The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-06-02

By ANDRHW E. EWING,

BY ANDREW E. EWING.
Gcopyrisht. 1903. BY American Press AS
ciation.1
shifting On hotel porch among II
Swiss Alps In August with my UncI.
George, both Of rs gazing up at gla
cier winding It's way 20 the valley.
noticed sad look in his eye.
Doesn't the view invlgorate YOU
uncleT' / asked.
i've been thinking. Bully" be re.
piled
"Of whatf-
"Our contemplate natures"
knew my uncle was a pessimlst
Most old mon are made no reply.
when / was your age he contin-
ned, Il gave way 10 a Weakness
good many weaknesses but one espe.
cially right here IN these mountains.
At the time 10 have confessed II would
have been q strain on me. Now my
act seems nothing more than what
might be expected from a descendant
Of that haaf brute. hair savage, called
prehistoric man"
but there are redeeming traits"
Il wish could see them In nay
case"
wei, ten your story. I'm sure you
bave one to tell"
Il was IN this region with party Of
tourists. Bob southwick. a cIassmate
OF mine IN college, had come over with
me. and we were doing these noun
toins on foot Bob was a great climb
or, while preferred to look at the
mountains from a distance, as we are
doing now. The party mention Join
cd us here. Among them. was girl
Of nineteen. and Bob fen IN love with
her. Then be was caleb away to Par
Is for awhile. and during his absence
I-well. l cut him out with the girl"
Ny uncle paused and seemed to feel
again after m interval OF forty years
the degradation OF his act.
when George came back. as was 20
be expected. there was constraint be-
tween him and the girl. George seem.
ed to be 10 a mental fever; but, strange
TO say, II showed itself toward her aud
not az all 10 me. But I found out aft
erward that he didn't know what I'd
been up to. and I hadn't the rnnliness
to tell him. AZ amp rate. be was hot for
climbing and wanted me to 20 with
him. The very day after his return
he wanted me to make trip as far up
the glacier as we could 90 between
daylight and dark. didn't wish to
go. and didn't like TO refuse. To stay
behind With the girl had robbed him
Of seemed 20 add to my contemptible
conduct / consented to 60.
I'VE started at 4 O'Clock the NEXT
morning taking axes and rope for
making dif8cult passages. We climbed
over those piaces that from here look
a tribe rough up there-we found them
at times impossible proceeding on
our way TN noon Then we stopped
ana ate our lunch, after which we
started % put in another hour on the
upward course before returning.
Coming to a erevasse perhaps six
feet across. we determined to jump II.
We fastened the rope about our waists,
and Bob Junped first. The other side
was steep and somewhat soft but Bob
after some stamping and cutting with
his ak got a foothold. Then | jumped
and struck snow. / felt myself going
backward and tried to get a hold on
projecting ice with my AZ failed.
Bob saw what was coming and braced
himself for the shock. / went over"
Another panied look came to the old
mans face.
The rope held Bob was dragged a
few feet and then got a firmer foot
hold. but precarious one. There was
no possibility Of hts pulling me up.
and II the strain continued would
soon drag him over We talked to-
gsther about the prospect, be trying to
encourage me. knew had to 60 to
The bottom and It depended upon me
whether or not dragged Bob with
ne. I'd done one mean act toward
linn, and | couhln't bring myself to
lrag him down with me, especially
when It wouldn't save me. / put my
land In mp pocket, took out my knife
md, breathing = prayer that my soul
hould be received in the other world,
ut the rope"
Another pause. saw my uncle
hudder.
II heard something between d shrek
nd groan from Bob. To my aston
shment, / fell only about thirty feet
nd landed ia SOFT snow. / was buried
p to my armpits. or course called
b to Bob that / was all right, and I
hall never forget the Thank Codp
heard him utter
wen, there was, stuck m snow at
ie bottom Of crevasse, with no
leans OF getting out The rope wasn't
'ng enough by half to reach me. Bob
course was enabled to secure his
WIN position, oF. rather to jump to
10 other side Of the crevasse lie
Imped safely, and we held a parley.
here seemed nothing to do but for
IN to go down to the hotel for assist
ice and rope. Fortunately some
lie there was watching us through
ass, saw the accident and met him
J the way. In the middle OF the ait
noon was drawn up"
We sat for 9 Few moments IN silence,
overwhelmed with the utter absence
consciousness on the part Of my
lcle of hts heroism; then / said:
What did your friend cay about
ur cutting the roper
-He never Thought fo axayrfna sha