The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-03-04

| BY F. A mitchell.
Copyright, 1910, by American Press
Association.
II you 60 to Interlaken 1t Is quite
possible you may see the man who told
me this story. You will find him
standing almost any day when the at
mosphere is transparent and the glori-
GUS Jungfrau looms up beautifully in
notch between two Of the foothills.
standing beside the main street of the
town, showing the mountain through
his telescope to tourists at half franc
q ''look." do not mean to say that
he put the facts at the bottom of his
yarn together Us a story. Nevertheless
they are story, and 1t is my part to
arrange them in proper form: Here it
is as he told 1t to me, with certain
transpositions Of mine necessary to its
ready understanding:
One day a few summers ago was
standing here showing people the
mountain when a party came along
consisting of young girl and two
young men. The girl and one Of the
young men were Americans. The other
young man, I Judged from his accent,
was French. The American man was
q quiet steady looking fellow. The
FrenchmaD was handsome, with all the
vivacity of the French people, while
the girl was one of your American
beauties. The names Of all three l after
ward learned, and shall never forget
them. The American ran was Archi-
bald Wallace; the Frenchman was
Jean lie Verian; the girl was Alice
Clark.
..Oh, there is telescope!'' exclaimed
Miss Clark us she approached me.
"Do let's have look.''
With her American impulse she put
her eye to the eyepiece. while I made
the adjustments.
isn't 1t wonderfulY she said en-
Enthusiastically. "What beautiful slopes!
What awful CULTS! But 1t is fascinat-
ing. I'm crazy to go up there"
The very next afternoon was stand.
ing here, as usual, waiting for people
to come along and pay me for look
through my telescope, when, seeing q
mass Of snow on the mountain begin
ming to move, put my eye to the
glass. After witnessing IN avalanche
turning the glass about over the noun.
tain I saw three figures, two men and
a woman, not far above the snow line,
My glass did not reveal their features
but I suspected they were the party
who had been with me the day before.
watched them for some time. Aft
er awhile I saw one Of the men stroll
away around snow covered rock
where he was screened from the 9th
ers, and look over cliff. Then he
went part Of the way back and, l fan
cied, called-of course could not heal
him-to the other man, for the latter
went around the rock and Joined him
and the two stood on the edge Of the
cliff together looking over. Suddenly
saw one figure behind the other ani
the front one fall over the cliff.
. There was steep incline ut thu
cliffs base Of hard snow. The mo
ment the figure that had fallen strucl
this snow saw him glance, then shoe
down on the surface. He passed be
hind peak, and when he again up
peared I saw him still sliding. Thel
be slid around bend and disappeared
AS soon as I was convinced that
should not see him again turned m!
glass back to the other figure. He wa
running toward the woman. When b.
reached her there was a pantomim
which Indicated he was telling he
that the other man had fallen over til
cliff. But knew very well that b
had pushed his friend-or enemy, a
the case might be-over. While
could not distinguish the woman's fea
lures. knew by her motions that sh
was terribly moved by the tragedy
She went with the remaining man t
the cliff, and the two seemed to b
looking down at its base to see ifthe
could get glimpse of their compar
ion. Then they turned away and d.
scended the mountain.
was satisfied that one Of the me
had pushed the other over the eli
and that they were Wallace and L
verian, though could not tell whic
wns the victim. knew full well tha
the matter would soon be reported an
resolved to keep my own counsel, c,
rious to know in what form the tral
edy would be made known.
Z; The same night heard that a teri
Die accident had happened TO a youn
AAmerican stopping at the J. hote
I went there and got the story frol
the concierge. He said that while
Mr.. Wallace, IN American, was Loo
ing over cliff crust Of snow he
given way under his feet and he he
fallen 100 feet to the bottom. He ha
doubtless been killed. A party was b
lng made. up to 60 the next day to loo
for his body.
Making further inquiries, l learnt
that he had gone up the mountain 81,
with a Jean lie verian, Partisan, ~
a Miss Clark Of Philadelphia. VIII
/ was permitting people to tell \
about what knew much more thu
they, LIE verian passed me. He look
very somber, as one might be expect
to appear who had witnessed the ira
edy he had reported. tried to q
tect the look Of villain in his fat
but failed. Either he was not guilt
AZ supposed, or he carried the CO
sciousness Of his guilt so well that
would not betray him.
The next morning I Joined the par
that net ont to and Wallace's body, I