Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-06-20

bad done but Lena did not reproach

that
after Gustav had served about
year of his term in prison he escaped
with some other prisoners. They were
chased into the mountains, and those
chasing them saw them while crossing
E glacier suddenly go down into ere
YdSse which was covered over with a
Shin coating of snow and fee. Since
tln crevasse was very deep and they
must all have been killed by the fall
oo effort was made to secure their
iodies. In forty or fifty years, when
the point In the glacier where they
were killed reaches the valley and
mclts. they will appear again.
AS soon as | heard of the death of
these men sent word 10 Fritz that If
he chose to marry Lena he would have
my consent. He came to see us, but
Lena was not sure that her husband
aad been among the men who went
aown into the crevasse. She would
wait a year anyway. and within that
time If Gustav were alive she would
surely hear from him Fritz agreed to
this, and, though we did not speak of
II. we all hoped that Gustav would not
be heard from.
But the prison authorities assured
NJ that Gustav was one Of the es-
capped prisoners who had been killed,
ald |. anxious to undo the harm | had
done, persuaded Lena not to wait till
the year was out. but to be married.
III 10,
fcrtabe, Fritz resuming his work as
guide at ChumounIx The truth is we
needed what Fritz could earn, for we
had little or nothing with which to
procure food
so they were married few months
after Lena became widow or was
supposed to have become q widow, for
Gustav's father, Notwithstanding the
assurances Of his sons death, refused
to believe him dead. Lena very soon
changed from her depressed condition
and once more became light hearted.
She made several trips with Fritz to
the top Of the mountain and seemed,
like him, to be in her natural element
while climbing.
"And now l am going to tell you
secret that is not known to any one
about here One day l was out on
path leading toward this house,
path which did not come from Cha
mOunix, but from another direction
While following the trail, suddenly, I'M
der cliff some fifty feet high. came
upon the body of n man.
HE was my daughters husband.
HE had evidently been on the path
when, after winding around an incline,
1t had led along the edge Of the cliff
above and had fallen. He had died
within not more than few days be
fore, and Lena had not been really
married to Fritz. Their first child.
which was expected, would not be
born in wedlock, according to the civil
law or that of the church.
what did do? I carried the body
to a chasm. the bottom which no man
has ever seen. and dropped 1t I'm.
this world Is broken by some great
convulslon such as that from which
the mountains were formed.
"But kept my secret. That hap
pened fifteen years ago, and neither
my daughter nor my son-in-law knows
that for some time after they began
to live together they were not married.
Nor was 1t necessary that they should.
why was Gustav where | found
him? About that we can only sur.
mise. There are many theories. The
one / most count on is that he had con-
trived when pursued to separate him
self from the others and hide till the
pursuers hnd passed. His only safety
would be In going as far as possible
from his former home. Perhaps he
went to America or Australia. But nj
last, tired OF remaining away, he had
concluded to pay visit to his home.
He had stolen into Switzerland and
taken path familiar to him TINT
would lead him down to this house.
How he came to fall over the cliff Is a
greater mystery. | can only account
for 1t In this way: He was not tenn
perate man, and when sent to prison
the habit Of drink had already fas
tened Itself upon him. Probably. after
he escaped, during his wanderIngs he
became more Of n slave than ever.
And possibly while on his way to his
former home he was drunk.
"a few years after his death his IA
Their died and having no one else to
leave his money to, he left It to Lem
She had always been a favorte with
him, and. although he had opposed her
second marriage on the ground that his
son would turn up, as the years went
by without any word from him the old
she had married Fritz"
The narrator paused at this point
but presently continued:
you are the first person to whom J
have impaired this secret, and have
impaired It 10 you with an object.
have at times been disturbed with an
uneasy conscience as to whether
should have acted as I did upon tho
discovery Of Gustav's body. hay,
told you the story that I might ask you
whether | did right or whether did
wrong"
That" replied. ''Is a matter OF
opinion. can only assure you that had
| been in your place ] would have
done exactly MS you did"
should not have told Pflcffer my
secretT'
"You would have settled his mind ms
to his son being dead. But through
him you might have revealed the truth
10 those who would better not know IT,"
The speaker grasped my hand anc
drew long sigh OF relief.