The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-01-26
!; %be Man Of
!, ~ MeluncbolY. /
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| ChanloniX is a little village in val
ley of the same name surrounded by
the Swiss Alps. The chief occupation
OF the young men of ChamoniX is that
Of guide to tourists
One of tiiesc guides. William Lubken.
came home one evening from conduct,
ing a stranger on a mountain climbing
expedition without his charge. He re
ported that the stranger had been
caught i'll an avalanche and carried
over a pre- ipi@e. Lubkin at the begin
ming of til SHOWS movement. which
was slow. lad succeeded in reaching a
rock. to which he chung. The rope by
which climbers arc always united
broke. and the stranger had been borne.
away from him. The broken part o.
| the rope he showed in evidence of his
story
| Albert TWingle started a suspicion
that Lubkin had cut the rope to save
himself; that Lubken had frayed the
cut part to show that it had been bro
ken This suspicion grew till it was
believed by many of the villagers.
though the guides who at any time
might be liable to the same charge
would not hear of it, Lukben never
recovered from the ob!oquy cast upon
him. He left ChamoniX, and the place
knew him no more.
One day twenty years later tray
eler with white hair and beard came
to ChamoniX. All the guides were
anxious to be employed by him, but
he engaged none Of them. He sat all
day looking up at the mountains and
the glaciers. apparently suffering from
melancholy. While he was at Chamo-
nix traveller appeared and asked for
guide. Albert Twincle. now nearing
an age when guides usually give up
calling requiring both nerve and
| strength, was engaged. He started
| with the traveller to explore the AIer
de Glace. In the evening Twingle re-
| turned and reported that while the
stranger was attempting to look down
into crevasse the ice had broken and
| he had fallen between the cold jaws,
When he told the narrowing story to
| ancholy-a name given to the unknown
stranger-was sitting. as usual on the
| porch of his hotel He spoke the first
words he was known to speak since
coming to Chamonix.
You lie, You have murdered and
| robbed him.
Twingle was horror stricken at the
accusation, but could not prove that
It was false. The ether guides took up
the matter in his behalf, and it was
agreed that one Of their number should
be lowered into the crevasse to bring
up the body The lot fell to one named
Obers and the next morning all went
to the crevasse. the man of melancholy
going with them. The sacrament had
been administered to Obers before his
dangerous descent. and as he was
about to put the rope about his waist
the man Of melancholy seized it and
encircling his own waist said:
''Do you think l am coward to
make this charge without bearing the
brunt Of conviction or an acquittal."
There was something about the man
which. surprised as they We're at a
mere traveller volunteering to underg"
such an ordeal. awed those looking on.
They were Il superstiticus people. and
many of them crossed themselves,
tlinkins. that he who made the offer
was some guide returned from his
white tomb under an avalanche or the
devil himself No one opposed him.
and. having placed the rope around his
waist, taking a bell iii enc hand and
an alpcnstock in the other to rush him
self from the :shari, i" edges. he was
slowly lowered into the crevasse
Three times he rang Ii; i:"Il and each
time was raised and revived from SUI
location. More and NOR" the rape
was paid out, While the N'nsnen prayed
and the men listened fer some sound
from below. Six hundred feet had
been paid out when there came
Jerk on the rope. and the men began
to pull
The weight was dc;l'!cd.
There was breathlrss silence while
the men pulled but when the man OF
ulCldNCHOlt CstluC W tliC SUI i''>S cN.AA
ing a human body Il shout arose from
among the onlookers that long rever-
berated among the surrounding cliffs
The tourists watch and money were
found on the body. Twingle was in
nocent.
The people crowded around Twingle
to congratulate him. but he broke
away from them and strobe toward
the stranger
"In heavens name, who are you:"
he cried.
"Who am 1? am the man whom
years ago you accused Of cutting the
rope that bound me to my charge. l
am William Lubkin."
Had an avenging angel come from
heaven to punish Twingle the scene
could not have been more awe inspir- |
ing than the sight of this man who
had indicated the name Of one who
had blighted his life Twingle's eyes
fell to the ground: his head sank upon
his breast: then. staggering. he left |
both his v-ip1;..atcr 1p1 his. fVIpn6. !