Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-06-20
A SECRET OF
THE ALPS
Was 1t Better Kept or
Divulged?
By WILLARD MALTBIE

Touring In Switzerland, / went to
Chamounix with a view to climbing
Mont Blanc, but the weather was not
favorable, and was obliged to spend
all the time l had to spare for that
purpose watching and waiting for a
change. | strolled about a good deal,
sometimes going up the side of the
mountain. On one of these walks l
came upon the chalet of an old noun
taineer In whose chat l 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 boy Of fourteen. Be-
fore | left Chamounix I had so far
won the old mans confidence that he
told me a story involving bit of fam
lily history.
give 1t in his own words. l noticed
while he was telling 1t 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 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 swallow.
~ 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 1t Is questionable II she
would have been able to dig herself
out When released her she laughed
In great glee.
II took her home and spanked her,
but 1t didn't do any good That child
did not know the meaning Of the word
fear, and 1t seemed as If she believed
bne COuiu Ig ObC SAiih W abOtAACh'
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
and 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 Pfelffer had a son
1--WE years older than Lena, and Pfeif-
fer had made lot of money down on
the 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, | was quite willing
to betroth Lena to Gustav to be mar
ried when she should be old enough.
But Lena bad a playmate, Fritz Hen
KEEL 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. q.
But | had no idea OF my daughter
marrying n guide, who was liable at
any time to go down with the ava
lnnche and leave her widow, with
nothing to live on, when she could
have young man with money In the
bank at Geneva SO ! kept my con
tract with Pfeiffer Lena was much
broken In spirit at not being allowed
to marry the young man she loved, but
thought that after she had been mar
ried awhile and had children she would
settle down to the humdrum OF life
like the rest Of us and forget about
Fritz Henkel She could have run
away with him and been married, but
she would not Her mother had died.
and she knew ] needed her and If she
made break between herself and me
I would have no one to take care OF
me in my old age
"When Henkel knew that he must
lose her, like good fellow he went
away from her to Interlaken and guild
ed tourists up the Jungfrau and the
other mountains thereabout. He would
not come back here even to see his
father and mother. though he sent
them a part Of his earnings. As for
Lena, she did what she could to be
content as the wife Of man she did
not love- She did not complain, but |
saw that to please me she had made
a sacrifice that she might never re-
cover from. Besides. Gustav did not
turn out very well. His father, I'M
fortunately for my plan, continued to
live instead Of dying at a proper age
and leaving his money to his son. Nor
did he give Gustav anything either on
which TO live. SO Gustav, irstead Of
taking up any steady employment,
thought he could make money as his
father had made It and became q
smuRgler.
But every year the revenue men
became more watchful and expert In
detecting smugglers and, what IL
worse for the smugglers. more honest,
though perhaps this was because they
themselves we're more closely watched
At any rate. Gustav did not succeed
M his father had succeeded and at last
was caught smuggling and was sent 10
prison.
II was much depressed by what