The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-04-25
His Llexcusubke
:: =: Act. =:
BY ANDREW e. EWING,

| 7'o1"o'S'o't'O't~S. =" C:5'O:s'Oc:.O.tC.So.t
i BY ANDREW e. EWING.
copyright, 1909, W American Press Asso
ciation.l
Sitting on a hotel porch among tn
Swiss Alps In August with my Uncl,
George. both of us gazing up at gla
sier winding its way to the valley.
noticed sad lcok In his eye
Doesn't the view invigorate you
uncle!' asked.
1--WE been thinking, Billy he re
Piled
"Of what?"
Our contemplate natures"
l knew my uncle was a pessimist
Most old men are. I made no reply.
when l was your age he contin
ued. Il gave way to Weakness
good many weaknesses. but one espe
| cially right here in these mountains
At the time to have confessed it would
have been a strain on me- Now my
act seems nothing more than what
might be expected from a descendant
of that half brute. half savage, called
prehistoric man.
But there are redeeming traits"
Il wish l could see them in my
case"
"Well. tell your story. I'm sure you
have one to tell
Il was In this region with party of
tourists. Bob Southwick. a classmate
of mine in college. had come over with
me, and we were doing these noun
tains on foot. Bob was great climb
er, while l preferred to look at the
mountains from distance. as we are
doing now. The party l mention join
ed us here. Among them was a girl
Of nineteen. and Bob fell in love With
her. Then he was called away to Far
is for awhile. and during his abse ace
well. l cut him out with the girl.''
My uncle paused and seemed to feel
again after an interval of forty years
the degradation of his act.
when George came back. as was to
be expected. there was constrafnt be-
tween him and the girl. George seem
ed to be in a mental fever: but. strange
to say, it showed itself toward her and
not at all to me- But / found out aft
erward that he didn't know what I'd
been up to, and l hadn't the manliness
to tell him. At any rate. he was hot for
climbing and waEted me to go with
him. The very day after his return
he wanted me to make trip as far IN
the glacier as we could go between
daylight and dark. l didn't wish to
go. and didn't like to refuse To stay
behind with the girl had robbed him
of seemed to add to my contemplate
conduct. consented to go:
I'VE started ut 4 O'clock the next
morning. taking axes and a rope for
making difficult passages. We climbed
over those places that from here look
trifie rough up there-we found them
at times mpassable-proceeding on
our way till noon. Then we stopped
and ate our lunch. after which we
started to put in another hour on the
upward course before returning.
Coming to a crevasSe perhaps six
feet across. we determined to jump it.
We fastened the rope about our waists.
and Bob jumped first The other side
was steep and somewhat soft, but Bob
after some stamping and cutting with
his az got foothold. Then l jumped
and struck snow. felt myself going
backward and tried to get hold on
ice with my ak l failed.
Bob saw what was coming and braced
for the shock. l went over"
Another panied look came to the old
mans face
1.-The rope held. Bob was dragged a
few feet and then got firmer foot
hold. but Il precarious one There was !
no possibility Of his pulling me up.
and if the strain continued I would |
soon drag him over. We talked to- |
gether about the prospect, he trying to |
me. l knew had to 60 to |
the bottom and it depended upon me |
or not l dragged Bob with |
me. I'd done one mean act toward |
him, and l couldn't bring myself to I
drag him down with me, especially |
when it wouldn't save me. put my
hand in my pocket, took out my knife
and. breathing a prayer that my soul
should be received in the other world.
cut the rope"
Another pause l saw my uncle
i heard something between q shrek
md groan from Bob. To my aston
fell only about thirty feet
md landed in soft snow. l was buried
up to my armpits. OF course l called
up to Bob that l was all right. and
hall never forget the Thank Godr
heard him utter
well, there l was, stuck in snow ut
he bottom Of a crevasse. with no
means of getting out. The rope wasn't
ong enough by half to reach me. Bob
II course was enabled to secure his
'wn position, or. rather, to jump to
he other side of the crevass:. He
Jumped safely, and we held a parley
There seemed nothing to do but for
him to go down to the hotel for assist
nee and a rope. Fortunately some
me there was watching us through
lass, saw the accident and met him