Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-06-01
The TenderfOOt.
[Original.l

mountain climber both in South Amer
lea and Europe. Therefore | did moi
see any propriety in the term for me.
met some royal good fellows al
colorado Springs and soon after my ar.
rival there was entertained by party
III supper. At the table opposite me
sat Mark Dykeman, who had evident.
" been long enough in the country to
oe entirely careless of his dress. for,
although from his language and his
manners 1t was easy to see that he
was at least fairly well bred and ed
ucated, he was dressed in the trousers,
boots and wooden shirt of the region,
TO say nothing Of the revolver and car
trldges strapped to his waist. He had
pair OF cold gray eyes with bushy
orows over them and wore a perpetual
sneering expression on his face. l
mentioned having climbed the Matter
norm, In Switzerland Dykeman's sheer
Intensified.
DID you go up tenderfoot STYLE"
ne asked, with a lot Of men to hold
you up with rope and cut your steps
for you, or did you do it yourselfT'
confess I was irritated when re-
Piled
"Oh, the Matterhorn is not to be
climbed like these hills about here. It's
a mountain"
i don't doubt" he retorted, that it's
mountain, and steep one. / only
doubt your ability as a climber"
I'm going up Pixies peak tomor.
row." l said, endeavoring to speak
without show of choler. 81 shall
climb it alone"
DO you know the way?"
Never was ON the mountain In nv
life"
And you consider yourself able to
go to the top within a reasonable
t1me?"
81 do"
Tut, man" he snarled. You're no
climber. You're tenderfoot."
I'll bet you" retorted, losing my
caution, that I climb the mountain
alone and In a reasonable time-what
a reasonable time is to be fixed by the
members of this party, you and / ex-
cepted."
What do you take me for? Do you
think I'm here to make sure bet with
a tenderfOot to get his money I'M
fairly? I know blind man that can
beat you on a race"
"Blind?
"Stone blind. I'll bet you 500 he
can climb to the top of Pixies peak
sooner than you"
1T seems to me-" l replied "a bet
like that would be all in my favor"
do you take the bet or take water?"
There was cold blooded, disagree
able look in the mans contemptuous
glance that irritated me beyond
measure
"Of course l take the bet. He who
dances must pay the piper. If you
insist in calling me tenderfoot. you
must hand out the cost"
1t was then arranged that | and a
half dozen others were to start from
the base of Pixies peak the next morn
ing and that If blind man beat me to
the top was to lose the bet. The
money was put up, and we broke up to
go to bed.
The next moMning we met at an APP
pointed rendezvous. Dykeman was
there. and a good nap had evidently
taken away his disposition to taunt
me, for he treated me very civilly.
vainly endeavored to discover from the
looks of others Of the party whether
they considered the contest in a seri-
Gus light or not and made some re-
marks to draw them out, but every
man seemed to have bottled himself
upon the subject, and got no salts
faction. The umpire permitted each
person who was to join In the race to
take position wherever he liked, pro.
yided he was in sight, the umpire and
being In the center. Then at the
firing of revolver we started.
soon found that had been put on
the usual route taken by those who
assembled the peak. Why this had been
done | could not imagine, but inferred
that it was to give me every advantage
In order that there should be no war
rant for blame on the part Of those
conducting the contest for taking an
unfair advantage OF stranger. Surely
II after having been started right
couldn't beat blind man to the sum-
NIT / deserved the opprobrious epithet
of tenderfoot. One thing my expert
erlce In climbing did for melt was
easy for me to detect the natural route
before me. Only once or twice did
delay in selecting the best ground to go
over, and not once was | obliged to re-
trace my steps. was In fairly good
condition, with springy step. ! knew
was making good time. and when
saw the goal short distance above me
was sure would do the feat in as few
hours as any ONE could do t.
AS I approached the highest point ]
looked up to see II any one was there.
Not q person was In sight. felt
thrill Of pleasure at having punished
Dykeman for his Incivility and pushed
on tin stood on what at irst thought
was the summit, but glancing aside