Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-01-24
JONES THE
TRAVELLER
BY WiIfred y. Auburn.
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meeting him had become a sort OF
habit. The first time / saw him he
was hanging by his feet, an apoplectic,
souirming mass, on the facade OF
Blarney Castle, kissing the stone OF
eIoquence. Ny camera caught him in
the act. "Gad!" he sputtered, when
told him that his feat was immortal
lied. rs my face in 1t? Send me
one. will you? Thatll prove to the
folks back in GAINESVILLE that l did
IT,"
had run across him again in Lon
dor, where all ways meet. I was
sauntering around the Whitechapel
ghetto, and through the window Of an
alley tavern / noticed two men drink
ing stout. One was bobby" in uni
form. His eyes were bleared and
his face purple. The profile of the
other looked familiar. walked in,
and beheld-Jones. The policeman,
startled by my intrusion, brought him.
self together and wabbled out Jones
turned to me with a look of vast re-
proach:
Glad to see you again, old man,
but--why couldn't you stay away a
little longer? I'd have had 1t in half
an hour more"
Had what?"
why, his club. Lord, what souv-
enir that would have made!"
Our ways had parted again for a
while. was riding a wheel over the
crest of the Black Forest, near Titisee,
pumping slowly to the top of the long,
white road. A pine cone struck my
handle-bar. Another Knocked my hat
Of and | looked up. An aerial voice
emitted a Tyrolean halloo with much
unction, and / saw a swaying speck
silhouetted against cloud. My in
stinct told me 1t was Jones.
Hey, old mani" he yelled, trumpet
ing through his hand, take my pic
ure-quick-you're just in time
can't hold on much longer-camera's
at foot OF the tree-lost 1t half way
upl'
His camera was smashed. so | used
my own. Were you expecting me?"
asked. when he Skinned down, with
barked hands and frayed trousers.
no, not exactly. Look here-big-
gest pine cone in Germany. from the
tallest tree on top of the highest
hin in the Schwarzwald. There's
something worth whilel"
] admitted it, and We stood sur
seying the panorama of mounded
hills. and deep-cut gorges full of the
sound Of falling water.
"Lovely,' I murmured.
wharton, yes, / s'pose it Is.
But say-I wonder IL I couldn't find
bigger cone somewhere in these
parts. Let's move on
Then ran across him in Meir-
hgen-after 1t had happened. In the
cool Of the evening / found Tim, a
svathed form on crutches, motionless
IN the middle of the main street, star
ing up at the mountains to the south.
so It Is all over, Jones? And you
have survived. Come and tell me
about H."
he lowered his gaze from the noun
tains and turned to me with look of
hopeless sorrow.
You dcrt believe I'd lie about
H. do you?" he asked.
Certainly not"
! followed him to a table near by,
and while We slipped he told me his
story. thus:
Maybe I'd never have tried 1t
tne trip across the Scheidegg-if I'd
Known what l was up against. Easy
enough, with good pointed stock
out with a BICYCLE"
You don't mean to say you crossed
mat pass with bicycle!"
With 1t, on 1t. and under it," he
declared. Il wanted to do it-for the
experience. you know. guess no
eycnst ever did 1t before. And that
iootpath was the shortest way from
1findewald to Meiringen.
All. l groan yet when I think of
mat path. | started up. shown the
Ola bike, slidin' on the powders and
soekin' in the mud, and pluggin'
Up and up, and stoppin' for breath,
Up and then up again, BLOWN and
s'eemin' and groanin'. and always
0okin' for the top. Every once in
while I'd see it. up under the clouds,
ana then when l got there it wouldn't
y the top at all. After a while I got
-ooye the clouds.
Then the wind turned, and blast
'snt out o the refractory struck me.
and snowflakes, hard like hailstones,
peat up my face and hands. But at
1s' reached the top. / knew it was
ue TOP, because the clouds swung
70 the left, and hung over the
<@ainorn like washing on a line.
Wei, twas worse goin' down.
ana there was more of it. / slid and
.o'ied and tumbled. and doubled up
"e eike and dragged it, and plunged