despair:
Coward.
His body brushed my own as 1t fell
j heard it 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 whiteness
of the eternal SHOWS. And then dark
ness came.
Hours later guides found me still
lying there. / saw them scrambling
toward me. l gazed at them stupidity,
indifferently. When they called | 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
Il might have saved HIM. / am a
murderer. He died cursing me as a
coward"
And so they judged me. When l
was convalescent and crawled into the
sunshine again, it was too late to
make excuses even If | wished. Peo-
pie had already PASSED sentence.
No one spoke to me. | was looked
at askance. If any pitied 1t was pity
tempered with scorn. More than once
= kodak was snapped in my face. ]
was a curiosity. | was a coward.
CHApTEP n