Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1907-06-12
CHAPTER ~.
The Coward.

Stern
seated myself opposite the woman
| had unconsciously wronged. For the
| first time she looked at me, and | saw
! with relief that neither pain nor an
guish lurked in her clear eyes. There
| was no outraged love nor tenderness.
Nor was there pity for herself Or for
| me. But even so, it seemed to me
pathetic that a woman should be so
strong.
Il wish to hear everything. Begin,
please, with your first meeting with
Mr. Willoughby. Tell me ALTO the
last moment"
II shall not spare either yourself or
myself, I promised.
Did you know Mr. Willoughby in
timately? Were you at Oxford with
him? I think l do not remember his
speaking of you"
She spoke slowly, with a certain
aloofness. A desire to be just strug-
gled with manifest dislike-a dislike
that was evidently not lessened be-
cause of my studied calm. Perhaps
she thought fervent expression of
penitence more fitting. But instinct
lively knew that an hysterical repent
ance would increase her contempt for
me. I preferred her hatred to that.
And so told my story absolutely with
out feeling.
Il met him for the first time the
night before his death"
Indeed" Her voice trembled With
anger. She was indignant that he
should have discussed his love with an
utter stranger.
ut was not until we had both given
up hope that he mentioned you, Miss
Brett" 1 said with some sternness.
But surely his death was the result
of quite unexpected accident? The
newspapers gave one that impression, y
she exclaimed suspiciously. The words
and the look accused me of falsehood.
THE accident came only after we
were both utterly exhausted by the
sutferings of night spent on the
mountain paths"
And were the newspapers correct
IN saying that you were not an expe-
Mr.. Willoughby know that?"
Yes, am simply tourist This is
the first time | have been in Europe.
l came to Switzerland as thousands of
| others cOme-tO see the mountains
! from an hotel piazza or a railway train
To me, as to most tourists, the Alps
were simply a gigantic panorama to
q viz OF
at Niagara Falls. To climb them
never occurred to me until ! met Mr.
Willoughby
i was making the usual circular
tour, Interlaken. Scheidegg, Lauter-
| drummer, Grindelwald. Mr.. Willoughby
| happened TO sit next to ME at the table
d'hote at the Bear hotel He was an
| athlete; Switzerland to him was sim
ply an immense playground: he spoke
| OF the trophies he had won at Queens
fields IN the same breath as his ex-
PLOTS in scaling mountain top. At
first | listened to him with indiffer-
ence; his enthusiasm amused me
nothing more. I had supposed that
people climbed mountains simply for
the view; because on the summit one
could see little farther than if one
we're merely on the mountain side
But as he talked 1 began to under
stand. 1t was game-a confiict-a
battle If you wish-in which one pitted
ones strength and wit in a hand-to-
hand fight with nature.
Gradually his enthusiasm aroused
mine. / was wearied of sightseeing:
the horde of tourists disguised me.
Before we had finished our cigars I
longed to pluck my first edelweiss; to
play this new game myself. / limited
vaguely at dangers, but my COMPANION
laughed at them. 1 was presumptuous
enough to think that where he led I
might follow
The usual mistake of the tourist. I
beileVe, commented Miss Brett, cold
ly. And you begged that you might
go with him on his next climb?"
AT least was willing enough to do
so when he suggested that. He was
planning to make the Stralegg Pass. /
CONFESS that the, word pass did not
sound especially formidable, for he de-
ciared that guides were not at all
necessary. So | agreed to make the
ascent with him. / did not realize that
mountain climbing. more than any
other sport, required arduous training
Inc next morning at IL o'clock we
started from Grindelwald. We were
provided with the customary parapher.
MALTA OF the Alpine climber: but our
climb to the Schwarzegg Club Hut at
the Upper Ice-fall, where we were tn
spend the night, might have been
made with walking sticks instead of
alpenstocks. 1t was for the most mart
a simple path over CLASSY slopes on
the eastern side of the Lower Grlndel.
valid Glacier-a bypath winding along
| the cliffs.
We were aroused the next morninp
| before it was light, and 1 was rather
relieved when two guides, who were
waiting at the hut for party expected
that day, shook their heads at the