Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-21

Hardly twenty minutes at present
pace"
growl from Barth stopped their brief talk
Another huge crevasse yawned in front. There
was an ice bridge, with snow, like Others they
had crossed bus this a slenue1 structure
the leader stabbed it viciousv with the
butt of his ak before he ventured on it The
others kept the rope taut, and he crossed safely
They followed. As Helen gained the farther
side she heard Bowers chuckle:
Another thrill,
- am growing quite used to them" she said
well, it may help somewhat if l tell you
that the temporary departure of the sun will
cause this particular bridge to be ten times as
strong when We return"
A TTENTION!' cried Barth, taking sharp
turn to theleft. The meaning of his warning
was soon apparent. They had to descend few
feet of rough ice, and Helen found. to her great
relief it must be confessed. that they were APP
preaching the lateral morane Already the sky
was overcast. The glacier had taken to itself a
cold grayness that disconcerting The
heavy mist fell them with inconceivab BILE
rapidity. Shining peaks and towering preci-
pices of naked rock were swept out of sight each
instant The weather had changed with magic
speed. The mist advanced with the rush of an
express train, and strong wind sprang up as
though it was bent on overwhelming them.
Somehow-anyhow- scrambled on.
She was obliged to keep eyes and mind intent
on each step Her chief object was to initiate
Barth, to poise. and jump, and Chamber with
feet and hands exactly as he did. At this stage
the rope was obviously hindrance; but none
of the men suggested its removal, and Helen
had enough to occupy her wits without troub-
ling them with a question. Even in the stress
of her own breathless exertions she had room in
her mind for wondering pity for the heavily
laden Karl. She marveed that anyone, be he
strong Samson could carry such load and
not fall under it. Yet he was numbering along
II II n. ~
almost supernatural, to her thinking. She was
still unconscious of the fact that most OF her
own struggles were due more to rarefed air
than to the real difficulties of the route.
A 7 last, when she really thought she must cry
out for rest, when sleeper climb than any
hitherto encountered had bereft her almost of
the power to take another upward spring to the
ledge OF some enormous boulder, when her
knees and ankles were sore and bruised. and the
skin of her fingers was beginning to fray under
her stout gloves she found herself standing on a
comparatively level space formed of broken
stones. rough wall, surmounted by fiat
pitched roof, stared at her out of the mist. In
the center of the wall a small, square, shattered
window suggested a habitation. Her head
swan, and her eyes ached dreadfully; but she
knew that this was the hut, and strove deSper-
ately to appear self possessed.
Accept my congratulations, Miss Wynton,
said low voice at her ear. u Not one
woman in a thousand would have gone through
this last half hour without murmur. You are
no longer a novice. Allow me to present you
with the freedom of the Alps. This is one of the
many chateaux at your disposal"
A wild swirl of sleet dashed them venomously
This first whip of the gale seemed to have the
spitefulness of disappointed rage.
Helen felt her arm grasped Bower led her to
doorway cunningly disposed out of the path of
the dreaded southwest wind. At that instant all
the woman in her recognized that the man was
big and strong and self reliant, and that it was
good to have him near, shouting reassuring
words that were whirled across the rock crowned
glacier by the violence of the tempest
To be continued next Sunday