Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-02-12
Agatha S
Wedding Gift
BY EUNICE BLAKE

LIE passes In the Swiss mountains
have doubtless been used by man ever
since he began to travel. but in former
times they were crossed very different
ly from the present During the mid.
die ages small parties or even individ
uals would cross the mountains on
foot, usually conducted by guide.
During that period when William
Tell Is supposed to have shot the apple
from his sons head. In the village of
Altdorf, where he flourished. lived
young Swiss named Friedrich Sohm.
His occupation was to guide persons
over the st. Gothard pass down into
northern Italy, then bring others back
to Lucerne. Friedrich loved and was
loved by young girl named Agatha,
and they were only waiting till he had
made one more trip over the pass to be
married. Then he was intending to
build boat on the Lake of the Four
Cantons in which to carry passengers
back and forth between Fleweln and
Lucerne.
One day came Leonardo Morelli, a
Florentine who had been to Paris with
some jewels which he had sold and
was taking back the gold he had re.
ceived for them. He engaged Fried
rich to conduct him across the pass
to the point on the italian side where
now is the mouth of the tunnel whence
he could proceed by road to Lugano
All day guide and man toiled up the
nj n nd In. 4
at an inn on the Italian side. The
merchant carried his gold In a leather
bag sewed to q belt at his waist
When he entered the inn and the land.
lord conducted him to his room Sohm
tossed his bag on table, causing the
gold pieces inside to give out the sound
of coins. This excited the cupidity of
the landlord. and during the night.
when the merchant was asleep. he stole
into the room and took his gold Then,
In order to avert suspicion he opened
the door to the guides room and drop
ped one of the coins on the floor.
In the morning the merchant made
a great ado about his loss. and the
landlord suggested that he search the
guides room OF course a piece of
gold was found on the floor Fried
rich protested his innocence. but was
unable to make the merchant believe
that he was not the thief. The guide
consented to continue the journey to
Lugano, where he would give himself
up. preferrng this course to being a
fugitive and an outlaw.
1t was the month Of May. when the
snow in the Alps is melting. and in
certain parts of the journey the guide
and the merchant Travelled joined by
rope. In passing over narrow path
where on one side was a precipice the
snow gave way and the merchant
would have gone down with 1t had not
the guide braced himself so firmly as
to save him
Sohm was SO grateful that he offer.
ed to forgive Friedrich the theft of his
gold provided he would return one
half of II. Friedrich still insisted that
he knew nothing about the money, that
the landlord must have stolen it and
proposed that they return to the inn
L
merchant consented, and they retraced
their steps. When they reached the
inn they accused the landlord of the
theft and declared that If be did not
restore the property constable would
be brought to take him where he would
be tried
The landlord WAS much sgitated at
this for In those DAYS criminals were
usually put to the torture to make
them confess. However. he stuck to
his denial. claiming that the coin found
In the guides room was proof positive
that he was the thief
The inn stood on southern expo
sure which In summer was free from
snow, but though 1t was now getting
thin the ground. or, rather the rock on
which 1t stood. was still covered. The
day had been very warm. and since
the departure OF the two men in the
the sun, shining through the
thin atmosphere. had left several bare
spots. Friedrich just before sunset
went out on the ledge. where the Ital |
ian sunset was spread out before him
to think of some plan for finding the |
gold which he believed the landlord |
had hidden While sitting there wa.
ter was trckling from the melting |
snow Before arising to return to the
Inn space had been uncovered and. |
looking down beside him. he saw what |
at first he believed to be Il yellow |
stone. but on closer inspection proved |
TO be a gold coin.
Friedrichs first impulse was TO nc
cuse the landlord anew, fortified by
this proof. but he was not used TO act I
ing on impulse. Instead. he went to
the merchant. told him what he had |
found and suggested that the thief had
buried the gold in different places I'M
der the snow and If they waited till
the sun uncovered the ground they
might recover Ii all.