The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-04-28
)
A SECRET OF
THE ALPS
Was 1t Better Kept or
Diyulged?
By WILLARD MALTBIE

Mont Blanc, but the weather was not .
favorable, and l was obliged to spend
all the time l had to spare for that .
purpose watching and waiting for a
change. l strolled about a good deal, /.
sometimes going up the side of the
mountain. On one of these walks
came upon the chalet of an old noun
taineer in whose chat | was interest
ed. He lived with his son-in-law, who
was a guide, and his daughter The
couple had several children, the oldest
of whom was a boy of fourteen. Be
fore l left Chamounix l had so far
won the old mans confidence that he
told me a story involving a bit of fam
lily history.
l give it in las own words. l noticed
while he was telling it that his face
wore an expression of one who had
something on his conscience of which
he was not satisfied. At least such
was my impression.
MY daughter Lena when she was
a little girl was a veritable snow bird.
There was no height to which she
would not climb. no precipice over the
edge of which she would not look
without drawing back. Once l saw
her standing on cliff poised as if
ready to sail down on to the snow
some forty feet below. Then, to my
horror, she stepped off. Her fall was
somewhat broken by the air being
caught beneath her skirts. and she
seemed to sail down like a swallow
/ Il ran toward the spot where she
/ had fallen and found her in the soft
snow some three or four feet below
/ the surface. Had l not been on hand
/ to assist her it is questionable if she
would have been able to dig herself
out. When | released her she laughed
in great glee.
Il took her home and spanked her.
but it didn't do any good. That child
did not know the meaning of the word
fear, and it seemed as if she believed
she could fly from one cliff to another
At any rate. after what had happened
I was always in dread lest in attempt
ing to initiate bird she would be kill
ed Such children are always loved
more than those made in the ordinary
way, and Lena was worshiped by me
/ End her mother, and there was no one
about here who did not know her for
something odd. She passed among
them all as the little snow bird
My old friend Pfeiffer had son
five years older than Lena, and Pfeif-
fer had made a lot of money down on
tbs line between Switzerland and italy
smuggling goods across the Italian
lakes. For the reason of this money,
! which would one day belong to young
Gustav Pfeiffer. l was quite willing
to betroth Lena to Gustav TO be mar
ried when she should be old enough.
But Lena had a playmate, Fritz Hen
keI. who was as fearless among the
mountains as she. and the two became
lovers. Young Henkel as soon as he
became old enough began to guide
tourists up the mountain, for he knew
every foot of the way, and every one
said he was more at home there than
in the valley.
But / had no idea of my daughter
marrying Il guide, who was liable al
; any time to go down with the ava
lanche and leave her widow, with
. nothing to live on, when she could
have a young man with money in the
bank at Geneva. So l kept my con
tract with Pfeiffer. Lena was much
broken in spirit at not being allowed
to marry the young man she loved. bu
thought that after she had been mar
D ried awhile and had children she would
settle down to the humdrum of life
T like the rest of us and forget abou
e Fritz HenkeI She could have ruI
: away with him and been married. bu
5 she would not. Her mother had died
5 and she knew l needed her and if sht
i made n break between herself and m'
I would have no one to take care o
> me in my old age.
=, when Henkel knew that he mus
q lose her, like a good fellow he wen
away from her to Interlaken and guild
ed tourists up the Jungfrau and tn
: other mountains thereabout. He woul
not come back here even to see hi
father and mother, though he sen
Them a part OF mis- earnings. AS 70
Lena, she did what she could to b
rontent as the wife of a man she di
OF love. She did not complain. but
@W IudI 10 piedSe Lue Sle udd Iudu
sacrifice that she might never re
rover from. Besides. Gustav did nc
urn out very well. His father III
fortunately for my plan, continued
live instead of dying at proper az
and leaving his money to his son. Nc
did he give Gustav anything either 0
which to live. So Gustav. instead {
taking up any steady employment
thought he could make money as hi
father had made it and became
Inuggler.
But every year the revenue me
became more watchful and expert
detecting smugglers and. what
worse for the smugglers. more homes
though perhaps this was because the
themselves were more closely watche
=, At any rate. Gustav did not succet