New-York tribune., 1909-09-05


waiting for a persistent rain to hold up-a rain
that had pursued us for FIVE weeks through sunny"
Italy. The phrase mockery for We recalled
only a nightmare Of muddy ditches miscalled
roads. and automobile The worse for wear
-fatigued the French call it; simply run down,
not out
At 3 O'Clock a change came; the clouds parted,
showing the Instant line Of snow clad Alps and so
We started out, two women and d chauffeur, in
light powered OF dozen horsepower. intending
10 the Mont Cents Pass and sleep that night
Modane. in our beloved Frame
Forty kilometres over the only good road we had
found in Italy brought to the little mountain
village Of Susa, the junction ot TWO roads. Two
historic mountain passes here lead from Italy to
France-Mont Cents, with memories Of Hannibal.
and Mont Genevre, with those OF Napoleon We
wee willing to follow The footsteps Of either.
Put the snow line hung low on The mountains for
the middle of May, and we stopped for our last
glass Of Turin verInouth at the alberso we learned
that the Mont Cents Pass was absolutely blocked
by snow. We might cross by the read over Mont
Genevre If would run the risk OF the recent fail
Of the upper height having been cleared
away as it usually was within twenty-fcur hours
of falling. but another fall dismay prophe-
sled and so Susa's only aIbarso, the Sielle dOro,
sheltered us that night. while we bedded down the
autornobe i'll a vaulted stable. once the refectory
of an old convent.
Motoring favors the early rising habit and by !
O'Clock, after eating of those skeleton Cont
mental breakfasts and waiting a while for the
automobile, which did not appear, we plunged into
the vaultike stable and found Marius, our chauf-
feur, who usually appeared at his best at this
stage of the day. worried and greasy and digging
busiy into the entraiIs of the motor. What was
the matter? Nobody knew, and the time
dragged and lunching place became more
and more problematic. we laid in some supplies and
put them in the tonneau-a loaf Of bread, some
cheese and bologna sausage.
The chauffeur had got the automobile as
far the street door, II going, but not at its
best but the altitude Of the pass over Mont
Genevre much less than that OF Mont Cenis
We supposed ttat the grades would be correspond
sngly easier than those OF the Gran Scala" as
the Italians call it, We found out our mistake
later
We started. The bonnet of our automobile parted
the crowd in the market place as the PROV of a
ship parts the waves. The road mounted at once
like the side of q house. Our automobile took
this cheerfully enough. and We swung around lacet
after lacet of excellent road for half dozen
kilometres when suddenly appeared before US a
grade Of Il per cent, which twelve horses
began balk and the chauffeur to say things un-
Ger his breath-later he said them aloud With
intermittent hats and jerks we went on another
hundred metres but here frightened donkey,
ladened with panniers Of frewood, planted himself
in the middle of the road and brought to def
mite standstill. The donkey finally persuaded
10 move on, but we stuck. The chauffeur pushed
pulled and pressed everything in sight, but the
automobile only gave ftful gasps and fairly boiled
sued from its water tank.
IF can only get down 10 Susa," said Marius
ito that locksmith's this morning. where can
get some tools 10 work with, shall be able TO fix
things all right; / think know what's the matter
If you ladies will wait here for me- shall probably
be back within an hour"
This plan seemed both brilliant and easy, a mere
matter Of coasting. The difficulty came in turning
around on the narrow road. We had stuck at the
village of Chiomonte where the road narrowed TO
rihh TV7e hV Iirne hai ed
even gasp, il was case Of hand power to
rnanonuvre all We all three pushed and pulled
but we had succeeded only in blocking the road
when rhythmic tramp announced the coming Of a
squad of italian soldiers. They grasped the stua-
-tion at once. With common impulse they flung
themselves upon the automobile and in unison born
Of long training, swung the around in a second
and without waiting for our thanks, with smiles
and waving of hands, they continued their down.
ward march Our automobile started on its tobog-
gaming flight back 10 Susa
"Oh, the luncheon" cried Isabel, running after
the descending motor. The chauffeur threw out the
package of food. sketchbooks and camera and
left marooned on the mountain for hVe hours.
The little wizened mountain people climbing pain
fully with great loads strapped on their shoulders
eyed us with establishment; they were familiar ap-
parentIy with the vagaries OF automobiles for the
read Mount Genevre is one of the CHIEF gate
wavs between France and italy. We stopped in the
only house Chiomonte that looked like a shop
and asked milk but nothing but wine was forth
coming served in thick glasses by an OLD
woman who smiled kindly and observed, You must
be rich you Americans, travel so far away from
home"
As We came out into the open again a man came
up and said, You waiting for an automobile?
1t is there. coming up the rOad-drawn by two
horses Alas. where We're the twelve? Two small
mountain ponies harnessed tandem-wise 10 the au-
tornobile appeared around the bend. Marius az
The wheel did not look by any reckoning as con-
fdent as when he had left u.s. BY each horse
walked its driver both of whom had been bought
over by Marius abandon their carts and take
him UP TO a point where IL was confidently as
sorted by such maps possessed, that the
road fattened out
A society for the prevention of cruelty to animals
vas not necessary TO stay Isabel and from
mounting the auto behind those tiny beasts
We would walk IL was only matter of negotiating
this stiff bit of rise, when all would be well again.
We started out to pace the automobile We paced
1t for twelve kilometres, and the level stretch of
road resolved itself series Of SITTER rises and
Most of the latter automobile refused even
consider with its enfeebled respiratory powers
at that altitude and the horses constantly in
requisition. Our only respite was when mount
ed the at the top Of each ascent and coasted
down 10 the next low level, the horses meantime
following on 10 be attached again at the next
rise. No hope of getting the pass that
night, IL seemed.
Our kindly ciceroni, the mountaineers and the
little horses had been engaged. at the modest
price Of eight lire, to accompany US far as
Oulx. At the top of desperately long rise the
men took off the horses and said: Here leave
you; oulx is down there" pointing vaguely the
horizon. You need us no longer; go back:
from here it is all downhill TO the town, and you
sleep there the night at the albergo"
No town in sight, not a house, not a person.
1t was nearly dark and by this time on a