CHAPTER X--A DANGEROUS PASS ON THE ALPS
Mr. Alexander drove through the Alsatian country with keen interest, forthe costumes and beauty of the peasants were so attractive that thetourists liked to watch them and take snapshots of picturesque groups.
Mr. Fabian directed Mr. Alexander to take the road to Lyons as he wishedto have the girls visit the factories where silk, velvet and velour weremanufactured. Nancy Fabian had wearied of Mrs. Alexander's endlesschatter about her million and the Count, and why anyone like the Osgoodsshould lift their heads when they were so poor and proud!
So the day the two cars started for the Alps, (Mr. Alexander hoping tocross them and stop over-night on the other side,) Mrs. Fabian took herplace beside Mrs. Alexander, in the roadster. The small car usuallytrailed the seven-passenger car, but this day the order was accidentallychanged, while climbing the mountains.
It was rough travelling at the best, but the higher the cars climbed therougher became the road, and at last the steep trail narrowed so that itwas almost impossible to pass another car on the same roadway.
But the views were so wonderful and the mountains so majestic, thateveryone was silent and deeply impressed. The cars ascended one peakafter another, and as each summit was reached the autoists sat andmarvelled at the height of the mountain and wondered at the views. Thenthey would seem to drop sheer down again to the valley between the twopeaks. This mode of travelling continued for a long rime, until one ofthe highest peaks of the Alps towered before them. This cloud-piercingmountain-top once passed over, they would reach the border line of Italyand begin descending the range again.
Mrs. Alexander was a fairly good driver, but she had more assurance inher ability than her understanding actually warranted. She was talkingnonsensically, as usual, with half her mind on the road and the otherhalf interested in what she was picturing to her companion, when sheturned a sharp curve in the road.
"Oh-OH!" she screamed, as she tried to use the emergency brake and turnthe wheel to avoid a great boulder which had rolled down upon the path.
But she had not held the machine sufficiently in hand to instantlybenefit her, when the occasion unexpectedly arose that needed presenceof mind. Consequently the new roadster struck the rock with enough forceto crush in the radiator and headlights. The second car came around thecurve, the passengers having heard the shrill scream and lookingfearfully for the catastrophe they believed to have happened to the twowomen.
The shock of the collision had thrown Mrs. Alexander across the wheelwhile her head broke the wind-shield; but Mrs. Fabian had instantlyclutched the side and back of the seat and was only badly shaken.Everyone in the touring car jumped out and rushed over to see if eitherof the ladies had been seriously hurt. Mrs. Alexander groaned and heldher side but could not speak.
"This is a fine pickle!" exclaimed Mr. Alexander. "On top of thewurrold, and no sign of any help at hand to do anything for you. Eventhe blamed old knob on this peak had to roll down and block the way."
Mrs. Fabian was trying to make her companion speak and tell them whereshe was injured, but she shook her head as if unable to speak. Dodo andher father addressed her by every affectionate name they could think of,and begged her to say what hurt. Her face was slightly cut but the bloodmade it seem appalling to others.
"If you'll only get over this, Maggie, I'll never put another straw inyour way of hooking a title," begged Mr. Alexander, his expression amixture of renunciation and misery.
After many minutes filled with suspense for the motorists, and the sametime filled by Mrs. Alexander's groans and helpless rolling of her eyesfrom one to another of the distracted motorists, she gradually recoveredenough to whisper: "The wheel must have fractured my ribs. I can feelthe sharp ends of the splintered bones cut me everytime I breathe, ormove a muscle."
Mrs. Fabian then ordered the men to retire back of the big car, whileshe helped the girls in gently lifting the injured lady and placing herout flat on the comfortable seat of the roadster. With many a cry andcatching of breath, the patient was finally stretched out.
"Now I shall have to cut your gown open in front to get at your stays,"said Mrs. Fabian, using the small scissors she kept in her largehandbag.
Mrs. Alexander tried to object at having her expensive suit ruined, butDodo held her hands while the scissors cut their way up and down. Oncethe outer clothing was opened the cause of the sharp point of the"fracture" was revealed.
"Thank goodness, Mrs. Alexander, that it is no worse!" exclaimed Mrs.Fabian, and the girls seconded that exclamation as they found the frontsteels of the stays had broken and were digging into the flesh underthem.
The silken corsets were soon slashed through and the broken frontsremoved, then Dodo said to her mother: "Take a deep breath, now."
"O--oh--I'm afraid to, Dodo. It will hurt!" whimpered Mrs. Alexander.
"No it won't! Mrs. Fabian managed to pull the steels out and she doesn'tbelieve any of your ribs are broken."
So, holding tightly to her daughter's hand to encourage her, Mrs.Alexander breathed lightly. As she felt no sharp dagger thrust of pain,she took a deeper breath, and finally reassured herself that her boneswere as good as ever. At last she sat up and began fretting over herdamaged travelling suit, in such a tone that everyone around her, knewshe was fully recovered.
While this "first aid" had been going on, no one noticed the pebblesthat were dropping from the over-hanging crags that seemed to bolster upthe peak above them. But when Mrs. Alexander found she could move andget out of the car, some of the stones struck the girls. They gazed upbut could see nothing beyond the high run of crag that faced theroadway, consequently, they moved from under the shower which keptgetting worse.
Mr. Fabian ran up now and expressed deepest concern as he said:"Everyone try to get under that great rock, at once. I'll shove theroadster under the cliff, too."
"Where's Pa?" cried Dodo, sensing some unusual danger.
"Here he comes!" called Polly, seeing Mr. Alexander driving his carclose up under the rocks.
The moment the car was halted close in to the bank, Mr. Alexander jumpedout and ran to help Mr. Fabian push and pull the damaged roadster underthe cliff, also.
"What's the matter, anyway?" asked Mrs. Alexander, looking about at theothers for information. But they seemed as much at sea as she was. Allbut Polly, who knew from experience what the signs portended.
"It looks like a slide, but it may be diverted before it goes over us."Her trembling voice and awed expression impressed her companions morethan the words she had spoken.
"That's what I feared, and we've done the only thing possible--to crouchunder the cliff and wait," added Mr. Fabian.
Mr. Alexander now took out his old black pipe and tobacco bag. As hecarefully pulled open the yellow cord at the top of the cheap cotton baghe smiled and gazed at his friends. "You-all don' know how sorry I amfor you, to think you-all can't take a smoke to kill the time we has tosit here."
Mr. Fabian felt encouraged instantly by the wonderful acting of thelittle man who could thus speak and smile and joke, in face of what wasnow thundering and rumbling overhead--ever coming nearer the grouphuddling under the cliffs.
"Nothin' like tobac to soothe the feelin's when you've had a puncturedrib or tire! If Maggie could only enjoy a whiff of this old friend ofmine, she'd soon have got over her pain."
That irritated his wife so that she snapped back: "Yes, a whiff of thatwould have killed me outright!"
The others laughed uneasily but the tense spell caused by the imminentdanger was broken. Mr. Alexander puffed contentedly, but during thisshort exchange of conjugal sentiments of husband and wife, the sliderolled onward, and the roar now became so deafening that no one couldhear a thing other than the thunder of the avalanche. Polly was the onlyone who really comprehended the full danger, but she showed no fear ornervousness, although she was doubtful as to the outcome of thismountain disaster.
Rocks, roots, and all kinds of debris half-frozen in snow now rolle
dover the cliffs and dropped over down the sides into the ravine that ranalong the other side of the narrow roadway. At the quaking caused by theonrush of the avalanche, the automobiles rattled like tin toys and thecowering humans who tried to push still farther back into the rockywall, watched the fragments of rock fall from overhead and pile upon theroadway.
The whole dreadful occurrence, thus far, had not taken more than a fewminutes since the first pebble struck the roadster, but now was heard aterrible splitting and crashing as if two planets were colliding; thenthe very cliff where they sat seemed to roll over and shake the earth.The frightened tourists clung to each other and screamed in a panic, butthe worst was really over.
The last horror was caused by the sudden impact of the land-slide whenit struck the solid wall of rock that rose sheer up back of the cliffwhich skirted the road for tourists. This wall diverted the avalancheand threw it along the gully which had been made by other precedingsnow-slides in the past. Had the present slide been able to crush therocky wall and come straight on down the mountain sides, nothing earthlycould have spared the tourists from being powdered under the grinding ofrock and ice.
The roar and tumult of the avalanche continued a few minutes longer, butit gradually died away and Mr. Fabian stood tremblingly upon his feetand tried to see which way the slide had gone.
"Humph! 'A miss is as good as a mile'!" quoted Mr. Alex.
"Maybe; but don't you go out to survey until we-all are sure this showerof ice and trash is safely past us," advised Polly.
"Don't you think we had better get from under this cliff?" askedEleanor, nervously.
"If it stood that shock, it will last a few moments more, I reckon,"replied Mr. Alexander.
The other members in the party were too frightened at seeing the rocksand ice that still poured over the cliff, to speak a word. When thedropping had ceased, however, and the roar was diminishing, Polly heavedan audible sigh.
POLLY WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO COMPREHENDED THE DANGER.]
"Well, folkses! That's over! I've been in slides on the Rockies, but Inever felt so queer as this one made me feel. When you understand yourground well, and can reckon on what might hold or what might give way,you feel easier. But on the Alps where all is new and strange to me, Iwasn't sure of this cliff being able to resist the impact."
"Then it _was_ very dangerous for us, was it?" gasped Mrs. Alexander,paling under the rouge on her face.
"Danger! Oh no--no more than jumpin' off that precipice for a lark!"laughed Mr. Alexander, knocking the half-smoked ashes from his old pipe,and tucking the black friend away in his pocket.
"Well, Ebeneezer, when I see you waste good tobacco like that, I knowyou are so unbalanced that you don't know what you're doing," retortedMrs. Alexander.
This remark caused a laugh and everyone felt better immediately. ThenMr. Fabian turned to the little man and said: "We had better see howmuch damage is done to the roadster. Perhaps it will have to be towed tothe next stopping place."
It took another good hour to overhaul the little car and even then itwas found to be too badly damaged to travel under its own power. Whilethe two men were trying to repair the car, the girls worked to clearaway the stones and debris that encumbered and blocked the road. Thelarge rock that had caused the accident to Mrs. Alexander's car, couldbe avoided, with careful steering, if the other trash was out of theway.
Polly showed her companions how to construct rough brooms of the brushthat had fallen over the cliff, and soon they were sweeping for dearlife, with the queer-looking implements. But the brush-brooms did thework thoroughly, and when the cars were ready to continue on the way,the road was cleared.
"Prof., before we leave here, I think we ought to place a sort ofwarning on the other side of that awful heap and the chasms in theroadway that the avalanche caused. We might use the red-silk shirt-waistI have in the bag," said Polly, anxiously.
"Or go on to report to the nearest forester we meet," said Mr.Alexander, from his western experience.
"We'll do both," returned Mr. Fabian. "It won't take long to ram a polein the debris and tie the red flag on it, but it may save others a greatdeal of danger."
"Better still, if we can crawl over the slide that is piled high up onthe trail, I might tie the flag to a young tree far enough down theroadway to spare anyone the climb to this narrow pass where they cannotturn around," added Polly.
So Mr. Fabian and Polly managed to creep warily over the obstructionswhich were heaped over the roadway and, further down the trail, theyfound a tree that grew beside the road. Here the red blouse signal wasleft flying from the stripped young tree, and a warning was printed onthe white silk cuff, telling of the dangers ahead in the path.
When the tourists were settled in the cars again, the large car leadingand the crippled roadster being towed behind, they felt that they haddone their duty and expressed their deep gratitude for their own safety,by leaving the signal flag for others to see and read.
It was slow work zig-zagging down the great height, as the little carcould not work its brakes very well, and it had to be held back by therear mud-guards of the leading car. But the breathless descent wasfinally accomplished and in the valley they found a tiny garage, placedthere for the repairing of damaged automobiles.
"I shouldn't think it would pay you to keep up a shop in this isolatedspot," remarked Mr. Fabian, when the mechanic was working on Mrs.Alexander's car.
"But you don't know how many tourists cross the Alps in summer; everyonefinds something wrong, or runs out of gas, by the time they reach thisvalley," explained the man.
Before the tourists were ready to depart, a number of cars had drivenup, asked for gas or repairs, and then were told of the land-slide ontop of the peak. This spared them climbing, as they could go by anotherroad. The passengers in these cars were most grateful to Mr. Fabian'sparty for the information, thus several parties had been benefited,before a crimson car drove up and a handsome young man called to themechanic.
"Is this the right road over Top Pass?"
"Yes, but you can't pass," returned the man, then he told of theexperiences the people in the American party had just had.
"My, that must have been some excitement! Wish we had been there," criedthe other young man, eagerly.
"Are you an American?" asked Mr. Fabian, certain of it even as he spoke,because the accent and manner of speech was Yankee.
The two young men exchanged looks with each other, and one replied: "Welived in the United States for many years."
This speaker was about twenty-two or three, but the other one wasyounger. They both were exceptionally good-looking and free in theirmanner. It could be readily seen that their car and clothes were of thebest, and one would naturally conclude that they were wealthy young mentouring Europe for pleasure.
The roadster was now repaired and ready to be used, so the bill was paidand Mrs. Alexander got in. Mrs. Fabian was rather timid about trustingherself with such a chauffeur again, so Mr. Fabian seated himself besidethe owner of the car.
"Which way do you go from here?" called out one of the strange youngmen.
"On to Turin," answered Mr. Alexander.
"Do you mind if we follow you? We lost our way to Turin, somewhere, backthere, and when we found ourselves here we decided to go on and not stopat Turin."
This sounded rather lame for an excuse, but no one could refusepermission for the boys to follow, if they wanted to--so Mr. Alexandershouted back at them: "This air is free, and so is the earth! Follerwhat you like, as long as you don't run us down and make us stop foranother over-haulin' of the cars."
The young men laughed and thanked the sarcastic little man, but thegirls smiled as they wondered if this change in route--or minds of thetwo young men--was caused by seeing a number of pretty misses in thetouring car?
The day was far spent when the roadster was in a shape to continue thetour, and Turin was many a mile away. So it was found to be impossibleto reach there that night. The recent experience with the
avalanche hadcaused a reaction, too, and as everyone felt worn out with the tension,it was decided to stop at a small inn in the foot-hills of the Alps.
The automobiles had been left in the shed that was used for the cows andoxen, and the travellers entered the low-ceiled primitive room withravenous appetites. The inn-keeper was cooking at a huge fireplace atthe end of the room, and the odor of bacon and onions permeated theentire place.
"Oh!" sighed Eleanor, rolling her eyes upwards, "I never smelledanything so delicious!"
"Yet you abominate onions at other times," laughed Polly.
"It all depends on the state of your appetite," retorted Eleanor.
When the tourists were refreshed by washing and brushing, they returnedto the great living-room. The two young strangers were there beforethem. The older of the two acted as spokesman and now introduced himselfand his companion.
"This is my cousin, Alan Everard, of Winnipeg, Canada. And I am BasilTraviston, a resident of California, but not a native of that State."
Mr. Fabian introduced his wife, and the other members of his party byname only, without mentioning the city or state whence they came. Allthrough supper hour he maintained a dignified attitude which was meantto warn off any young men with dangerously good looks. But he might aswell have tried to build a snow-man under the heat of a July sun.
Both young men were so charming, and told many witty stories which kepttheir audience in stitches of laughter that it was generally conceded,afterward, the two were most desirable fellow-travellers. Mr. and Mrs.Fabian sat up a full hour after the girls were asleep, however, tryingto pick a flaw in the behavior of the two strangers, which might form abasis for the separation from the touring party. When all was said anddone, the only tangible excuse was the fact that they were both sohandsome and unknown.
The next morning the three cars started for Turin, and during thetiresome ride the two young men managed to keep up an exchange ofinteresting remarks that amused everyone. When they stopped for luncheonin the middle of the day, the two boys insisted upon waiting on theladies and making themselves generally useful.
The time came for the tourists to get in their cars again, but Mrs.Alexander had taken a decided liking for the younger of the two youngmen--Alan Everard. So she invited him to travel in her car, and thatleft Mr. Fabian without a place.
"It's only as far as Turin, you know," explained Mrs. Alexander, tryingto smile sweetly on the guide of the touring party.
Rather than create any unpleasantness, Mr. Fabian got in beside BasilTraviston. But he was determined, as long as he was forced to accept theseat, to learn more about the two new additions to his party.
After a perfunctory exchange of sentiments, Mr. Fabian said: "Your nameis very English, and the fact that your cousin is from Winnipeg, leadsme to judge that you both are of English descent."
"My cousin's real name is not Everard--that is his first name; but weboth are travelling incognito on the Continent, as our titles and namesare so well-known that people stand to stare, and annoy us with theirinterest. So we decided to travel unknown, this season."
Mr. Fabian frowned, and glanced side-ways from his eyes, to see if theyoung man was presuming upon his intelligence. But Traviston was drivingwith a most guileless expression. In fact, no handsome babe could haveappeared more innocent than he.
"It really seems as if we have been unusually blessed--or cursed, Idon't know which--with young men who claim titles. Mrs. Alexander wishedso intensely for titled young men to travel with, it looks as if sheattracted them to our party," said Mr. Fabian, smiling cynically.
"Is that so?" returned Traviston, but his tone and expression failed toshow any resentment or interest in the information. Mr. Fabian wondered,and decided not to tread on thin ice any more, just then.
But Mrs. Alexander was faring much better with the young man in her car.Almost immediately after they had resumed the tour she asked pointedly:"Your cousin's name, and yours as well, is very English. Perhaps youbelong to an old family?"
"Oh yes," returned Everard. "Both of us came over, this year, on purposeto trace our family-trees. I have learned that my people go back to Adamwithout a break."
"Not really!" gasped Mrs. Alexander, astonished at such a long line ofancestry.
"Yes, and Basil now believes he can antedate Adam, and trace some factsabout his ancestry that started with a missing link." Young Everardlaughed softly as he spoke, but his companion never having heard ofDarwin, believed every word he said; whereas he thought she knew he wasjoking.
"You and your cousin must be young men of leisure, or you couldn't spenda whole summer touring Europe in such an expensive car. I noticed howsporty the car was, before I saw either of you," said Mrs. Alexander.
"That's just it. When Basil and I work, we have to work like Trojans.But when we finish a contract we take life easy until the next job comesup."
"Oh, you work? I wouldn't have said so. What sort of contract work doyou do?" asked Mrs. Alexander. The pedestal she had used for her two newheroes, seemed shaking dangerously.
Everard laughed. "Some people laugh at what we call work, but they don'trealize that playing is the hardest kind of work. I sometimes think Iwill chuck the whole game and knuckle down to the real thing--work thatis called work. But money is sweet, and if one likes to spend, then theweak little decision to work as others do, dies hard and I go on withthe play."
Mrs. Alexander suddenly realized that she had misunderstood the youngman's first words. Then he called "playing" his work, and with his moneyhe found playing as hard a work as a poor man finds his labor. So shesympathized with his ideals and thought him a remarkable young man.
Before they reached Turin, she had her suspicions that he was a very_important_ young man; for he had given her certain bits of informationthat told how well-known he and his cousin were, and how they dodged atcertain places to travel incognito to avoid publicity.
Polly and Her Friends Abroad Page 10
